We’re Moving!

Yes, you read the title right, Kenny and I are moving South… waaaaayyy down south… Near Miami, Florida to be exact! Kenny has taken an Assistant Pastor’s position at Bible Baptist Church in Pembroke Pines, FL and we are super excited to start a new work/ministry in the deep south and continue Our Life in the REAL Big City!

The Lord has blessed us SOOOO over abundantly more than we could ever ask or think while we were in the process of making this decision! We had some pretty specific prayer requests (besides the usual doctrine, standards, etc.) we wanted answered about where the Lord would have us go, like:

• The Pastor/Pastor’s Wife. When your going to be working closely with someone, like Kenny and I would be in the ministry, we wanted to have almost a family-like relationship. For me, especially, being so far away from my own family this was super important to have a couple who would not just be a boss but a friend. This was answered the moment we met with Pastor and Mrs. Brown, we fell easily into conversation and I felt they really cared about us as a couple and not just what we could do for them and their ministry.
• Travel expenses to visit the church. In case you haven’t noticed, traveling right now can be very expensive whether you drive or fly. Obviously, that was answered, we were able to fly down after Christmas and spend New Years in Florida with our new church family.
• Finding housing for $1000. a month or less. Under this prayer request I had some even more specific qualifications: I wanted a yard – it didn’t have to be big or fancy but something for Bella (our dog) to run around in. Also, I wanted to NOT have a neighbor right behind our home – there’s nothing more nerve racking to me than to be completely and totally surrounded by other houses. And lastly, a washer and dryer in the home. After Pastor Brown announced that Kenny had accepted the position at the church a couple came up to him and told him that they had a town house that they would rent to us for $1000. a month. We went to look at it the day before we left and it had everything I had been praying for: a small yard, the back yard has a lake behind it so no neighbors and a washer and dryer in the garage (the garage is something Kenny had been wanting). Also, if that wasn’t perfect enough, the couple were going to paint the inside and change the flooring before renting it out so they let us choose our colors for the wall and preference on flooring type! I can’t wait to see the finished product when we get back down there.
• The feeling of “Home.” I don’t know if you’ve ever felt out of place but let me tell you it is not fun. I have shed many tears over not feeling at “home.” I can’t even explain to you what home feels like but when you find it, its the most wonderful, fulfilling feeling there ever could be. Kenny and I were sitting in the Sunday Morning Service after having taught Sunday School and done the music for the Service when I leaned over to Kenny and asked him if he was home. His smile, when he asked me if I was, gave me my answer. I’m tearing up right now just thinking about how wonderful that moment was to know in my mind and heart that Bible Baptist Church is where God wanted us.

A lot of people have asked us how we are going to deal with living in Florida, the cultural differences, the language barrier we are bound to face at some point and just being so far away from our families. My answer is: when you’ve got specific answers to prayer like we have had, and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is where God is leading you, all of those things don’t really matter in comparison!

So let the “Flor-idiot” jokes begin because this little family is headed South!