Saying Goodbye

It has been so hard to say goodbye to Omaha! There have been many tears shed over these past few weeks, and many times when we have all wondered what we’re doing, but we know that this is what we are supposed to do, and we are excited about all of the new people and adventures we have ahead of us. We are all experiencing huge changes in our lives, and very few familiar things to comfort us.

Goodbye luncheon with my CK group of wonderful ladies

Going away party at our old home...

Alyssa was accepted into Mercy Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee, and on Tuesday the 17th, at 4:30pm, she got a call asking if it was at all possible for her to get there by Friday the 20th at 1:30pm. We called our friend Tiffany to see if she would be able to travel with me, and thankfully, she was! Instead of the 4 days to get ready for moving, I now only had one day to get everything ready for the move! With the help of my amazing friend Kelly and our incredible neighbors, June & Skip, we somehow managed to get everything done, and Tiffany, Aly, and I had a fun trip together. Mercy is an amazing ministry, and the home is beautiful. I was relieved that Aly will be at such an amazing place, and the staff is all wonderful, so it made saying goodbye a lot easier.

Leaving our Bible study groups, neighbors, friends, and everything familiar was very difficult. Conan has been confused about what is going on, and even right now, he is pacing back and forth in our hotel room, probably wondering when we are going home. He’s in for some big surprises!

Conan relaxed with the girls at the Will's house before we left.

We plan on arriving in Ohio to visit Gordon’s family tomorrow night and staying until Sunday, then going to Nashville to see Aly before continuing on to Pace, Florida to stay with our family there for about a week, and we will fly out of Fort Lauderdale on the 9th, Lordwillingly. Very exciting and very scary, but we know that we are right in the center of God’s will for us, and there’s nowhere we’d rather be!

All of this has really reminded me that our only security should be in God because He is the only thing in the life that won’t ever change. He is supposed to be our dwelling place, and in Him there is complete peace, comfort, and home. That is a wonderful reminder when everything is changing around us!

Psalm 90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the word, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

No Turning Back!

Well, we had the long awaited and much feared Estate Sale! Now our home doesn’t feel like our home anymore, and there is definitely NO TURNING BACK! We are thankful that we have sold most of our possessions, and we feel confident that we can really do this now, thanks to many wonderful friends! I love helping others, but have a really difficult time asking for help from other people, but God knew that I needed to let my pride go and lean on others. Last week, while dancing, I sprained my ankle, and knew pretty much immediately that I was going to need help to get everything done. A couple of days later, while hobbling around on my hurt ankle, I fell and broke my little toe… further confirmation that I needed help!

My CK group (church Bible Study group) and my BSF group (Bible Study Fellowship) have been amazing, and really made the estate sale successful as well as helped to relieve the mountain of stress that we all were feeling. Alyssa called my good friend, Kelly, to tell her how stressed I was feeling about everything, and Kelly, Meghan, Jennifer, and Tiffany came to the rescue – even bringing dinner for us. We enjoyed working and laughing, and even practiced dancing the Thriller as a stress reliever. Tiffany came to stay with us and help with the sale, and several members from my Bible studies also helped things to run smoothly. Thank you so much to everyone!

Being a little bit crazy with the Will girls

 

In 10 short days, we will be leaving Omaha! Our plan is to drive through Ohio to visit Gordon’s sister & family there before heading to Florida. We are planning on flying out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 9th. I have a feeling that these next few weeks are going to FLY by! I wish that my foot/ankle felt better, but I am thankful that at least only one foot is involved, and also that I was able to break through the barrier of pride, and receive the help from my friends.

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

2 Corinthians 11:30

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Keeping my focus

Getting ready to move is a truly monumental job. If I spend too much time thinking about it, I get anxious and scared, and feel kind of panic stricken! The biggest challenge during this time is keeping our focus on what’s important and not getting too overwhelmed with all the things that have to get done. God has worked in some strange ways these past couple of weeks, and has helped me to keep my focus where it needs to be… on Him.


Gordon and Chantalle were off taking care of some business, and Aly and I had the day to really hit it and just pack like crazy. We started to get working, and the thought of all of the work that lie ahead of me was starting to make me panic. I breathed a prayer to God, and checked my messages, finding one from a friend who was in immediate need of my help, so we took off to help her out, leaving our packing behind. We ended up having a great time helping our friend, laughing away all of the stress of packing, and when we returned, with everything in perspective, I felt much better.


God will equip us for every job that He asks us to do, so I don’t know why I allow myself to worry that THIS time He won’t come through for me. We still have a lot to do, but after a much needed attitude adjustment, things are moving along at a much nicer pace, and I feel confident that we will get everything done when it needs to get done. (Prayers would still be appreciated, though!)



May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21