The time has come that we must face the inevitable and prepare for our move from Deltona to Jacksonville. Steve has accepted a position there and has been commuting daily since February. We have had our home on the market for sale but not much is happening there so we have decided to find a renter instead.
We are going to Jacksonville this weekend to look at some homes for rent in the Mandarin/St. Johns area. If we find something that meets our needs (and some desires) we will move forward and make plans to move at the end of the month.
I'm already training my replacement at the crisis pregnancy center where I have been working for six years. It will be sad to leave such wonderful women that I have grown to love and respect very much over the years. We currently have 15 volunteers weekly and 5 staff. It's been amazing experience to see God working through them to help young women facing an unplanned pregnancy. We see up to 160 clients every month and that's with only being open 24 hours a week. Crazy! Right!
So, what will I be doing in Jacksonville? Well, after much prayer for God to lead me to where He is already at work and where I am most needed. I have found that the Student Venture ministry in JAX has need of a woman staff trainer to train a new staff girl coming to town from Atlanta. Since I have trained new staff before, I can bring my past experience with SV to help her. I was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ from 1993-2002. It was such a wonderful experience and I have missed it for some time now.
The director of SV has been there for 20 years leading a thriving ministry but with no adult staff women to help reach and mentor the teen girls. This will be a new opportunity for all of us. I believe God is leading myself and this other young woman to work in JAX and I'm just so excited to see what He has in store for the students we are going to be meeting in the fall!
It's funny, I left SV 6 years ago because I had such a burden to help girls protect their purity and thought the crisis pregnancy center would be a way to reach out to more kids in that specific area. Granted, the kids we met were already sexually active and coming to our center for a free pregnancy test, but I digress. If it was negative, we had an opportunity to educate them on the risks of STD's and encourage them to try abstaining. "Sexual Integrity" was the latest catch phrase that seemed to be more tolerable than "abstinence" ~ at least we got less eye rolls.
If the pregnancy test was positive, we educated them on all three options and explained the risks of abortion so they would make an educated decision. We offered support and resources to help them throughout their pregnancy and beyond. We even had a boutique full of donated maternity clothes and baby items to help the financial burden most people face. I was always amazed at how we never ran out of supplies and just when we needed something, someone would walk in with what we needed in the same hour. Or a double stroller or car seat would be donated the day before someone called needing one. It was so cool to see God circulate stuff to help those in need.
I got to witness God bringing people to our door that needed more than a pregnancy test, they need prayer, they needed to know someone cared, and he would always equip us with just what they needed to face their crisis. God was already working in their life to bring them to us! He was just allowing us to be his hands and heart to show them unconditional love.
I'm already talking about it past tense. My mind is jumping foward to doing SV ministry and I'm continually in prayer about the kids I"m going to be meeting. I'm looking foward to building relationships and watching them grow spiritually from freshman to senior year and beyond!
I'm looking foward to stepping out in faith with creative outreaches, evangelism, team talks, Bible studies, and training the new girl. I hope it all comes back to me like riding a bike. I want to reach kids before they need a free pregnancy test at a crisis center! I want to encourage them to walk in purity and with integrity for the rest of their lives. I want to help them learn how to make good decisions and follow God's plan for their lives.
Steve and I are really looking foward to getting involved in a church and starting a new phase of our life together. We truly belive God is calling us to Jacksonville for a bigger purpose and we are following His will for our lives whole heartedly!
Pictured here with Christine Kennedy, our temporary roommate and guest in our home! She has joined staff with Student Venture this summer and I will be training her in ministry.
Katie, Christine, and Gracie at the SV meeting Thursday night.
Katie II playing the guitar for fun. Adam is the boy who leads our worship time.
Greta, Kimberly, and Deb hanging out before the meeting. They go to Creekside HS.
This is a place I checked out for future vacation spots.
Front entrance porch which wraps around to the deck out back for more seating with tables too.
This is the continuation of the porch around back overlooking the beach pictured above.
Steve has gotten 4 hours a day of his life back and is very grateful to be done with that commute after six months. I've started ministry with Student Venture again and love it. I'm learning the area thanks to my handy GPS! I found a gym I like and made a new friend who is training me for free 3x a week. What an answer to prayer. Plus, we have already found a great church nearby that we love. It's called Christian Family Chapel. One of my SV students from Lake Brantley HS attends the church so we are reconnecting as well. I need to go get my license and tag renewed today or sometime this week before my birthday. Mom and Dad came for a visit last weekend and love the place. Joe and Robin are coming up Sunday and I'm hoping to take them to Sticky Fingers, a great local restaurant we like. Next weekend we are hoping Steve's mom and stepdad will come visit us. We'll keep you posted. love deb
This is our kitchen. Sharing this with miraclemama since she posted hers. I will miss our first home very much. We are moving from Deltona to Jacksonville whenever we can find a renter. here is the link to find out more. www.obeo.com/519251
