Sometimes it amazes me how we can become so obsessed with our own plans that we somehow miss out on the directions and careful guiding that God is giving us. I know I really should not be that surprised, yet when life finally starts to quiet down and I get to thinking I am always amazed at where I am, as though I was suddenly here by accident and not by some devine intervention.
As I look back over the past two years, I cant help but smile at the many moments of frustration I have experienced because life was not going the way I had planned it. We moved to Saskatoon, and I was sure that although it was not our stopping place it was a place we needed to be at, very quickly though I had forgotten all about that feeling and became bogged down with wanting life to go a certain way, I wanted that job I would love and I wanted Ben to find work with a good paycheck and I wanted to have loads of friends and I wanted one of those marriages that people just smile as they encounter you because its one of those dream marriages. The problem was...it was exactly what I wanted. I never really stopped to ask God for his opinion, I just expected him to be there and doing as I asked. I mean HE had gotten me into school, HE had gotten us an amazing apartment with very cheap rent, and eventually HE gave us an amazing little princess..so HE should then give me what I wanted...It never happened. I only got a .75 job for 1/2 a year, Ben has yet to get a job that pays great and does not have crappy hours and while we are starting to meet people, we are once again uprooting (more on that in a minute). As for the marriage part..well, given some of the jobs that Ben has had, it has definitely had its moments.
Yet as I look back, I see that it was all for a reason, one unseen to me as it was occuring. (I know that many of you reading this will be nodding because you too have been in this place). You see all the things that we were experiencing were preparing us for something bigger, something we would not have dreamed of or planned. We bought a house recently, something I never thought possible for at least a few years. Sure it may not be my dream home, but its a 4 bedroom, large yard, 1 1/2 storey, old home that has been gutted and re-done. Now this is not the moment God prepared us for, but it plays a small role. The house is located in Dalmeny, Sk, and we currently own it, and will be moving out there come the end of July. Until then we are living with my family as we have a renter who could not get out by the first of July.
God has been preparing us more for the living there than anything else. As not many know, I have taken a position as .25 Children's Ministry Coordinator, working with the Kids Club at a church that is about a 2 minute walk from our home (its pretty much behind the house). It is only because of the past events that I even bothered to apply, as I had previously been offered a position at a different church when we first moved to saskatoon, but had turned it down in hopes of obtaining a permenant teaching position. This job however, will allow me to pick my days, with little commute. It holds a possibility to grow into a more permenant job, but at the moment is exactly what I am looking for. One top of that because of a class I took this past year, I will also be able to be a more supportive and encouraging leader.
The town itself is exactly what I had hoped to raise my family in. A christian community, with excellent extracurricular programs and a community that watches out for the children. Ben's favourite part is that the grocery store plays christian music.
As Ben and I have been exploring the town and visiting the church where I will be working, it all just seems to fit and we are getting very excited about finally living there. It feels like it is exactly where we are supposed to be, a stopping place for our family...At least for now.
And by the way..if any of you are in the area, feel free to stop by for a snack, a meal, or place to rest your head (we now have the room:D)
