One week down

We have made it through our first week in Mobile and I have to say that God has done a huge work in my heart over the last seven days. We hadn't been in town 24 hours before reality hit and homesickness settled in. Thanks to all of you who prayed for my heart, it only took another 24 hours before my sweet Jesus started to change my perspective...

Toby's job seems to be getting better and better. Every day he came home with more great news...there is hunting property attached to the plant (he loves to hunt, but rarely gets to), his boss has encouraged him to take off as much time as we need to move our furniture, he is clearly valued and they are excited to have him, and on and on. In fact, we met with a contractor this week who said, "There's a long line of people wanting to work at that place. The fact that they hired you says a lot about you." I say, Nah, it says a lot about how amazing, generous, and powerful my Jesus is!

Toby's first night of class was Tuesday night and for the next six weeks he will study the Mission and Message of Jesus. Being a christian university, this is a required course for all UM students so most of his classmates are business, education or nursing students. He is the only student in this class from the theology department. When asked to share a brief introduction in class, most people responded that they're only there because they have to be. Toby shared our story in a nutshell..."I was an engineer in Tennessee and God called us into ministry, so I quit my job, moved to Mobile, started a new job yesterday and tonight is my first class." He said most of the room held blank stares of disbelief. Already God is giving us a platform to proclaim His goodness and share our journey! The professor is a pastor who teaches on the side and it quickly became clear that his interest is not in tests and papers, but in sharing the gospel with these students. His goal is to make sure each student that passes through that campus knows who Jesus is and what He taught. Toby was so excited and blown away by the teaching that his enthusiasm was contagious and instantly brought me out of my funk when he got home. His excitement helped me to refocus...to take my attention off of me and my pity party and to remember why we're here. We are here to love on the people of Mobile, to proclaim His goodness and love, and to learn as much as we possibly can!

Most of my week was spent gathering materials for the massive house project list. When we did the work on this house three years ago, we cut a lot of corners and put in the cheapest possible stuff we could in order to save a buck. Now that we're living here, there's a lot that has to be addressed...funky wiring with the light switches, leaky plumbing in the bathrooms, etc, etc. We have also decided to put in some extras to maximize space like a new closet system in the master bedroom, a new cabinet in the master bathroom and a larger sink in the kitchen. Haley was such a trooper as we trekked across town and made endless trips to Wal-Mart and Lowe's this week. Toby's dad has come into town to visit and help with some of these projects, and after an incredibly productive weekend, this little house is feeling more like home every day. My favorite project this week, has definitely been Haley's new big girl bed! A friend in Knoxville had this bed for his son and when he outgrew it he graciously passed it on to us. She loves it! She is doing so well with her new big girl bed and is so proud of herself. Her excitement and ability to adjust to all of these changes has made this transition that much easier.

As the week has progressed, I have been able to focus a little more clearly on the people of Mobile. Sweet Jesus has put so many smiling faces in my way...kind words from a lady at the laundromat, Jesus talk from a contractor, and friendly chat at the store. All are simple reminders of Jesus' love for me and evidence that He is the God who sees. He sees me going through each day and wants to remind me that He is here, making a path for me and pouring out His love.

He has impressed on us that the coming months are to be a season of learning. Not just Toby's learning from school, but for both of us to learn as much as possible about full time ministry. In doing so, it is our goal to visit as many churches as possible and experience as many worship styles and teaching as possible. With church planting impressed on our hearts, we want to gather the best aspects from the body of Christ. We do not want denominational traditions to stand in the way of learning from other parts of the body. That being said, we scoured the internet for churches to visit. Through a series of circumstances, we ended up at a new church this morning and square in the presence of the Lord. We had never set foot in this church before, but as soon as the music began the Spirit fell thick and heavy!! We saw a few people heading to the open area in the front of the room and as the lyrics grew, so did the number of people and their praises. I stared in amazement as grown men in suits jumped up and down with their hands raised as their extravagant praises overwhelmed them! It didn't take but a few seconds for the Spirit to capture my heart and take me away to a place of beautiful praise. Lost in His presence, I felt Toby wrap his arm around me..."look over there." When I opened my eyes and looked to the side of the auditorium, I saw flags flying...beautiful banners waved in glorious praise to our Jesus. At the front of the alter was another set of flags. You have to know that I had never seen (or heard of) banners and flags being used in worship until that life changing women's retreat in Feb 2009. That was one of the things that began my journey to entering His presence with physical praise. Seeing those flags this morning was a sweet, precious gift from my Jesus as He proclaimed to me..."I am here and I am doing beautiful things here in Mobile. Come, and be part of it!" This congregation was like none I had ever seen before. We saw old, white haired people, young punk-looking kids, African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, suits, tshirts, preppy dresses and pearls. We heard people speaking in tongues, freely shouting His praises, and dancing in His presence. The two hours we spent in that place this morning is something I will treasure always. While we're not looking for a church home to plug into right now, that was a wonderful start to give us hope that Jesus beat us to Mobile in bringing glorious life to this city! I can't wait to see how we will fit into His revival here!

So what now? How do we start making new friends, sharing our story and our Jesus, and establishing a routine? The church we visited today just so happens to have a MOPS group (mothers of preschoolers). Because I was on the leadership team for this ministry at our church in Tennessee, this immediately caught my attention. Their first meeting of the year is this week and I am planning to attend. Also, many months ago God gave me five neighbors, houses all visible from my front door. He has told me to start there. We met the first neighbor two days ago...a sweet, retired grandmother who has lived here for years, but never met any other neighbors. This is confirmation that it will be our job to bring these people together. To build relationships right here on our street and pour out Jesus' love in any way we can. We'll start by delivering a plate of cookies and a smile and just wait to see where Jesus takes us from there...

It would be easy for me to get lost in my endless to do list and projects around the house...Satan would love for me to do that...to keep to myself and keep silent. But I know that God brought us here with a message...a message of love and hope that this city is in desperate need of hearing. The coming weeks will require huge steps for me to come out of my comfort zone and step into the awesome power of Jesus. To boldly knock on the front door of a stranger and share Jesus' love. It just so happens that I ran across this quote this morning...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God! Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson

So my challenge to you...and me...is to step out and let your light shine! If you are a child of the Most High God, who can stand against you?!? If you are not sure where to start or what to say, simply reflect on what you have experienced and what God has taught you. Nobody can take away your experiences. Proclaim the love and mercy you have experienced with confidence! As you take those steps of faith, know that I will be doing the same this week. I can't wait to share with you how it goes and I'd love to hear your story, too! Please feel free to leave a comment or email me with your experiences...So that they will know that HE is God!