A place to live

Before I left Grand Forks, I had to say good-bye to all of my friends and to my church. I felt so blessed to know that so many people said that they would keep me in their prayers. I had to say good-bye to my best friend at Family Camp, the beginning of July. That was hard knowing that I would not see her for 5 1/2 months. That is a long time! She is from Canada, beginning her RN degree at NTC in East Grand Forks. The Lord has allowed us to draw even closer while she has been in the US. However, since January, she has had to go back to Canada for a certain time limit and save to come back down to the US to begin her RN. So, it will be almost an entire year of not really getting to be together much. We have a "Kindred Spirit" friendship that allows us to be able to talk about anything and everything! We talk about the Lord and all that he does. We even have to say that God allows times in our lives to go on at about the same time so we can relate to each other and "sharpen" each other in the Lord. However,  many of the singles in the church are many of my good friends. They made it a special last evening together. We played frisbee golf (a favorite summer sport of mine; though, I am not very good at it) and we went to Culver's for a treat afterwards. I felt blessed to see so many of them come to both events. It made parting a little easier than just saying goodbye at church. You see, all of my friends are from the church that I attended in North Dakota. We are like a great big family! I never knew how close we are all were, until I arrived in Oregon. The people here are like a big church family too. Only, I do not know half of them yet! It will come soon, I am sure.

Upon arriving to Oregon, there was the "challenge" of finding a place to live. My parents were going to help me find a place to live and get settled in before they would leave. The first place we checked out was a place that would have had allowed me to stay there free. However, the minute I entered the house and met the lady and her two dogs, I just felt so unsettled. I can't explain it except to tell you that there was just no peace inside of my heart. I felt tense and so uneasy. I just wanted to escape and hide! You see, I must tell you that the Lord had already begun working in my heart about giving my desire completely over to Him several months
ago.

When I would talk to my parents about the move to Oregon, we would often talk about where I would live. Truthfully, I wanted to live in a cute little apartment, getting the full experience of  living life on my own. I wanted to decorate my own place and buy and cook my own food! I had all these dreams of living on my own. But, that was not how God viewed my life should be. I always have to remember that my thoughts are not His thoughts and my ways are not always what He has planned for my life. I need to submit myself to Him daily to get His best for my life. The first time I spoke to my parents, I wanted to completely haul ALL that I owned out to Oregon. I wanted to be on my own. Well, that bubble was popped quickly! That would cost way too much and be too much of a pain hauling my desk, chairs, trees, etc... from my room into a U-haul. I quickly recognized my silly idea. Although, my heart sank a little bit. So, I gave that to God. The second time I came to my parents, I presented them with the idea of still living in an apartment and just bringing the necessities with me. You see, I had been preparing for this trip for some time. I looked for bargains and bought dishes, towels, bowls, and all other types of kitchen and bathroom accessories I could find. I was ready to go! My parents didn't mind the idea, but as time grew closer to when I would be leaving, my dad called the Pastor of the church in OR and asked if there was anyone with a bedroom or small apartment that they would have available for me to rent. There was one lady that had a bedroom available for rent. Once again, I had to go to the Lord and cast all my care upon Him. Going from not being able to bring all of my things with me, to possibly not getting to have my own place, to possibly staying in only a BEDROOM, I was crushed! But, God always knows what we need.

So, as we took a look at the first bedroom, I almost wanted to cry! I felt uneasy because I truthfully believe God was making it clear that that was not His will for me to stay there, but also because I needed to go back to Him and lay all my desire back at His feet. I was scared after leaving that place and I came back to the motel with my parents and began looking at area apartments for rent in the newspaper and online. We set up appoinments to see a few places. None of them looked like they would be safe places to live and I felt my heart begin to sink again. That night, I prayed and asked God to lead where He wanted me to stay because I just wanted what He wanted and not what I wanted. I just wanted His peace and His leadership in my life. The next day, we called the lady from the Baptist church where I attend now. Her name is Violet. She did not answer her phone the first time, so we had to leave a message. She called back about an hour later and we set up an appointment to meet with her. As my family and I entered her home, I felt a sense of peace in my heart that this was the place to live. When I looked at the bedroom I would be staying in, I saw that she had it pretty much empty and ready for me to make it "my own room."  She also said that I could use the kitchen appliances to cook with and would make some room for me to store my groceries.  When we left, my entire family was in agreement that this was the place I should stay. I can't explain the joy of knowing that God can lead His children to where He wants them to be.