Looking Back on 2012

I am sitting at Panera Bread with Rachel right now and I am thinking about where God has taken us in the past twelve months. It is really hard to believe that we are no longer at Johnson. The time really does move too fast. Johnson feels like a distant memory now. This time last year I was cramming for exams and wondering where God was going to take us in the world of ministry. Now I am here in Grand Rapids currently working at Gordon Foods Services (Marketplace) as the man in the freezer. I have no doubt that God has a purpose for this time but it has been an interesting journey. A couple of weeks after graduation Rachel and I made our way to Michigan in our car followed by a nice Penske Truck. We stayed at my mom's for a couple of days and then on to Grand Rapids. After packing as much stuff into my step mom's basement we heading to Fremont where we stayed with my Aunt Sara and Grandma Behr. Already God blessed us with a place to store our belongs and summer home for a few months. I was able to work at Dunham's in Fremont for part of that time. By the end of August we saw our need to look for a job that would help bring in a little more financial support so I applied at GFS and have been working in Cascade ever since. Rachel has been blessed with a full time interventionist job helping under privileged kids with their school work. In that time we moved in with my step mom and have turned her basement into a small apartment for the time being. It has been a wonderful experience and we feel very blessed. However there is something still stirring in both of us. There is this nagging feeling in my heart to get back into ministry. I am excited to see what God is going to do next as we continue to circulate my resume and pray for the leading of God's Spirit with every church we look at. As we learn to wait so many thoughts travel through our minds. At one point I was certain God wanted to use us here in Grand Rapids (He may still). At other moments we thought He had other places in Michigan that He wanted us to serve. So far we are still waiting for a clear picture of God's will. Even if that means letting go of our hope to live in Michigan. Sometimes we must let go of we want in order to do what He wants. That is the most exciting, frustrating, curious, and interesting place to be. We still have no clue as to what God wants us to do, but what we have learned in this time of waiting is that we want to follow God, we want to serve Him with our whole hearts, and we want to help others have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the point where God is telling us, "This is all you need to know... for now." So as we continue to seek God for His wisdom and guidance continue to pray that we will have willing hearts to follow Him wherever He leads. We continue to wait, but we are in a good waiting place at this point where we can truly focus our hearts and minds on what Christ is doing in our lives right now. We give thanks to God for all of you who are praying for us as we continue on our journey following Jesus whether He is moving us or having us wait. In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.- Proverbs 16:9 Have a great week everyone.