Friday, October 21, 2016

Life Changes

There are exciting developments underfoot! First, if all goes well, I will be extending my stay beyond the one year that would have ended in February 2017. Being here has been such a wonderful experience for me and I somewhat selfishly am not ready for it to be over yet.

This week, I finally felt like I was settling properly into my new role as secretary to the president. When I made my bucket list I wanted to be an executive assistant at a mainstream SDA college. I am still amazed when I realize that God answered that desire of my heart by bringing me here to MEU! While I originally came to help with administrative tasks, I had no idea that the executive assistant's position would open up or that I would naturally transition into it.

As I look back on how God has personally guided me to various work and service opportunities, there is a common thread throughout those experiences. Each time, God had prepared me for the work so it was not a completely new thing to learn, and each time He had placed me in the right place at the right time. There was never any question about each of the jobs that I undertook. Whether it was registrar, medical secretary, program coordinator, or now executive assistant, each position was one where I felt confident in His calling.

Now, as I prepare to stay long-term, I once again have peace that this is where God is calling me. I can't see the future, so I do have to exercise trust, but I know without a doubt that this is the right thing to do. I'm thankful for God's confirmations and how He choreographs my life's dance.

In choir we are excitedly gearing up for our Christmas program in the beginning of December. We're also singing for Week of Spiritual Emphasis and that song is a difficult arrangement of We Have This Hope. We spent 40 minutes last week just learning 6 measures! Though we have about 25 women and 8 men, it is sounding quite lovely and I'm looking forward to the actual performances. Every Sabbath we now sit on the lawn and have a delightful potluck together and with the fall weather here to stay, it's so peaceful to sit under the trees and breathe deep the fresh air.

My social life has calmed down somewhat. When I first came, I hurried everywhere and did everything so it felt as if I'd seen about half of the safe zone we travel in! Now I've transitioned from trying to connect with everyone to building quality friendships with a closer circle of friends. The highlight of my week is always when I get to spend time with the twins as they are now in their 6th month and just getting more adorable by the day.

One thing that weighs heavy on me is how to connect to the community outside our little bubble. I know it's important to support each other as Christians, but I also think it's equally or even more important to be able to relate to those who are not of our faith. I want to have challenging conversations where we learn and grow in our personal faith rather than try to proselytize everyone to make sure they are converted. I'm thankful that here I have a good friend who has friends in the community so I'm slowly getting to know them.

I can't see the future, even though I'm happy to be settling in to one that will be more certain. Yet I'm thankful because I trust my Father's hand to keep me close to His will and His heart.

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