Friday, April 15, 2011

Its just geography

Dave is from California.

And I am from the Carolinas, I don't even say North or South, because I lived so close to the line. . .

We met in Romania.

Crazy, huh?

Who but God could orchestrate something like that.

Our new address will be Costa Rica.


These are all just places on the map. Just geography.

We have lived on both sides of the country, SC when we were first married, then moved to Cali, and then back to SC.

It is all pretty simple, until we applied to be missionaries, and the directors asked us where we were from. Well, Dave is an ordained minister from the Northern California district, and I am licensed in South Carolina.

So we said we were from both.

And that is the truth.
Dave grew up under Royal Ranger Commanders, then grew spiritually under the leadership of the Nor Cal Nevada, and graduated from Bethany in Santa Cruz.

And I grew up under the awesome children's and youth programs of SC, and attended a few years of school at Southeastern.

We both felt we were "from" the perspective sides of the country.

We actually had to declare one district as our home district. Easy right?

Well. . . we were endorsed from South Carolina, but according to the leadership in the Assemblies of God, we had to declare Dave's district as our sending district.

Then it got tricky.

But we serve a God, who has all these details worked out.

As it turns out, the leadership in California accepted our endorsement from South Carolina, and welcomed us in their district AND South Carolina embraced us as being from here as well.

So I guess our Father knew that we would need both sides of the country to pray for us.

We have been blessed to start our itineration process here in South Carolina, and I have had the unique opportunity to be able to go to the churches here in SC to say Thank You. Thank you for giving to the young people. Giving them the opportunity to go to summer camps, to go on AIM trips, and to Southeastern. For praying for the youth, and the providing the leadership in the state that poured into my life.

And this week, we were announced as one of the new missionaries from the Northern California Nevada District, at their district council. We felt so humbled to stand before the men and women who serve in that district. From the children's department, the Women's Ministry (and the invitation to speak at luncheons. . . and to participate in retreats and meetings), to the Pastors, and the leadership of Sup. Braddy, we were overwhelmed.

I was overwhelmed by a friend who gave me a special gift with a handmade journal, a veteran missionary who tucked me under her wing, to the family who anonymously bought our dinner, through it all, you overwhelmed us.

We feel so loved, from both sides of the country. After all, where we are from, and where we are going. . . its just geography.