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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Blessings

We are truly blessed! Just when I thought that SoCal may not be the place for us we found ourselves feeling so welcome and at peace with our decision to move here.

For the last six months I've been a little skeptical of our decision to leave the midwest and settle in a suburb of Los Angeles. I've felt like my wardrobe, hairstyle, physique, car, etc. just weren't up to par with everyone else around here. I felt like a fish out of water. As much as I was enjoying the sunshine, beach and being near my sister and nephews, I was also feeling out of place. When you don't have a lot of money it can be overwhelming to live down here. Particularly when you have a few pounds to lose and are living in a wardrobe that requires at least a 10 pound weight loss. It's just very different than my life in Indiana where shopping at Kmart and Walmart were normal and people complimented me everytime I got a haircut or bought a new top. In Indiana baby and bridal showers were full of crazy games, mini-sausages, cakes made lovingly by hand and a good time. Out here, baby showers (I haven't been to a wedding shower yet) are full of fancy platters, perfectly themed snacks, games that aren't really games at all and way too much money! It all came to a head as I was helping to plan a baby shower with friends and a debate broke out over the use of plastic cups! Seriously, aren't we in a recession? Does it really matter if the cups are plastic? It was too much, it made me want to cry because there is so much more to life than the type of cups used at a baby shower. In the end the shower will be beautiful and the family will feel loved and that's what matters most.

Then, just a few short days later we were invited to dinner by one of the elders of our new church. The dinner was lovely and the couple is so nice and sincere. Then, when we were all done, they pulled out an envelope containing a "love offering" and I have truly never felt so loved by a church. I finally felt like we were at home. It wasn't because of the money, it was because people had noticed our prayers and our needs. It was beautiful. The elders said that they wanted us to be able to stay in SoCal because we were an important part of the church family. Wow! That's powerful. Well, now we can stay in SoCal and we have another 5 months before it will be a huge burden if our house is not rented. Hopefully God will provide some renters before that 5 month deadline comes up but if not, He has provided.

God is showing us that He brought us here for a reason and that he will take care of us. What a powerful demonstration of His love.

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