Settling In

Well, we are finally in our new home with all our stuff! It feels really good to actually be at a permanent residence after being a bit of a nomad for a few weeks. We stayed at a hotel in Des Moines last week for a couple of days until the movers arrived Friday afternoon and got all of our stuff PILED in the apartment (they did not seem to appreciate that our apartment is on the third floor with no elevator…). We got right to work unpacking and it’s starting to feel like home. Still a long way to go with unpacking/organizing/wandering around our small apartment hoping a new place to put things magically appears…

 

  In between the moving/unpacking we’ve been getting more familiar with our new city. We already feel like we have a pretty good handle on getting around and knowing where everything is that we need to find. I am continually amazed by how incredibly easy it is to get around Des Moines and how well the traffic moves. It’s as if the highways and streets are actually designed to hold the flow of traffic! 

We’ve gone out to a couple of restaurants, including watching the Packers beat the Bears at a really neat sports bar downtown, which, of course, was a blast. It was quite odd to watch the Packer game in a public place where not EVERYONE was cheering passionately for the Packers. We woke up early on Saturday and got out to the farmers market here, which is incredible! It’s so big and has really great farmers and food. We came home with a ton a vegetables, as well as our first whole roasting chicken, which was an adventure to figure out how to, um, clean, and roast. But it turned out delicious! We visited a church nearby on Sunday, which seems pretty great. We have one or two more we want to check out, and are just praying that God has a home church prepared for us to be a part of while in Des Moines. 

 

 Another small challenge is that we decided before moving here to buy a couch, so we did not bring much for furniture along with us. It was very exciting to order our first couch this weekend! However it takes 6 weeks to come in…which leaves us lounging on camping chairs in our living room for the next month and a half. :)

So all and all, we’re starting to feel pretty comfortable here. We are missing our friends and family and home dearly, but God has really given us a sense of contentment. We truly do feel blessed by His provision and care and concern for us. We’re constantly reminded that this is all a part of His great plan for our lives, and take joy in that realization. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes!

(Gradually) On our way to Iowa

Ok, I decided to jump on the blog bandwagon. I’ve never really wanted to do this in the past, mostly because I never felt like I had much to say that people would care to read. But now I realize that I love reading my friends’ blogs, I like hearing about what’s going on in their lives and what’s been on their minds. It’s another useful tool for keeping updated on others lives. So now with us moving and all, I figured, why not? 

So just a little update, we are moving six hours southwest to Des Moines for Andy’s job for 2 years. He’s still working for the same company, just taking on a project that the company needs someone to head up. So we committed to picking up our lives and moving to Iowa. We have visited Iowa twice this summer, and that is the only two times I ever remember being in Iowa, so we are moving in to unfamiliar territory. However we have spent hours praying about this and really have peace and assurance that this is what the Lord has in mind for us for the next few years. Right now we're playing a waiting game as the movers picked up our stuff last week, and it looks like it will not be arriving at our new home until next week.

I’ve been feeling lots of mixed emotions lately, and they can change a lot from day to day (minute to minute!). We have been so blessed throughout this process, everything has really fell in to place so far, another testament to God’s provision and care for us. We are very grateful that some dear friends have moved into our house for the next few years to take care of it. So Andy and I are looking forward to less packed schedules for awhile, less yard/housework (we will be renting an apartment), and looking forward to some time just to be together. However I am going to miss all my friends and family so much. And of course, any sort of major life upheaval is unfamiliar and scary!

Those who know me know I am a natural born worrier. I’ve been surprisingly calm about the logistics and craziness of the move, especially since there seems to be so much we don’t know. However, I have so many fears and worries. Will we be able to meet people? Will I be able to find a job that fits our needs? Will we find a church with a community that we can really grow in? What will we all miss as we’re gone for these few years? Will we be able to just pick right back up where we’ve left off when we get back? And the list goes on. 

Thankfully I serve a wonderful God and have the most supportive and encouraging husband. I have been really learning lessons in trusting the Lord and really letting go of control. I know in my head that He knows the plans He has for us, but so often I try to hold on to a little bit of control just in case He doesn’t quite have things worked out. But this does no good except to cause me anxiety. So God is working on my heart to let go, enjoy His peace, and believe that He is worthy of my trust and has plans for me that are far better than I could ever have for myself. 

Something that has really comforted me lately is God's promises that His plan and timing are perfect.  

"There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

The line that has really stuck out to me is "a time to search and a time to give up." There is so much that we will be searching for (church, job, friends, everything!) and so much to give up. But this is what God has called us to do at this time in our lives; it is not a time for comfort and ease and familiarity. And that is okay. Truthfully, unless God yanks me out of my comfort zone, I rarely give anything up on my own, so I'm glad that He knows what I need better than I do. 

So friends, thanks for reading. Let's hope I have the commitment to keep this blog somewhat updated! Please continue to pray for us throughout this transition.