Jiving

Are there ever times in your life when you sit back and just realize that you are totally and completely jiving in God's plan for you? I had to take a moment to write this week because I have been overwhelmed by God's faithfulness and generosity to us here in Wilmore. For the last couple of days, Kyle and I have been going through new student orientation at Asbury. When I first saw the schedule for NSO, I was automatically excited (which isn't normally the case for school orientation!). I knew the experience was going to be great -- and it was!

First, I have to say, the staff here is beyond exceptional. They have gone out of their way to know our names  and to connect with us on a personal level. Each and every staff person that we have met, from professors to housing directors constantly repeat, "We are here to serve you. Please, let us know how we can do that. We are here for you." It's made the transitional process so much easier. Also, the students are all that we dreamed. During NSO we had the opportunity to meet so many different people that are different ages and all of them have stories about God's faithfulness in their lives. People here embody and embrace the term "community." Here are just a few things that we experienced at NSO that we really enjoyed! 

• Obviously, meeting people has been one of the highlights; from single folks to married folks to toddlers and babies, we love all those who we've met so far! 
• Chapel was an exhilarating experience as the entire community prayed for us, commissioned us and welcomed us into their community. 
• Dinner at the President's estate at Rose Hill has to be on the top of my list. We enjoyed a nice garden party and got to tour the house! That was one of my favorite parts. 
• We enjoyed lunch with the faculty today.
• My absolute favorite part happened this morning during breakfast. One of the alumni coordinators asked us to raise our hand if we decided to come to Asbury because we were influenced by an alum. I looked around and almost everyone had their hand raised. That, to me, spoke volumes. When you have something good, word of mouth will be your best marketing tool. 

Rest assured, we are being taken care of here. As we transition into this stage of our ministry, Kyle and I would appreciate your prayers, as always! We also want our family and friends to know that this has to be one of the greatest places to be, so come and visit :). We are so excited to be a part of such a Spirit-filled community. We can't wait to live this story so that we can share it with others someday. Surely, God is with us! 

Kentucky Update

We are finally in Wilmore! We've hit the week mark and we're still alive, so that's a great thing :-)! Kyle's parents and my dad helped us move down last week. We arrived Monday evening and they left for home on Thursday morning. We were so thankful for their help moving and they even bought us a dresser! Aren't parents great? Moreover, we have seen God's hand move in mighty ways already, reassuring us that He is ever-present on this journey. I thought I would share a few of our "God gifts" as my mother-in-law, Mary Lou, refers to them as:

• The dresser was a definite God gift -- ours didn't make the trip so well, it was leaning tower of dresser, about to fall apart at any second. Of course, people can live without dressers, but it's a nice God gift given through our parents. 
• When transferring things into our name, we found out that we didn't have to pay a $125 water deposit because of good credit. Proof that credit cards used responsibly actually hold a lot of weight in some situations. 
• I had a job interview last Thursday and was offered a part-time job at the School of World Missions here at the Seminary. It was a definite God-gift to help bring a little bit more money into our budget each month.
• The people of Wilmore and everyone at the seminary are all God-gifts to us as well. Everyone has been more than helpful and welcoming, making us feel at home in return. That's hard to do when you're 1,000 miles away from home. 

This is a journey for sure. As we continue on it, we'd ask for your prayers in one significant way -- Kyle still needs a job. He is going through the process of becoming a substitute teacher, which should actually be a pretty good gig once all of the paperwork is finished. It's hard to get into the school systems down here unless you already have a Kentucky license. We are hoping that by substituting, he will be able to get his foot in the door. 

With that all said, we wish blessings on so many of our family and friends, who we carry with us. We especially think of our friends who are also away from home and on adventures of their own. Godspeed to the many who leave and sacrifice often, not out of selfishness, but out of calling. Amen!