One Year

Ok, buckle up everyone. This is not going to be your typical "here's-what-the-kids-are-doing" post. It's long, so you might make sure you have time to read it.

Almost exactly one year ago, I wrote this (This was my very first post on this blog):

March 21, 2007
It started out as just a simple road-trip vacation to Phoenix and it turned into a job interview, a second trip to Phoenix and a job offer. That's the short version. The longer version is as follows:
At the end of January we loaded up our car and took our first long car trip to Phoenix with the kids. It was fun! Rand didn't have a "job" so we went with no specific plans to return..although we were planning on coming back at some point. Before the trip,we had been going through a time of change since Rand quit his job. His heart was for ministry, so he had been pursuing Thoughtlife (his non-profit ministry) as a full time job. As it turns out, although this ministry is well liked by many and a very good idea, it costs more to operate than we can afford without some other means to support ourselves adequately. (My Arbonne business supplements some, but that's another story) So, something was going to have to change, and we knew that before we left for our trip.
Meanwhile in AZ, a good friend of Rand's had been interim-pastoring a small church, but was heading off to the east coast in the fall and the church happened to be looking for a new head pastor. Rand's friend suggested he apply. So he did. The search committee interviewed him and loved him. We went home and the church flew all of us back down for a second interview and an "audition". Rand passed with flying colors and the church voted unanimously to hire him. The job seems perfect for him and I think he is going to love it. The church is REALLY small, but they want to grow. They are ready for change and want Rand to come in with ideas and a plan to implement them (exactly what he's good at).
Needless to say I am so sad to leave home because I love it here. My family is here which is the main reason I love it, but I also love the scenery, the weather and the atmosphere of a small town, a simpler life and the slower pace. I mean, we are going from wet, cool and green to dry, hot and brown. It's going to be quite a shocker. Who moves to Phoenix right at the beginning of summer? And who would leave here? We just survived winter. We're leaving right when it's starting to get good!
So, we blast off April 14 with a big Uhaul truck with our entire house on board. We have a For Sale sign on our house and we're starting to pack.:( Here we go. Ready or not. We're off to the desert!!

Now, we all know the series of events that followed, especially those that took place on April 14. We actually left on the evening of April 13 and had we not, we probably wouldn't have gone because we would have found out the bad news and still been in Shelton. I find it ironic that I used the words "blast off" because, boy, it was some definite blasting. I hope you have kept reading to this point because what follows might be a bit of a shocker. Looking back, I understand so many more answers to the "why" questions that I've had over the past year (isn't that always the case??).
When we came to Phoenix, a year ago, our marriage was really on the rocks. Many people knew that, and I know that there were many that were praying for us. God led us to a counselor....who is really more of a discipler/mentor. It has been like no other counseling I've ever experienced. God used this man to change my marriage, my relationships, my family and most importantly, my faith.
Immediately, he told us that God did not bring us to Phoenix for that church (Rand's job) and he told us that God kept giving him the words "one year" for us. He didn't know what that meant, and neither did we, but he kept saying one year. One year in Phoenix? One year in counseling? One year at the church? We didn't know.....and we didn't really believe we weren't here for that church. Maybe you've noticed that I haven't written much about Rand and his job and the church and all of that. Maybe someday soon, I will sit down and do that, but it is a LONG STORY! Through no fault of Rand's, but just circumstances, Rand has recently submitted his letter of resignation to the church. The church will be closing it's doors as it cannot afford to continue operating and the few members it has have joined with another church who we were talking about merging with. Obviously the merge didn't happen and the corporation of First Baptist Church of Glendale will soon be dissolved.
Currently, Rand is submitting his resume and letters of recommendation to churches and we are again in a very similar situation as we were exactly one year ago. But I must say, we are very different people. Never in my life have I been so sure that God is the one in my life directing me and leading me and guiding me towards HIS plan for me...for us. This last year has been a year of refining fire. We were so sure that God brought us here to grow that little church and like our counselor said over 8 months ago, God actually brought us here to get us prepared for something else.
There is SOOOO much more to the story and so many more examples of how God is showing us again and again that HE has something for us and it is all falling into place in His time. When I feel it is okay for me to share, I will write more about where we might be going, but we still aren't sure. We need prayers! I don't feel scared and I don't feel stressed. I feel grateful that God has kept us from making some major mistakes (like buying a house) so that we can be free to go where he leads when we know where that is.
We may end up staying right here. Then again, we could be loading up a U-haul truck again soon. Please pray for us and for Rand, who bares the burden of providing for his family. I have faith in Rand and I have faith in God that we are going to be more than fine. I do find myself re-living last year, last March and last April, when absolutely everything changed. Right before our world was really rocked. We thought we were just moving to Phoenix to pastor a little church. It was so much more than that! It's hard not to think of Willie and April 14 which is fast approaching. I can't believe it's almost a year. I'll save all that for another post. Thanks for reading. Thanks for praying.