changes

Life is wild.
A year ago I was so worried about money, medical insurance, house duties, health, kids, animals, life.

But I gave them all to God and a peace beyond understanding replaced the worry and fear.

Now, I have a new job that I love that pays so much better than general rv ever could with amazing insurance and a retirement plan that will set us up vry nicely in 25 years.
Ted is still in remission YAY!!! and his strength & stamina are slowly getting better.  But what has grown so much is his faith.  I love watching him draw closer to Jesus and hear God's voice speak to him.

Faith has led us to many places in our lives.  When I applied for the job, I gave it to God.  If I was meant to move, then the doors would open wide for me.  And they did.

I took that same attitude with house hunting.  Our family is not trailer park material.  This place has served us well, and I will never regret moving here when we did and selling the home we loved even though it was so difficult to do.  We met some great people and have been able to pay off more than half of our debt which is a fantastic feeling, but I felt a nudge to start looking again.

If you are house hunting at all in this market, then you know that there is not much out there as everyone is trying to buy since rent is insane (at least in West Michigan). So that means when you find something you like, you can't sit on it for awhile and think over it... you have to move fast.

On Thursday evening, we looked at a home not too far from where I grew up at.  It's older, built in the mid 60's, but has had so much work already done to it.  The place also has a pole barn, mature trees, corn fields on three sides, and so much potential.  And the best part.... Ted loves it.  He couldn't stop talking about it.  So we put in an offer along with two other parties and the accepted ours!

I am honestly still in shock about it.  I was fully prepared to continue our search for something else.  I had been praying that if it was God's will, then the doors will open up wide for us to walk through.  And they did.

One of the things that I like about it is that we will be closer to our sweet friend and her kids again.

You see, just under a month ago, her husband, our dear friend was driving home from work and then suddenly was not.

His soul was transferred up to Heaven and his body stayed here for his family and tribe to mourn.

Nick, Jacci and their kids have been such an integral part of lives for 15 years now.  God knew what he was doing when we all met in a basement of a home to have a meeting to start a new church and a new framily.

There are so many memories of Nick floating around my head of different things we all did together.  Some make me laugh, some make me cry, others I wonder how I didn't strangle the man.  But all of them are pure Nick and his essence of fighting for what he loves and cares for the most.

About a year ago, Ted had a pulmonary embolism that almost took his life.  Nick was there at the hospital with us and on facebook telling people to give us space, to respect our time together.  He thought, as we all did, that Ted may not make it.

Now, for whatever reason we will never grasp, we are in the opposite boat, supporting Nick's family the way they supported ours.

I know that we can never ever replace Nick - I honestly wouldn't want to, he wore a big mouth and a hot leather hat - but we can show his family the love that he has shown ours.

This new to us home will put us in a place where we can love on them easier and on others as we will have room again for people who may need a place to stay.

I don't know where you are at in life.  What you are struggling with.  But I do encourage you to give it all to God.  To give him the chance to help you through it.  Simply tell him that you are listening and then listen.  He will speak to you if you are quiet enough to hear.