Sunday, April 19, 2009

Moving Forward

After being here in Cochrane for just over four months now, I feel as though my mind has finally caught up to my heart. It's been a hard adjustment for me moving out here and the Thursday before Easter is when my mind finally realized what my heart has known all along - this is where we need to be right now.

I was volunteering in Julia's class and when I left to go home I realized that I had really enjoyed being there and I had a lot of fun interacting with the kids and the teachers. That was a profound moment as it was the first time that I enjoyed being in her class, and the first time that I did not compare it with her old school. I felt settled here for the first time and that was a great feeling. This past Thursday, Julia, Daniel and I went to visit her old school for the last time and while it was good to be back in her old classroom and see her old friends and teachers again, I didn't feel sad. We also took a drive past our old house, went to the Westwinds Superstore and on to Prairie Winds Park. It was good to revisit some familiar places again and it was a time of closure for me. As we were driving, a song came on the radio that talked about God never being far from us, and I realized that no matter where our family goes, no matter where it is that God leads us, He will always be with us. What a blessing and encouragement that was for me to once again realize that God is in control and that He is the one who is guiding us and that He will never leave us alone.

One of the things that I have been struggling with is trying to figure out what my role is in all of this moving and transition. There have been times when I have thought "well God, I can see how you are leading Steve, but what do you have for me?" I have continued to pray and seek God's direction and I have sensed his guidance in me going back to school on a very part time basis. In the fall when Daniel is in kindergarten, I will be taking two course online through Prairie Bible Institute's distance education; I will be taking a cross cultural ministries course and a counselling course. I have also had the opportunity to get involved with the international wives here on campus and I have begun to develop some great friendships through this.

I know that there are going to be valleys and transitions to go through again, but I also know that God is faithful and He will guide us through them once again.

Thank you to those of you who have been praying for us as we follow where God is leading; and please continue to pray for guidance in where God is wanting us to serve Him.

Kerri