One of the prayers I prayed over and over again before moving to Texas was, "God, help me to not be afraid". I prayed that prayer most often after being engulfed by the fear that I would be isolated and alone once we moved here. When we made the decision to accept Shawn's new job, I had never been to Texas before. As a result, I didn't have a real context with which to productively think about the move and I was left facing a plethora of unknowns. We didn't know basic things like when we were moving or where we would live, let alone where we would buy our groceries or how easy it would be to navigate our new town. These unknowns and countless others often gave way to fear, especially a fear of isolation. I knew that I wasn't gaining anything by expending energy being afraid but despite that knowledge, my fear persisted. The only tool I had to squelch the fears that surrounded me was prayer.
And so I prayed. Shawn prayed, my mom prayed, my dad prayed, each of my siblings prayed. Many of you joined with us in prayer as well and I continue to see evidence on a daily basis of God answering them.
I love people but at my core I am pretty introverted. I knew that I needed multiple avenues to connect with others but just thinking about making that happen was exhausting. God, in his gracious creativity, created a way for me to connect with others and do something I truly love: cook!
A couple of months ago Shawn was at the office and overheard one of his co-workers sharing that she really needed to learn how to cook but her mom can't cook either so she didn't have anyone to teach her. Shawn quickly inserted himself into the conversation and said, "my wife Erica can cook! She'll teach you!" Excitement grew at Shawn's office and by the time I hosted the first class, 3 women came. By the second class another person had joined and now that we have our third class on the calendar, 7 people are signed up to come and cook with me. It has been fun and rewarding welcoming these individuals into our home and spending time getting to know one another while we do some hands-on learning in the kitchen. I can think of no better way to get to know a group of people then in my kitchen. This isn't something I would have ever started on my own, but I fully believe that God orchestrated the details so that I would have this avenue to connect with Shawn's coworkers.
The best part of all is that since moving here, I haven't felt isolated isolated or alone. We have great neighbors, the people in our community are kind and everyone I've met has been friendly. The opportunities I have had to meet people and make friends have been abundant and life-giving. None of this is coincidence and even while I was overwhelmed by all of the unknown details of my life here, God had a plan.
With love,
Erica
And so I prayed. Shawn prayed, my mom prayed, my dad prayed, each of my siblings prayed. Many of you joined with us in prayer as well and I continue to see evidence on a daily basis of God answering them.
I love people but at my core I am pretty introverted. I knew that I needed multiple avenues to connect with others but just thinking about making that happen was exhausting. God, in his gracious creativity, created a way for me to connect with others and do something I truly love: cook!
A couple of months ago Shawn was at the office and overheard one of his co-workers sharing that she really needed to learn how to cook but her mom can't cook either so she didn't have anyone to teach her. Shawn quickly inserted himself into the conversation and said, "my wife Erica can cook! She'll teach you!" Excitement grew at Shawn's office and by the time I hosted the first class, 3 women came. By the second class another person had joined and now that we have our third class on the calendar, 7 people are signed up to come and cook with me. It has been fun and rewarding welcoming these individuals into our home and spending time getting to know one another while we do some hands-on learning in the kitchen. I can think of no better way to get to know a group of people then in my kitchen. This isn't something I would have ever started on my own, but I fully believe that God orchestrated the details so that I would have this avenue to connect with Shawn's coworkers.
The best part of all is that since moving here, I haven't felt isolated isolated or alone. We have great neighbors, the people in our community are kind and everyone I've met has been friendly. The opportunities I have had to meet people and make friends have been abundant and life-giving. None of this is coincidence and even while I was overwhelmed by all of the unknown details of my life here, God had a plan.
With love,
Erica
"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us". - Ephesians 3:20 (ESV)
No comments:
Post a Comment