Praises in April, taking a moment to be Thankful to the Lord, and sharing how wonderful our Lord is!

Just thought I'd share my heart a little today:

 This morning while praying, and boy, did I have a lot to pray about, but while praying, it occurred to me, that the Lord is using our new church and some of the new friends I've made, to route love to me.  It just so plainly shows me how prayer works, although it usually takes some time!  For YEARS I often pray, to the Lord, "Lord, let me FEEL that you love me." and I hate to admit just how often I pray that, but I do! I'm sure I always will pray for that.

One of the things I'm seeing, now that we accepted our moving to Michigan, spent a year in a tiny apartment, and have finally found our home, is that I can now see just how the Lord has been getting my needs met, and sending love and care our way.  Not just my needs either--very much my Dd's, and very much my Dh's too!  

Some of the blessings that have come since we submitted to His will and moved to Michigan from Indiana:

Dd now has three very good girlfriends that love all the "nerdy" things she loves (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson/Rick Riordan books, Ranger's Apprentice, Swords.....it goes on, but these friends are "hand-crafted" to match up with her in a way that only can be aligned by God. (BTW, "nerdy" seems to be something that the girls *like* being!)

Dd finally is getting the music education she has desired since she was four.  She really loves making music, and always wanted to know how to read music, how to play, and I had zero knowledge to share with her.  Now she is in a large band, and soon to be in the Northern Lights Homeschool Band (the largest homeschool band in the nation!).

Dd has trees to climb, a pool, and space to be.  She gave up a really awesome huge bedroom, but the one here is in a "loft" so that kinda makes it special in it's own way.

Dh is finally working with people that have become his *friends.*  Dh has a very funny sense of humor, and he is so delighted that he can have all sorts of running jokes with his co-workers; which lightens the weight of so much to do.  He actually works way more hours here than he did before, so that part is hard, but his co-workers make working so much easier--and I think he actually gets to laugh there!  Laughing is always a blessing!

Dh's got an assistant three weeks ago---which is a huge, Praise the Lord!  She seems to be custom delivered by God as well!  Boy, did I pray a lot for her, and for her to help Dh with his huge job.  I always find it so crazy that company's expect you to get a job done, but don't give you the tools to do it!  Sort of like asking someone to make chocolate-chip cookies, but not allowing the purchase of chocolate chips!  

Dh has been out in the out-building trying to fix his new, very "used" truck (currently fixing the automate brake system), and helping either Dd or me make chicken tractors.  Honestly, he went from spending his little time after work, before bed, watching tv, and now he has too much "work" to do!   The "work" being those jobs described above, that he so enjoys doing!  Last month he made the first chicken-tractor with Dd, then this month, he and I have made a second one!  It is so great to actually DO something with him, and I'm sure he feels the same way too!

As for MY blessings, that have come as a result of our move---

Instead of just having one friend that cared for me, I now have a fair few, with the feeling that our church will perhaps lead to a few more.  

I'm surrounded by trees and birds...say  no more!

Because Dh currently works for a stable company, I don't have that horrible feeling that he could be fired "any minute," like I had in Indiana.

Dd is very, very happy here.  Her needs are being met, and then some!  She is very aware of the blessings the Lord has provided here, compared to Indiana, and truly thanks the Lord for these provisions.  I love that she can compare and see the Lord working in her life, at a fairly young age, so she knows how He cares and loves us each so uniquely and specifically.

Dd is in Band, Choir, "Girls Club," soon to be in Marching Band (with a trip to Niagra Falls with MB), and in a Writer's Club.

Dd gets to play her sax, violin, and piano as much as she wants...and can actually READ the music now!  That makes her SO HAPPY!  Out of the three of us, she has really benefited the most from our move.  Her world has gone from black and white to color.  

I have to admit, while in Brownsburg, Indiana, I wondered where the Lord was---We were praying through each day, studying our bibles with zeal, following the Holy Spirit, and generally doing all the "right" things, and yet here we were with such a beyond-words-horrible job for Dh, me in a tree-less neighborhood of concrete and cars, and Dd doing okay, but lots of room for improvement and growth.  I just didn't get it.  I knew and FELT that my needs were just not being met, but being patient, and hoping the Lord would help.  Fast-forward through two really tough years and here we are in Michigan!  Not that things are at all easy here, they certainly are not! but, there is new threads of peace here that we didn't have before.  

Here we found a church!!!  Both of the churches we had being attending fell through for various reasons, and all our searches and visits to church after church kept leading to nowhere (both in Indiana and in our apartment).  I truly believe the Lord didn't want us to find a new church home there, as that might have lead us to not accept the job offer here.  But, with so few connections in Indiana, we were willing to follow His will a bit easier.  Some day I will look through my church notebook and count up all the dozens of churches we have visited the past ten years!  So many churches where people did not come over and welcome us, or interact with us at all.  I could see how new Christians, trying church for the first time, would not feel the welcome they need in order to stay connect and gain fellowship.  Luckily we are fully vested in the Lord and always hoped we would eventually find a welcoming/loving/kind church congregation.  

But, as a Christian, it sure does disappoint me that so many (80%) didn't welcome us more than handing us a bulletin and passing the plate.  I can't imagine what God must think of our churches?! Yikes!  I digress, I am SO thankful for our new church!  Last Sunday, on of the elders came over to us and literally said, "We just LOVE having you guys here!"  Can you imagine?!  I said, "I just LOVE that we found such a loving church!"  I always make it clear, that I believe WE are the ones more blessed by finding them, than they could be having us---does that make sense?!  I can't begin to emphasize how big my desire was to find a church HOME!  So, I am very much Praising The Lord! and I will always make more of an effort to welcome new visitors after our experiences visiting so many churches these past years, and I hope YOU do too!!! 

I want to make sure I do say, that we have a lot of strife--a lot of migraines, bad health, and difficulties still!!!  Maybe even more strife, so far, in Michigan than we had in Indiana! Things are not easy!  But, through all the weekly problems (daily problems), I can see all these blessings and answered prayers coming up and shining through all the chaos.  I do get down-hearted, and fairly easily, but I like to try and remember all the things that the Lord has been providing to help me make it through with the peace He has promised us.  His PEACE in my heart gives me so much strength on the days that are over-burdened, and I so appreciate His life-lines.  I can see His hand in my life each time I look out the window here, and hear the birds!  

Because He Lives!

I can face tomorrow

Because He lives

All fear is gone

Because I know

He holds the future

And life is worth the living 

Just because He lives

......................