Two years ago my husband, Cody, was asked if he would start helping teach our youth on Wednesday nights and teach Sunday School on Sunday mornings. Our youth leaders at the time were moving and since he has always volunteered with the youth we agreed that he would help until the church found a new youth leader. After a few months of teaching our church trustees asked Cody if he would be the part time youth leader until they could find a full time youth leader. Once again we agreed to do this. At the time our church was going through some growing pains and we thought once we got through the storm every thing would go back to normal. I was head over the nursery department at the time also and I was very content with my job but God laid it on my heart to quit the nursery completely. He was calling me to stand beside my husband in his new position and completely devote myself to the youth. This was not what I wanted but after throwing a tantrum like a 2 year old I finally agreed to be obedient to what God had called us to as a couple. Little did I know or even expect what all God had in mind when I signed over my position as Nursery Director...
In July of this year we had a meeting with our Board of Trustees and our new Pastor and they voted to make Cody the full time youth leader. Let me stop right here and clarify, he still has his full time job as a plumber. Along with making him full time youth leader they also voted to let us move into the apartment that is located in our church's youth center (and let me add, do not let the word apartment fool you there is plenty of room for our family of 5!) .
Okay time for another pause... We were approached over a year ago by several members of the church, at random times, and asked if we would ever consider moving into the apartment. At first our response was "Well we haven't thought about it" (when we were really thinking this is just a temporary position). One time after we answered the question we were then asked if we had prayed about it. "Um No!" Then we started having thoughts like should we be praying about it, if this is a temporary position why would we pray about it, okay maybe we should pray and ask God what He wants. And so began the prayers! We prayed for over a year about God's direction for our lives, our family, our youth department and our church. We laid our hopes and desires out before each other and before God. It wasn't very long before our hopes and desires began to change right before our eyes. Our dreams began to turn into what does God want for our lives and less of what we wanted. I started to tell God "I only want what you want, what ever that may be and where ever that may take us." A peace began to come over me each time I would think about where God was taking our family. We knew without a doubt it was God's will for us to sell our house and move, we just didn't know when but we knew that He knew and that gave us hope and peace!
When we met with the trustees about moving we laid it all on the line. We told them what we think is God's desire for our family and the youth. They asked us what our kids thought about moving and how it would affect them. Our youth center is not located in what is considered the good part of town, so that was also a concern. We did not have all the answers then and we don't have them all even now but we know that God does. We also learned a long time ago that God is our provider and our protector and nothing will happen that He cannot and will not carry us out of.
It has been about 3 weeks since we moved into the apartment. I have felt like my emotions have been on a roller coaster, crying one minute and happy the next. We lived in our house for 10 out of our 13 years of marriage, we brought all 3 of our babies home from the hospital to that house, we have made many precious memories and some not so good ones in that house and let me tell you it was hard to leave them behind. I never knew how attached I could become to a house until I had to leave that one!! We are excited to be able to be more available for our youth, we love them deeply and we are so blessed that God has opened this door for us to be here for them 24/7!!
God promised me in January that 2012 would be a year of change and He has been faithful to that promise!! When I first blogged about my word for the year I was terrified what it would entail but I can honestly say CHANGE IS GOOD!!! Change has brought me more joy than I ever thought possible!!
We opened our hearts to God and He has opened doors we never imagined walking up to much less through. I know God is not done with this work He has started in our lives and in our hearts and we cannot wait to see what else is waiting for us in this new season of change. We are so humbled, amazed and thankful that we have been blessed by this oppurtunity!!!
God bless,
Denissa
In July of this year we had a meeting with our Board of Trustees and our new Pastor and they voted to make Cody the full time youth leader. Let me stop right here and clarify, he still has his full time job as a plumber. Along with making him full time youth leader they also voted to let us move into the apartment that is located in our church's youth center (and let me add, do not let the word apartment fool you there is plenty of room for our family of 5!) .
Okay time for another pause... We were approached over a year ago by several members of the church, at random times, and asked if we would ever consider moving into the apartment. At first our response was "Well we haven't thought about it" (when we were really thinking this is just a temporary position). One time after we answered the question we were then asked if we had prayed about it. "Um No!" Then we started having thoughts like should we be praying about it, if this is a temporary position why would we pray about it, okay maybe we should pray and ask God what He wants. And so began the prayers! We prayed for over a year about God's direction for our lives, our family, our youth department and our church. We laid our hopes and desires out before each other and before God. It wasn't very long before our hopes and desires began to change right before our eyes. Our dreams began to turn into what does God want for our lives and less of what we wanted. I started to tell God "I only want what you want, what ever that may be and where ever that may take us." A peace began to come over me each time I would think about where God was taking our family. We knew without a doubt it was God's will for us to sell our house and move, we just didn't know when but we knew that He knew and that gave us hope and peace!
When we met with the trustees about moving we laid it all on the line. We told them what we think is God's desire for our family and the youth. They asked us what our kids thought about moving and how it would affect them. Our youth center is not located in what is considered the good part of town, so that was also a concern. We did not have all the answers then and we don't have them all even now but we know that God does. We also learned a long time ago that God is our provider and our protector and nothing will happen that He cannot and will not carry us out of.
It has been about 3 weeks since we moved into the apartment. I have felt like my emotions have been on a roller coaster, crying one minute and happy the next. We lived in our house for 10 out of our 13 years of marriage, we brought all 3 of our babies home from the hospital to that house, we have made many precious memories and some not so good ones in that house and let me tell you it was hard to leave them behind. I never knew how attached I could become to a house until I had to leave that one!! We are excited to be able to be more available for our youth, we love them deeply and we are so blessed that God has opened this door for us to be here for them 24/7!!
God promised me in January that 2012 would be a year of change and He has been faithful to that promise!! When I first blogged about my word for the year I was terrified what it would entail but I can honestly say CHANGE IS GOOD!!! Change has brought me more joy than I ever thought possible!!
We opened our hearts to God and He has opened doors we never imagined walking up to much less through. I know God is not done with this work He has started in our lives and in our hearts and we cannot wait to see what else is waiting for us in this new season of change. We are so humbled, amazed and thankful that we have been blessed by this oppurtunity!!!
God bless,
Denissa
And Thank God for 2 willing vessels!!!! I am SO happy for you and Cody and pray MANY blessings over you and your precious family!! Love you!
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