As most of you know I have or had been a military spouse for 16 years. Mike retired this year and I thought our days of travel were over. I never thought we would be picking up and moving, especially out of the state of Florida. But our plans are not always God's plans and so here we are. Sitting in a hotel in Mississippi. Mike and I had spent much time in prayer about his career path. In the beginning I was ready to GO. It didn't matter when or where I was ready. Then I started to believe we were not meant to GO, as willing as I was it just wasn't happening. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and before you knew it we had been out of work for 5 months. When I look back on that and see God's hand on our lives and how he used people around us to bless and sustain us during that time I truly am blown away by his love for our family. One of the first people to help our family walked up to me in church one night and said "God told me to do this and when God speaks I listen." I walked away thinking awe how nice. But when I opened the card and saw a gift of $500.00 I couldn't believe my eyes. Bills were due, it was nearing time for school to start and here was this blessing to help our family. We had not asked for a dime. We had not told anyone how bad it really was. We put a smile on our faces and continued to go to church and be who God was asking us to be. At that time it was teachers in our church kids department. Our hearts were filled to the brim as week after week we taught children about God's love and some of those simple messages began to grow in our hearts. One of those verses was Luke 16:10 Those who can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. There is more to the verse but this was the part we taught to the children. We taught K-2 grade.
We lived in a small trailer. There were times we would go to church really not thinking we had enough gas to go or get home. We had Mike's retirement and we were able to get food assistance through the SNAP program. My little trips out shopping came to a screeching halt. The very little shopping I was able to do was at a thrift store. A pay by the pound thrift store. Mike would occasionally give me a small allowance just so I could get out of the house and feel normal. When the SNAP benefits would come through it felt like Christmas. I had never looked forward to grocery shopping as much as I did during that time. As I look back at those little moments I am so thankful for my husband and the little things he did to bring a smile to my face during those hard times.
Then one day Mike got a phone call. It was a phone interview. Then he got another phone call asking him to go to Alabama for an interview. The company paid all expenses. THEN he got on a plane to come home....and before he even got off the plane, they had called to speak with Mike. We got a call that evening and Mike was given a verbal offer. Our minds were blown. The offer was beyond our dreams and expectations and to be honest we knew it was a gift from God. The next few weeks were a whirl wind. From saying good-byes and spending Thanksgiving with family to leaving the Sunday after so Mike could be at work on Monday morning. I am still amazed that God made everything happen so fast so that we were able to be together as a family. We came with Mike as a family and the company has provided 30 days of living expenses, and things have been so crazy. We have been looking for a place to live and there have been times when it has been very stressful. It is a lot to think about especially around the Holidays, but when things get crazy and I feel like I might break down I just think about how God has orchestrated this whole job, move, miracle. This couldn't have happened with out several miracles taking place. Don't get me wrong, I am a little sad that I am sitting in a hotel a week before Christmas. I am a little sad that we haven't done any Christmas shopping. I am a little sad I am not able to cook for my family and have a decent meal without having to spend ungodly amounts of money feeding a family of 6. I am a little sad that each day I feel more and more like I am living in the movie Groundhog Day!
BUT
I wouldn't change it for anything! And here is why, We are together!
If there is anything I have learned on this path it is that God is walking this path with us and just when I think he isn't there, he proves otherwise. So I have really been working on following him instead of trying to guide him with what I want. I have to believe in what the Bible says, that the desires of my heart the ones that really matter aren't just matters of the heart but that they truly mean something to God. For I am his child and his plans are for my family to prosper and not to harm us. So my prayer is to be more like Ruth. To be a follower of God and not someone who tries to convince God that my ways are better than his. Because never in my dreams could I have dreamt up this amazing opportunity for our family. To be honest my plans probably would have kept us in Florida, around everything and everyone that was familiar to me. But not God, :) he shakes us up and turns us loose in a unfamiliar place to think of new ways to serve him. This is where my heart goes back to all those who helped us during our struggles. We have already thought of ways to spread the love of Jesus and they may be the subject of my next blog but for now. I am going to close with this, we are humble and thankful for our family and friends who support us and love us no matter where we are. The phone calls, the text messages, the emails mean so much more than you will ever know. We are truly blessed beyond measure and we will never forget you all!
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