All Things God

The one lesson learned in 2018 was to fully trust God and know the plans He had for us were in His hands. It was just about late December of 2017 when we first got the inkling that our dream of coming to Florida may prove to be a reality. Right before Christmas, Karen was approached about an opening in Melbourne and was encouraged to apply. The holidays came and of course people were on vacation. In early January Karen had her interview and things literally began to roll along. In two months, from mid January to mid March we would totally change our lives and make that move to Florida.

     The one thing we learned through out that two month journey was that it was not our doing. Everything was orchestrated, planned and laid out by God. Our transition was perhaps one of the easiest things accomplished and where we are is indeed where he wanted us to be. Let me present a few facts to prove this point:

-Karen's TS clearance that she would need was processed so quickly others commented there was no way. 
-We had a relocation package to work with that while was helpful was not a lot. However, it provided exactly what we needed down to the last dime and no major costs to us.
-Karen headed down at the end of January to begin work. I would remain behind to close out our Abingdon home. Despite the separation we worked together to accomplish both a sale and purchase from two different states.
-Our home in Abingdon went on the market on a Tuesday and we had 5 showings on Wednesday. By Thursday night we had a contract for the entire purchase price. The family that bought our home was the perfect couple that could work with our time frame and loved Disney also. :)
-My job at the time allowed me the flexibility to clear out the clutter and prep one room at a time.
-Karen found a great home in Viera~however the inspection showed moisture under the living room floor. We opted out of that contract and went with our second choice in Melbourne. There is no doubt that this was the home we were meant to have. We are centrally located in a great area. The home fits our wants and needs perfectly. Both of our jobs are very close by. We would not be at the church we are now if we had not ended up at Mariah Court.
-Maryland did not have a major snow (allowing me to do home things) until after we left.
-The actual moving went perfect with the movers packing and loading our items on a Thursday. We settled on a Friday and made the drive down on Saturday. We settled again on Tuesday and were in our home on Wednesday. Less than a week from leaving one home and moving into another 900+ miles away. Our stress about driving the pups down with us was needless. They were perfect. 
- Within two weeks I had the house unpacked and decorated as if we had been here forever.  Everything we had fit perfectly and beautifully.
-  My work with Remember the Children drew to a close which allowed me the freedom to get things accomplished with the transition and my severance was enough to help us. God also began directing me toward a new ministry field (more on that later). Finances were never an issue.

   God had everything in His hands and to further prove the point: I specifically had asked for prayer from our Mountain church for everything to go well and God to take control. Karen visited a church and a prayer service on her first Sunday in Melbourne. The elders prayed over her.  River Run Christian church was praying for people to step forward and help with their tech needs. GOD heard all the prayers and was truly faithful. As stated above everything fell into line so perfectly and within two weeks we had found our new church home and were an active part of their tech team. It was humbling to be told by the Pastoral staff and elders that they had been praying for us and we were an answer to their prayers.

   Through out the move I felt God's presence and looking back we are constantly amazed at how He orchestrated everything. I guess we should not be too amazed though. We are now where he wanted us to be. Florida, Melbourne, and River Run. Thank you God!