Over the weekend we moved into our first home! After three months "moving", of living with family and out of suitcases, it feels so good to finally be home! We are so thankful God has blessed us with a great place to live. Since moving in we've been busy unpacking, which has been a long process. Since all of our stuff has been in storage for two yeards or shipped across an ocean and then in storage for three months, everything has to be washed. Needless to say, its a long process.
Matt is loving his job at the church, and is busy meeting people, evaluating, and making plans for the future. There is so much room for growth in the children's ministry since WCC is full of young families. We are both super excited to see how God will use us as WCC.
I am still looking for a job, slowly but surely. It is so hard for me to look for a job because it is a constant reminder of the job I wanted so badly, and almost had (being a mom). I have a phone interview for the only job that I found that I really want, tomorrow morning at 10 am. Please pray for me and for this interview! I will keep you posted.
Sunday night we went to a small group, which we really enjoyed and are excited to be a part of. While sharing prayer requests, another girl in the group shared that it had been a year since she lost her baby. That of course started an emotional break down for myself. Although some in the group knew of our loss, not all did, so the associate minister shared with the group about the loss of our three babies in July. Although it is so hard to talk about, it is a tremendous help to share our burden of grief, and to be lifted up in the prayers of others.
Sunday night, topped with moving into our home without three of everything for the babies, made for a really hard Monday by myself. I am sure this will be only one of thousands of emotional meltdowns. But sometimes the grief and my empty heart are so overwhelming I am unsure of how I will go on. I try to pray, desperately needing God's help and strength, but no words will come. Yet I know Romans 8:28 is true, and the Spirit within me has been speaking with God on my hearts behalf. Although I am unable to utter a single word, I am surrounded with God's peace, my heart is filled with the love of my Savior, and I am able to once again put my trust in God's plan for my life.
On a not so depressing note...as some of you may or may not know, I went to Haiti with a medical missionary for 2-3 weeks both the summers of my junior and senior year of high school. It just so happens that the guy I went with attends WCC-our new church. It is so good to see him and his wife every week! But anyways, his son is the youth minister, and is planning a mission trip for the youth group to go to Haiti with his dad next summer. Haiti has always been a dangerous country, some times more than others, but its not really a place most parents want their teenagers going. So the youth minister decided not only would I be a good resource for the parents to talk to about the safety of their teenager, but that I would also be a great person to have along as the female sponsor. It really didn't take any convincing on my part, as I am thrilled to have the opportunity to go back!
So-thats about all the news in our lives. Please be in prayer as Matt and I continue grieve, and continue to trust in God's plan for our family. We are currently seeking out His will for our next step, so please pray that we will clearly see His plan.
Congratulations on your new home. I'm sure you'll love moving in and getting everything situated. At the same time we'll be keeping you in our prayers. I [kinda] know what you mean about reminders. You find them everyday and it brings the memory back. It's during those times that God shows His compassion I think.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about y'all and my sister-in-law's, sister-in-law (got that?!). Her name is Hope Vogel and she and her husband used to live in Wentzville I think, but they're in ministry. Her blog is http://healinghope.blogspot.com/ and may be something you'd like to read one day. Hope put words to a lot of things I had been feeling, so it may be of interest to you.
Happy New House days, again!
Steph-
ReplyDeleteI'm the Hope that Jordan told you about in the previous comment. She sent me an email to introduce me to you all and give me your blog address. I'm so glad that she did.
My husband and I lived in the O'fallon and St. Peters areas for about 6 years. We just sold our house there in 2007. It is a wonderful area! I miss it very much! We still have lots of friends in the area, most of them go to Mid Rivers Christian Church or Calvary Church in St. Peters, though there may be a few who are actually at your new church now!
We have just recently had God's blessing in moving from a career in the business world to ministry. God led us to a wonderful church in Mt. Vernon, IL. We're about an hour east of St. Louis now. From one side of the Arch to the other. :) We've been here about six months and are going through the transition of starting a new ministry as well. I pray that God will bless you all abundantly in your service to Him!
I read through your old posts to learn about your precious babies. My heart aches with you all. It has been six years now since we lost our daughter. I just want to encourage you by telling you that God is faithful, He will carry you through this time, and You will never be the same! We still miss our daughter terribly, but I can honestly say that He has turned our mourning into joy. I have come to know Him so much more intimately through her and I wouldn't trade that for the world!
God has given me a real passion to reach out to other women who experience this time of grief, and as a result I put all of my journal entries and testimony story up on a blog just to share with other women who might be blessed by it. I just wanted to invite you to stop by it sometime if you feel that it is something that would help you. If not, that is okay too.
I just want you to know that I am adding you to my prayer list on Healing Hope and will be praying for you all during your grief and healing and your new ministry.
Feel free to email me at hdvogel@gmail.com if you ever want to ask questions or just have a "shoulder" to cry on.
The journey through grief is a very difficult one, but as long as you walk it with Christ, it is a tremendously blessed one! Here's a little scripture to encourage you tonight. The entire chapter was read at our daughter's funeral and sums up what journeying with God is all about!
"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca (weeping), they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion." Psalm 84
May you walk with Him one day at a time, from strength to strength! He will see you through! Many blessings to you tonight.