As you know, we are currently living in Wake Forest, North Carolina where Mike is attending Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is working on his Master of Divinity in Advanced Biblical Studies. This degree focuses very heavily on Greek and Hebrew. To give you an idea, the man has had four semesters of Greek and is currently in his 4th semester of Hebrew where he is translating the entire book of Deuteronomy. They actually read the book out loud in Hebrew during class. It truly baffles my brain. But to those who know Mike well, you know this challenge is right up his ally. And since I am the one writing this post I can brag about him all I want :-) God has truly blessed him with a gift for languages and a gift for teaching. I get excited about going to our small group just to hear all that God has laid on his heart to share. I am truly thankful that God called him to ministry because I see the blessings of the Lord all over him. I am a very proud wife to say the least!
Back at the end of April I started my job at the Seminary and I love every minute of it. It is almost like getting the college experience all over again except there are no papers and tests and I get paid to be there. Granted, I won't receive a degree, but the life experience is pretty great! We moved on campus at the end of May with the help of our parents and our wonderful small group. We really enjoy our little seminary town home and we are quite thankful for the reduced rent! And my 2 minute commute is pretty nice too!
BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) has started back up for the year and it is my 2nd year as a group leader. We are studying the book of Genesis and I am so excited to dig deeper into this book that is the foundation of our faith. I have 14 sweet ladies in my group who range from age 52 to 74. I feel privileged to lead these women who have so much wisdom to share. I know they will bless me far more than I could ever bless them this year.
So, those are the fairly simple changes in our lives. Time for the interesting one. It is always amazing to me to see how God works in situations in ways we would never even think of. For us, this came in the form of Mike's job. Mike had been working at the seminary in the business office since summer 2011. He was happy with his position and it was nice for us to be able to work together in the same place. That changed very quickly though. Mike was given the opportunity to be the education ministry assistant at our church Richland Creek. This opportunity came out of nowhere and was a complete surprise. Mike has felt called to be in education ministry and this was the perfect opportunity to learn and gain church experience. So, after much prayer we decided he should take the job. He took to it very quickly and was even able to help lead some of the Sunday School leadership meetings. We genuinely thought this was where he would be until he graduated....that date seems to be a moving target anyway :-)
Well, imagine our surprise when in July, barely 2 months after starting at Richland Creek, Mike gets a call from his old boss at the seminary. Apparently there had been an issue with the financial person at his church (First Baptist Church Durham) and he was calling Mike to see if he could come and fill in on an emergency basis until they found someone more permanent. And since Mike is is the sweet helpful person he is, he said he could help them out 1 or 2 days a week since he only worked at Richland Creek Monday though Wednesday. So for the next month my husband worked 2 jobs which basically equaled a minimum of 45 hours a week. With him not taking any classes this wasn't too bad, but the fall semester was quickly approaching and the replacement at FBC Durham needed to be found quickly.
Some of you may figure out where this is going. Basically, FBC Durham offered Mike the financial position full time (which basically means he is the permanent employee but would only work 25 hours a week) They told him that they do not require membership for employment so we could stay at Richland Creek if we wanted to. But they also offered him a pastoral mentorship with the senior pastor next semester. As we prayed through these things, Mike and I both felt that he couldn't work at one church and we worship at another. We felt that we needed to be fully invested in whatever church Mike chose to work at. This meant having to chose one church or the other....which was beyond difficult!
Through much prayer and wisdom from our families we felt that God was leading us to FBC Durham. I have to note, this was even before we visited a church service there! So we decided that was the final piece of the puzzle and we went one Sunday and were truly blessed by the service, the pastor and the people in the church. We quickly knew that this was a place where we could serve and enjoy the fellowship. Now came the hard part...telling our small group at Richland Creek and Mike telling his boss. I would love to say that everyone involved took it well...but that isn't always the case in situations like these. But, we are truly thankful for the many who have wished us well and are happy for us as we take this next step in our ministry.
We have learned a great deal through out this decision. For me, the lesson has been about God's sovereignty and how He knows exactly what He is doing and does it in his perfect timing. As I look back I know that God's hand was on Mike as he left the seminary to work at Richland Creek because He knew that Mike's boss at the seminary never would have asked for his help at FBCD if he was still working at the school. God knew each piece that had to be in place and he also knew where our hearts needed to be. As bittersweet as this decision has been, I am reminded that this will possibly be the first of many changes that come as a result of being in the ministry. That is why I am so thankful God has it under control!!
So, that is about it for us. If you are still reading I am sure you are glad there is no more :-) Just thought I would bring those interested up to speed. Before I finish, I ask that you please keep my sister in your prayers as she is about to have her second son, Grady, in a foreign country with no epidurals...yikes! Pray that my mom arrives safely next week as well as my dad 2 weeks later. I am super happy for this sweet new nephew and trying not to be too sad I won't meet him in person for quite a while :-) But, I have all of eternity for that one day. I am thankful God called my sister's family to the ministry and they are being obedient to follow His call despite certain discomforts and no family near by. Love them to pieces! Also keep Mike's grandmother in your prayers as she has been moved to an assisted living facility and is experiencing the onset of dementia. Thanks you for your prayers sweet readers!
Ok...I promise I am done now...really! Much love to you all! Below are some pics!
We are # 307. Our house in the one in the middle with the upstairs double window.
The Kitchen...part 1...this is my favorite room because I love cooking!
Kitchen...part 2...we now have an island in the center that Mike and I built together. Now that is some good couples bonding right there :-)
My view as I walk into work each day. I am on the second floor of this building, but on the front side.
My office!! Love this place!
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