Winter, Spring, Summer
It feels like we’ve lived in Virginia for just a few short weeks. It also feels like we’ve been here for years. Anyone else felt this way? According to the calendar, we’ve been here for six months. In that time, God has done a lot of work in us individually, as a family, and as a budding church plant.
Six months is a long time in a lot of ways. Autumn has gone from a cute little “blob” into a person who lights the room up with her smile. Noelle has shown us her love of singing and dancing (“Let It Go!!!”). Malachi is starting Kindergarten next month. As a family we have learned a new routine (or maybe lack of routine?) now that there are five. On the work-front we have done a LOT. Josh has had over A HUNDRED one-on-one face-to-face meetings with individuals and couples to share the call that God has laid on our hearts and ask for their prayers and support. He has travelled to EIGHT cities for vision-casting, teaching, training, and mentorship, with more scheduled. We have sent THOUSANDS of messages to friends, family, and new connections here in the area to gain support. Amidst all of this, God has called us to keep a healthy pace so we surprised the kids by staying at a family resort in West Virginia, went to Virginia Beach, and do our best to honor at least one day of Sabbath every week. As a couple, Josh and I are convinced we’ve followed God’s call at each turn, but sometimes wonder why He seems to be taking us the “long way around.” We feel disappointed because we wanted to be having more than just hypothetical conversations about starting services for our new church by this time. We wanted to be moving into our new home near Short Pump where God has called us. We wanted to have our church budget fully-funded.
However, when we take a step back, we also realize that six months is also a short time. It’s a blip on the radar when it comes to the entirety of our lives. And what a work God has done in six short months! We are just over 40% funded by monthly donors- families and couples just like us- and it blows our mind. We have been given other special gifts, small and large, financial and otherwise, that have kept us going when we weren’t receiving any income and were far from our friends. God has used the generosity of his people to make sure every one of our needs has been provided for.
God created this world with cycles. Night and day. Birth and Death. Winter, Summer, Spring, and Fall. Each season brings challenges and rewards. Winter seems bleak but is a time of preparing. Spring is dreary but is a time of blessing and provision as the rain soaks the earth. Summer is full of light, but also a time of intense heat. Then comes fall, and fall means harvest. We have lived in Virginia long enough to see almost all of the seasons. We also feel a reflection of these seasons in our internal world. We are preparing. There are days we feel things are dark but then we see God provide. As the clock ticks, we’re feeling intense pressure build and the heat is on. But we continue to look forward to the harvest that God will bring, in his timing.
