smiling - part two.

a lot of people ask me how the transition has been going since i moved to bemidji. i typically respond by saying, "the last couple of months have been intense with a lot happening. moving, Christmas, urbana, starting on campus, building new community...but through it all everything has gone quite smoothly." it really has!

i am thankful.

there have been moments of feeling overwhelmed and scatterbrained, no doubt. but there has been a lot that has caused me to be thankful and smile in my first three weeks here.

-working on a team! this has been a tremendous blessing.

-the day things were all in place at my apartment. i lit some candles, sat in my favorite chair and quietly enjoyed this new space God has provided me.

-having great helpers with the move even in the midst of -30 degree weather. fishers, brittany, annie, aj, adrienne...i was very blessed by them! (side note: moving on one of the coldest days of the year makes you move faster. i guess that's a perk??)

-getting to know students here. seeing God work in their lives makes me smile. a lot.

-meeting and getting to know my neighbor, solveig. we're mutually thankful that we are "normal" ;)

-part of yesterday i had kind of a crummy attitude and was frustrated. part of the frustration was stemming from somethings that i thought were prepared but actually weren't. so brittany and i needed to read matthew 14:22-33 to get something ready for thursday night. ironically, it's something i totally needed to read. Jesus is walking on the water and calls peter out onto the water as well. peter steps out and starts towards Jesus. he's doing alright until he notices the wind and is distracted from Jesus. he becomes afraid and he starts to sink. i look back now and it makes me smile that God used that passage to show me i was a lot like peter yesterday. distracted from Jesus, focusing too much on the wind and sinking. but there was Jesus immediately reaching out his hand to catch me (vs 31). oh how little my faith can be. God is good and in control. i smile not because i can have weak faith in those moments. but i smile because God pursues me in that, pulls me up and speaks truth. that's worth smiling about.

-hanging out with fawn and sarah. who would have thought we'd live in the same city again. i like that.

-house/dog sitting and having some time off out in the peaceful country, taking luka for walks each day in freshly fallen snow and playing piano late into the night.

-a call from my dear friend stacy last night. such an encouragement! i hung up the phone smiling.

-getting ready for the relationships track at break away...the first time i did this three years ago i remember i was really struggling thinking about relationships. and so desired to be in one. at first i was actually crabby about the fact i was helping lead that track that year. God has a funny sense of humor sometimes. lol God has done a lot of work in my life since that point. this time around, i'm finding a joy in preparing for and leading this track. i'm looking forward to the weekend!

-oh! i almost forgot this. but i get a call from tracy this weekend. her and amanda were hanging out. (more smiling.) i thought they said they were ice fishing by bayfront. they were actually ice skating by bayfront. so later in the conversation when i asked if they caught any fish...it led to a pretty good laugh. "what did you think we were doing?!"


-i know there is much more that has made me smile in these recent weeks...just knowing there are more than what's coming to mind right now...another reason to smile, i suppose.


:)

moving into a new neighborhood

welcome 2010!
as i type i sit a the cabin coffeehouse in bemidji just having enjoyed a turkey sandwhich and cup of chicken toritilla soup (one of my faves here!). AND it's only a minute walk tops from my apartment and conviently has some computers for customer use. perfect. :)
it's very frigid here today. i'm not exatly sure but i wouldn't be surprised if it dipped down to -30 or more last night. bertha (my car) didn't like this very much and has refused to start today. thankfully, britteny is coming to give me a hand. and then the move begins! i thought it could be cold when i moved but i didn't expect it to be quite this cold! or at least i hoped it wouldn't. but i'm determined to get my stuff into the apartment today. :) i'm thankful for friends in duluth that got me to this point and friends here who are giving me hand! you guys are awesome.
the last few weeks have been full. moving things into storge, leaving duluth:(, coming to bemidji:), Christmas, time in waseca, urbana, and moving things again. each of these "events" could have their own blog entry devoted to them.
i'm excited to move into this neighborhood (one theme from urbana) here and see how God is already dwelling and working here. this new year is truly the beginning of many new things!
in the midst of everything right now i have moments of feeling pretty overwhelmed, truthfully. i really don't want to miss out on processing through ubana...such an amazing week but A LOT to pray about. and sit with God in. there is a lot i want to unpack (litterally and figuratively) right now. i look forward to finding my place in this new neighborhood and making time to just be.
friends, be blessed as this new year begins!