Learning how to miss and move on

     So yesterday Jared and I headed to Oneida Gospel Church to continue our search for a church community to be a part of up here in Michigan. Since we just both moved back here, we've been on a hunt for somewhere we can be challenged and we can serve. If any of you have every gone church hunting, it's hard, especially when we had such an amazing community before in the 509 Community.
     Our time at Oneida Gospel was wonderful. It's a very small rural community that is lead by Larry Schruager, who is the dad of some of my best friends from high school. After the service, a couple people came up and introduced themselves to us and wanted to get to know us. It was really nice. It is surprising how much that doesn't happen in a lot of churches.
     While we were talking to the youth pastor's wife, Becky, she asked us what we were looking for in a church. It caught me off guard and I automatically wanted to say, "Somewhere like the 509". As I told her that we had an amazing community of believers back in Huntington, I started to tear up (yes, probably not a HUGE surprise to those of you who know me), but it caught me off guard.
     
     Jared and I have gone through a huge transition both moving to MI, me back to my parent's house and him to his own apartment. We've both been dealing with new surroundings and experiences. Up until yesterday though, I was the strong one who was okay with moving on from Huntington and embracing the new experiences while Jared struggled a little more. However, yesterday I had my moment.

     I went into college at Huntington University, not needing new friends (I had great ones from high school so why would I need new ones?) and knowing where my life was heading: to being a military wife. However, after my first semester God showed me that He had different plans for me life. He began to show me that these girls on Hardy 1st were placed there to be my sisters, to be my strength when I was weak and hold me up when I couldn't hold myself up. They challenged me, comforted me and taught me so much. And I am so blessed to say that they are still my best friends today.

Hardy 1st 2007-2008

 

And then we all grew up :) Graduation 2011

     After my first year, God called me to be "Entirely His". That's when I lost my 'plan' in life and was simply lost. I wandered and wondered and wandered and was so blessed to be on the journey with my amazing roommate Hillary. She would have said that I got her through that year but she's the one that got me through.
     Then God planted a seed of love in my heart, though I wouldn't have called it that back then. He continued to stretch and challenge me through a summer at Camp Cotubic and then lead me to the man He had for me.
     The last two years at Huntington were a whirl-wind. School got harder, I became more passionate about teaching, Jared and I fell in love and I became even closer to those sisters God gave me that very first year. Before I knew it, it was all over.


     So yesterday I had my 'moment'. I cried for the things I missed: a community that challenged me every day, sisters who I could go and see at any moment if need be, people who just were so amazing and wonderful to learn from every day. But I cried mostly because I missed that constant growth that happens in college. It is a time of so much learning and growing and I took that for granted.
     But I am so blessed...Jared reminded me of that as I cried for the things I miss. We aren't ever going to go back, he said, but God will fulfill our need for friends and community. We're in transition, yes. We're trying to figure out what God has for us, yes. And we're learning to move on. We're learning and growing, but it just doesn't look like it did before. Life is different because nothing stays the same...nothing except our wonderful, loving, all-powerful God.

blessings my friends. 
And to my Hardy 1st sisters...I love you all & miss you more than words can say


Shmem