BSF

Monday was my first night to attend my new Bible Study Fellowship class here in Florida. I was excited and nervous all at the same time! My leader had left me a voicemail that there would be a fellowship beforehand. I went early knowing the fellowship would be a great way to get to know some people. It's amazing and wonderful to me that I was able to jump right in and talk with these women like I already knew them. I had my lesson prepared because we were studying the same thing back at the Fayetteville evening women's class. I knew what the night was going to be like (fellowship, opening assembly all together, discussion group, lecture) because BSF follows the same format everywhere. And even though this class is much more ethnically diverse than my AR class, it is the same. We are all there to study God's Word and we have the Holy Spirit as our common denominator. That is one of the things that makes the body of Christ so exciting to me... the unity it brings. (Can you tell we've been studying Ephesians? ha.)

It was comforting to be around likeminded women, but it also made me homesick for my leaders circle at home and those sweet kiddos in my level one class. Not to mention Julia gives the most awesome lectures. But the same Holy Spirit that leads that class leads this one, too. I'm excited to continue this adventure with some new friends.

The Mini Tour

I promised that the next post would include pics, so get ready for the mini tour. This is the outside front door of our townhouse. How about those palm trees?!?

Our unit is two story, so that tiny balcony above the front door is off of our bedroom. Here is a pic of our bedroom:

If you look with a careful eye, you will notice that those closet doors were made for giants. Consider how tall they are in comparison to the full length mirror. So strange... All of the doors on the second floor are giant-like. I have a hook that hangs over the bathroom door for robes & towels, but I cannot use it on the giant door because I wouldn't be able to reach it. This has been my office the last week:

We still don't have a wireless router, so I'm plugged in to the wall with a cable. The clothes hamper makes a handy desk. The giant door behind my chair is to the tiny balcony out front. I do enjoy the sunshine while I'm working. Here we have the living room you see as you walk down the stairs:

The windows behind the couch overlook our back patio. And if you look to the right edge of the pic, you'll see our kitchen bar. You would think this would be the breakfast area so close & open to the kitchen, but that's not how they roll down here in South Florida! Every place we looked at while house searching featured one cable/tv outlet that was always in the room off of the kitchen. There is a second "living room" area where you would think the cable would be, but alas, it is not. It is here. In the kitchen/breakfast area. So we're living South Florida style with our main living area here in the kitchen. Speaking of the kitchen, here she is:

For a small kitchen, it really has a lot of cabinet space. I almost cut the top part of the bar out of the pic, but you can still see how scary it looks. It has several stacks of things on it that still don't have a home.

This will have to conclude the mini tour. The other rooms aren't much to show at this point... still stacked with boxes & stuff so that you can't really tell what the room looks like. Now that you have seen the pics, you'll have to come see this place in person! We're accepting reservations for guests. :) 

Editing this post for Tony. Here's the interesting pic of the back: 

Beyond that half wall lies our little patio. The door opens into our living room/kitchen area and the windows above are the guest quarters you'll be staying in when you come visit!

The Adventure Begins...

It just so happened that i was studying Acts 16 when Adam first mentioned that he had been approached about a position for Walmart in Miami, FL. Verses 6-10 were of particular interest. Here is what they say:

"Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them."

Side note: I love how eternal God's word is! It is always relevant and spans all generations and time. I can read this same passage today and get something totally different out of it. *love*

Now, back to November when all of this was happening... God was showing us that He is the one that opens & closes doors. He directs the path of His children. And my BSF notes had these two other very timely verses as well:

Isaiah 48:17: "This is what the Lord says--your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.'"

And Isaiah 30:21: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"

It was a bit of a rollercoaster from November to February when we received the final word on the job, but it was an excellent exercise in trusting the Lord. He has worked out so many details on our behalf! He prepared a wonderful little townhouse for us to live in, He made a way for me to continue working for DaySpring remotely, He provided Adam with time off work to handle the moving/unpacking while I continue to work, and the list goes on & on. We continue to trust that He will do even more. We're praying for a church family and friends here in Florida and for our house in Arkansas to sell quickly. There is much joy in obedience even when what He asks is unexpected and even scary.

I will try to get some pics of the new place up in the next post. It's pretty crazy looking at the moment with boxes everywhere. AND I'm very excited about this palm tree background I found... very appropriate for Florida, right? I also added a place over on the side where you can subscribe for updates by e-mail. Don't be afraid to sign up. :)

New Years Resolution

You know the thoughts you start having that last week in December... "Am I going to make a New Years resolution? Do I really want to go there? I never end up following through, so why even say I'm going to try again." There is the little cartoon angel on my other shoulder, though, saying, "Give it a try! What if you are able to follow through this year? Think of the possibilities! Don't be so negative! You can do it, if you just put your mind to it!" (rhyme intended...b/c cartoon angels can rhyme, right?)

Well, starting this blog is my version of a New Years resolution. I have all of these fears that I'm going to start out strong, and then completely drop the ball, but I've decided to give it a go anyways... I'm counting on YOU (imagine that old army recruitment poster with uncle sam pointing at you) to hold me accountable. Hopefully, some kind friend or family member will actually follow my blog and ask me when I'm going to post again b/c I've been slacking. Please be that person!

Why start a blog in the first place? Because the A-Team (that's what Jeff Seiter called Adam & me) has moved to Florida. And I want all of you lovely folks back in Arkansas to know what's going on in our lives. So... get excited and start counting down to post #2 where I detail the way God orchestrated our circumstances for this life-altering move (sounds dramatic, but it's kind of a big deal).