In the words of Destiny's Child
"I'm a survivor (what) I'm gonna make it (what) I'm a survivor ( what) Keep on survivin'".
I know how to properly say Lancaster, how to deal with a bat flying in your home in the middle of the night - yes that happened & yes I was terrified, and that the only teams worth rooting for are the Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers and Pirates.
Okay so obviously that last bit is partial to the man I married and his family's roots, but in any case, this entire blog would have never existed were it not for the realization that we were to move to PA.
It began out of obedience to a conversation I had with the Lord; to record our journey, to keep track of all the change & a simple way to publicly praise God.
But I am getting ahead of myself .
Let me backtrack a step real quick.
If you know me at all, you know that moving to PA would not be my first choice.
If your nosy at all, you're wondering what caused us to move out of NY.
So chances are if you're reading this you either care for us OR are nosy... OR both, but either way I love you & I pray you are blessed by the words I say, as I am about to quench your curiosity.
In early November on our way back to NY from an extraordinary unforgettable surprise birthday weekend getaway to Niagra Falls, Greg + I had a lot of time on our hands. We had 6 hours of driving to do, so naturally we did everything from jamming to Billy Joel at the top of our lungs, to sitting in silence, to eating spicy snacks to keeps us awake & alert, to unintentionally doing the most simple yet most life changing thing: talking.
T A L K
To your spouse
To family
To friends
To God
But REALLY talk to them because it radically has the ability to change your whole life.
So as we conversed, we started talking about areas in our life where we felt so... lackluster. Areas that we felt were just completely draining us, depleting us of our drive for life , stifling us from utilizing our talents , and basically restraining us from becoming our most alive self.
We were in agreement : somehow it was our workplace & somehow we were to relocate .
As we arrived to our then home, our 1st apartment as husband and wife, we decided we would pray individually and together for God to give us some understanding & direction. We prayed that within the next day, God would specify what was the issue & where we were to go.
So we prayed individually and together, that night, the next morning, afternoon,& into the evening.
When we reunited after work that day, we spoke yet again, in what I like to call the bat mobile (no relation to the bat incident I mentioned earlier) also known as our Mazda 6.
We reported to one another that God, in his grace, had quickly responded to our prayers.
On the count of 3 we revealed to one another the word that had explained what was bothering us about work
1...2...3...
He gave us both the same word !!!
Of course we heard them at different points of our day, but none the less this word accurately helped describe what the issue was at the places we were working .
What an AWESOME God we serve,
but then again we weren't surprised because He was just staying true to His character as always.
We carried on to explain to one another specifically how this word was a description of how we were feeling & how God was calling us to live a more alive life.
But then where?
He then in the abundance of his love guided us where we should go very bluntly.
Looking back I should've said KAUAI or AUSTRALIA, but that's not quite what I said nor what our omniscient God had in mind.
But instead sarcastically I said "Well where do you want us to go God LANCASTER " & sure enough Greg said "Thressa the only words that were coming to my mind before you even opened your mouth was Dorcas & Wes" ( friends of ours from college who love in the heart of the town of Lancaster)
At that moment as trivial as it may appear, we knew.There was no turning back. I could wish all I want for Kauai or Australia, but in that moment we knew we were PA bound, specifically near Lancaster PA.
Little did we know a season of WAITING was right around the corner.
Greg applied to Water Street Ministries in Lancaster , and within weeks he had his in person interview, where they shortly there after offered him the position.
Upon accepting the position Mid December , he gave his previous job his 2 weeks notice.
I applied to Milton Hershey School to be a Transitional Living Assistant.
& Greg woke up one morning saying he had a renewed sense of patience.
GREAT if Greg has a renewed sense of patience I KNOW it's gonna be a while & worth the wait.
After 7 weeks of waiting ( fingerprints, child clearances ,& background checks)
yesterday I went in for the Milton Hershey interview ☺️.
For the first time my prayer was different,
of course I would have loved to get the job
but really my only prayer was that I would just be myself & praise God in the process,
because He deserves it.
Sure enough CURVEBALL the stomach bug (I had most certainly contracted from the 1year old's at the daycare I've been working for ) symptoms hit me like a ton of bricks, within the first hour of the overnight interview process.
How could this be? Suck it up I thought this is the moment you've been waiting for the past 7 weeks.
At the first round I thought it was just nerves,
but after round two I knew I would have to leave this overnight interview,
for the well being of the girls, staff, & myself.
I was honest & loving; they were gracious & understanding.
It was decided that my interview would be rescheduled.
My in-loves picked me up & cared for me until my husband got home,
was how we got here and how far we've come.
How life can change so rapidly through one conversation,
how waiting for the right thing - curveballs and all - feels like forever but is always worth it,
and through it all He lavishes His love upon us ;refueling us, recharging our drive for life,
encouraging us to utilize our talents, and freeing us towards becoming our most alive self.
Is there something your praying for ,waiting for ?
Keep praying, keep waiting, & even when the curveballs come,
keep praising.
,
