In a desire to constantly set before my heart and mind that which I have been blessed with, and in order to direct my thoughts on God's goodness, I would like to share an email that I sent to family and friends shortly upon moving to Greenwood just one year ago.
I am SO excited to share how God continually provides and shows his constant faithful nature to Blake and me. As you know, I made the move to Greenwood in March and have already had a busy schedule. I am gainfully employed with the Catfish Farmers of America until June 24, (2 weeks before the wedding) essentially doing grassroots organizing for a federal campaign. I am so thankful for this incredible job opportunity that gives me wonderful flexibility working remotely.
On another issue, I have been staying with a couple from our church in their pool house. (yes, I went from a family's basement in DC to a pool house in MS, Matthew 6:31-33 is becoming very real to me.) When I first got to town, I began to look for places to rent, and found that there were no open houses or apartments anywhere in Greenwood. Every realty company in town said they might have some things open at the end of the month, but each address of potential rentals they supplied for us to drive by, just looked disappointing. All appeared either old, or a little dilapidated, and the amount they were charging was disproportionate to the quality. I was beginning to feel discouraged, but then our associate pastor's wife called me and said that the Lord had provided an incredible deal on a home for them to buy and that they were moving out of their cabin. The timing for my moving in has also proved to be perfect.
We went by, and were blown away! It is spacious and yet cozy, and the rent we will be paying is a steal. Literally as soon as we told both the landlords and our pastor that we wanted to move in, they were contacted by other couples who were interested....we just barely snagged it. We are overjoyed to begin our first year of marriage here in Greenwood, and have a great home from which to be hospitable to our friends and family....please come visit!
And finally, even before I moved to MS, I was thinking about what we would do for furniture. I knew we didn't have the resources for a wedding, moving, and buying furniture. And prior to praying for this area specifically, Blake's dad decided to sell his condo in Buckhead and needed somewhere to put all the furniture...well you can guess what happened. He has graciously allowed Blake and myself to use it. Blake and two of our guy friends from church drove over with a borrowed truck and trailer and brought it back to another friend's house to store for however long we need to. Then we got a call from some more friends in town that had some extra furniture.....just the pieces that we needed! I laugh every time I read or think about all these many details that God continues to take care of, and the extreme kindness and generosity of our friends. It is truly challenging my faith, and the extent to which I am generous to others.
I know this is a novel, but I am just overflowing with thankfulness for and awe at the way God is revealing himself to us, and wanted to share our testimony with the hope it might provide an encouragement to you as you walk daily in the mercy and grace of our Lord.
Showing posts with label Mississippi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mississippi. Show all posts
2.24.2012
2.27.2011
5 months later...
Yes, five months from my last blog post I decide to sit down and actually publish some more of my thoughts. Some of the initial questions I ask myself are, why do I do this? And, why did I start? I think the first reason why I started was so that I could update family and friends who had an interest (or stock) in how my life progressed in D.C. Well, D.C. has been great. My time here has included a lot, I mean a lot, of work, a lot of learning, and a lot of life changes. And I feel a bit of remorse about just now sitting down to write when I am wrapping up my time here. As a single woman in D.C. I had all the time in the world, but relationships, especially long-distance ones, take a lot of time to invest in and nurture....and mine is definitely worth every second.
However, I have recently developed a new hobby of reading blogs, mainly wedding blogs. Everyone who might stop by this lonely little web-page would know that I got engaged at Thanksgiving, but I always like saying it again...I'm engaged to the most incredible, godly, selfless, loving, smart, attractive, athletic, and thoughtful man. I really could go on forever. If you haven't seen it already, here is our proposal in pictures: Will you marry me??
I never understood the incessant desire that some people (mainly women I know) have to read blogs. It always befuddled me that these individuals would sit around for hours and read about other people's lives and thoughts. And that in turn they would share their own. I have always wondered why in the world someone else would ever want to know what I was thinking or my view on a issue. The hard part about my blogging is that I am so passionate about politics and social issues that I tend to use this space as a platform for sharing all of that information, maybe more than others would like to know. Life is just so short, and I truly don't want to live it without passion and conviction.
The world really is becoming flatter by the day. Some friends that I keep up with are across the world in India, England, the Dominican Republic, China....and yet with the click of a button I can Skype with them or simply read about their life on a blog. Then I must ask myself, why do I like reading blogs? It's almost like a good conversation with a friend. People will write in a way that they may not share verbally and even those who are wonderful at deep conversations in person can express themselves in a different way in the written word. I believe life is made richer with each good conversation, be it with a stranger or a friend. There is a reason that man was created for community and every interaction, from my perspective, is divinely ordained.
Why blogs? There is a certain element of writing that is nonintrusive and noncommittal. You don't have to read my blog, and I don't have to read yours. One of the facts that I often have to remind myself, is that once a word is written, (just as if it were spoken) it cannot be taken back. Especially if it is online and published....some computer somewhere has it on file. I have found though, that blogging is a way to connect with people that I may never meet. And yet their words and pictures, ideas and dreams inspire and encourage me. I always feel incredibly artistic and crafty after visiting all the DIY wedding blogs, even though I will probably never touch an actual project. There seems to be pressure to write what others want to read. And for "professional" or money-making blogs, that holds true. But for me, it's about connecting and expressing. As the world changes no one, including me, wants to be left out or left behind.
For these reasons, and more, I will continue to blog. Who knows, my life in Mississippi might present even more things to blog about. I sure hope I have more time on my hands. I will enjoy more time to be introspective and still before the Lord. It will be a welcome relief to leave the crazy workaholic lifestyle of D.C.
For an outlook on 2011:
Blake and I tie the knot on July 9, 2011, and it couldn't come soon enough. I cannot wait to be married to the love of my life, my best friend and become Mrs. Blake Ware.
Save-the-Date video
However, I have recently developed a new hobby of reading blogs, mainly wedding blogs. Everyone who might stop by this lonely little web-page would know that I got engaged at Thanksgiving, but I always like saying it again...I'm engaged to the most incredible, godly, selfless, loving, smart, attractive, athletic, and thoughtful man. I really could go on forever. If you haven't seen it already, here is our proposal in pictures: Will you marry me??
I never understood the incessant desire that some people (mainly women I know) have to read blogs. It always befuddled me that these individuals would sit around for hours and read about other people's lives and thoughts. And that in turn they would share their own. I have always wondered why in the world someone else would ever want to know what I was thinking or my view on a issue. The hard part about my blogging is that I am so passionate about politics and social issues that I tend to use this space as a platform for sharing all of that information, maybe more than others would like to know. Life is just so short, and I truly don't want to live it without passion and conviction.
The world really is becoming flatter by the day. Some friends that I keep up with are across the world in India, England, the Dominican Republic, China....and yet with the click of a button I can Skype with them or simply read about their life on a blog. Then I must ask myself, why do I like reading blogs? It's almost like a good conversation with a friend. People will write in a way that they may not share verbally and even those who are wonderful at deep conversations in person can express themselves in a different way in the written word. I believe life is made richer with each good conversation, be it with a stranger or a friend. There is a reason that man was created for community and every interaction, from my perspective, is divinely ordained.
Why blogs? There is a certain element of writing that is nonintrusive and noncommittal. You don't have to read my blog, and I don't have to read yours. One of the facts that I often have to remind myself, is that once a word is written, (just as if it were spoken) it cannot be taken back. Especially if it is online and published....some computer somewhere has it on file. I have found though, that blogging is a way to connect with people that I may never meet. And yet their words and pictures, ideas and dreams inspire and encourage me. I always feel incredibly artistic and crafty after visiting all the DIY wedding blogs, even though I will probably never touch an actual project. There seems to be pressure to write what others want to read. And for "professional" or money-making blogs, that holds true. But for me, it's about connecting and expressing. As the world changes no one, including me, wants to be left out or left behind.
For these reasons, and more, I will continue to blog. Who knows, my life in Mississippi might present even more things to blog about. I sure hope I have more time on my hands. I will enjoy more time to be introspective and still before the Lord. It will be a welcome relief to leave the crazy workaholic lifestyle of D.C.
For an outlook on 2011:
Blake and I tie the knot on July 9, 2011, and it couldn't come soon enough. I cannot wait to be married to the love of my life, my best friend and become Mrs. Blake Ware.
Save-the-Date video
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