As promised, I am writing to share more GREAT stories with you! On Sunday, Ryan, Lauren and I visited a nearby church called Lake Norman Baptist. We had done some research online and looked for churches in the Huntersville area before we even moved here and this was one that really stuck out to us. Their programs and ministries seemed to be very similar to our church in Oregon, Tigard First Baptist. So, we prayed the night before and attended the 9:45 service on Sunday morning. We were directed to the foyer and while one of the ushers was trying to direct us to the Sunday school room for Lauren's age group, a man came over to Ryan and said, "Are you Ryan T. Smith?" Ryan stood there with a perplexed look on his face until he finally realized who was standing before him. It was one of his friends, Shad Kayser, that he had gone to college with at Seattle Pacific University. He and his family had moved out here less than a year ago from Oregon, for a job change, as well. He immediately welcomed us, introduced us to some other young families and invited us to sit with them during the service.
Shad shared with us that he and his wife, Jennifer, had visited 15 different churches in the area before settling at LNB. We had such a great time visiting with them after the service...and then they invited us over to their house for a BBQ dinner that night.
As we talked with them further over dinner, we found we knew alot of the same people back in Oregon and his wife, Jennifer, and I even had the same doctor! Lauren had so much fun playing with their 10-year-old daughter, who introduced her to Barbies (much to my dismay) and their little 2 1/2 and 1-year old boys. They gave us wonderful advice on places in the area to visit, good doctors, dentists, etc. And Jennifer invited me to come over for a play-date again on Wednesday.
At the end of the evening, all the kids were snuggled under a blanket on the couch, consoling each other about the booming thunder and crackling lightning outside. We drove home in the pounding rain and experienced the most severe thunderstorm I have ever seen or heard. Amazingly, Lauren was not all that scared, but more fascinated by what she was seeing. The thunder was so loud throughout the night that it woke Ryan and I from our sleep. But Lauren was unmoved and slept soundly all night long. :)
Then, on Monday, Lauren and I visited the local library to get library cards so we could begin checking out books (one of our weekly rituals). As we were searching through the shelves, some little girls from Lauren's Sunday school class ran over and said hello. Their mom was Lauren's teacher in church on Sunday, so we chatted while the girls looked at books and played. She told me more about the Women's Ministry, the bible studies and the small groups. She even invited us to join their small group for the Adult Sunday School next Sunday morning so we could meet more of the young families in the church.
All of these experiences added together to completely blow us away at how God is providing!! Here we were, dreading the idea of "church-hunting" and just praying that it wouldn't take too long for us to find a church home...and God already had it planned out for us. So, now we are just praying that we can get plugged in as much as possible and start developing some solid relationships with godly people.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
PDX to CLT
Well, we finally made it! (My apologies for this post being a little belated.) We arrived in Charlotte Monday evening around 5:30pm EST. It was a full day of flying and had you been a bystander at the Portland airport, you would have laughed watching the chaos. It was like a three-ring circus! Picture this... it is about 4:45am, there are hundreds of people waiting in line to check-in and here are the 3 of us, sleep-deprived and trying to manuever no less than 8 bags, one box, a carseat, 4 carry-ons and one semi-sedated cat through the madness. Quite the site! After we paused to address the tantrum that Lauren was having, we made it through security and to the gate just in time to board the flight. Whew!!
Lauren did surprisingly well on the plane, for this being her first time flying. She wasn't scared of the loud take-off noises, like we thought she might be. In fact, when we first lifted off into the air, she exclaimed, "Yahoo - we're flying!!" and threw her hands up into the air. She stayed fairly well occupied during the 4 hours that we were confined to our seats. We gave her the window seat, which helped...and she had so much fun looking down on everything from above the clouds. We were blessed with the most beautiful view of Mount Hood as we left Portland
We flew through Chicago and had just enough time to grab a bite to eat at the airport before we boarded the next flight to Charlotte. Thankfully, the second flight was much shorter (about 2 hours), so we didn't have to keep her entertained for as long. I will say that for not having a nap (for a girl that usually takes 3-4 hour snoozes), she did extremely well in holding herself together. And she was rewarded with lots of little treats along the way (compliments of my mom, who snuck them in my bag at the last minute). When we finally made it to North Carolina, we were relieved and exhausted. We couldn't wait to get to the hotel and jump into bed. But, there was still more to come!
Have you ever made one of those decisions that you later regretted? Well, I experienced that when I agreed to let Ryan go get the rental car while I got all 8 of our bags off the carousel (including the carseat and box). I struggled to do this, all the while holding one sleepy girl on my hip, one howling cat in her carrier, plus my purse! Thankfully, several people were generous enough to help me pull bags off before they whizzed by. And one lady even went and found a skycap and brought him over to where I was so he could load everything onto his cart and help me outside. Gotta love that Southern hospitality!!
Once we got everything loaded into the car, we set off for Huntersville via Billy Graham Parkway. Of course, we had to stop at the grocery store to get a litter box and litter for Casey. As Ryan ran in to buy them, I sat there in the car, talking to Lauren about all the fun things we would do and see in the coming week. I went on and on for about 5 minutes before I realized that she wasn't responding to me. I turned around to find her completely zonked out! (see picture below) So, she did get about a 30-minute nap, after all, on the drive to the hotel.
What a journey it was to make it to Charlotte!! But, how exciting to finally be starting our lives here and to be all together again as a family. We thank you all for your prayers for Lauren's sickness (she has recovered beautifully) and for our safe travels. I'll write another post in a few days to share about life in a hotel and our daily adventures.
Lauren did surprisingly well on the plane, for this being her first time flying. She wasn't scared of the loud take-off noises, like we thought she might be. In fact, when we first lifted off into the air, she exclaimed, "Yahoo - we're flying!!" and threw her hands up into the air. She stayed fairly well occupied during the 4 hours that we were confined to our seats. We gave her the window seat, which helped...and she had so much fun looking down on everything from above the clouds. We were blessed with the most beautiful view of Mount Hood as we left Portland
We flew through Chicago and had just enough time to grab a bite to eat at the airport before we boarded the next flight to Charlotte. Thankfully, the second flight was much shorter (about 2 hours), so we didn't have to keep her entertained for as long. I will say that for not having a nap (for a girl that usually takes 3-4 hour snoozes), she did extremely well in holding herself together. And she was rewarded with lots of little treats along the way (compliments of my mom, who snuck them in my bag at the last minute). When we finally made it to North Carolina, we were relieved and exhausted. We couldn't wait to get to the hotel and jump into bed. But, there was still more to come!
Have you ever made one of those decisions that you later regretted? Well, I experienced that when I agreed to let Ryan go get the rental car while I got all 8 of our bags off the carousel (including the carseat and box). I struggled to do this, all the while holding one sleepy girl on my hip, one howling cat in her carrier, plus my purse! Thankfully, several people were generous enough to help me pull bags off before they whizzed by. And one lady even went and found a skycap and brought him over to where I was so he could load everything onto his cart and help me outside. Gotta love that Southern hospitality!!
Once we got everything loaded into the car, we set off for Huntersville via Billy Graham Parkway. Of course, we had to stop at the grocery store to get a litter box and litter for Casey. As Ryan ran in to buy them, I sat there in the car, talking to Lauren about all the fun things we would do and see in the coming week. I went on and on for about 5 minutes before I realized that she wasn't responding to me. I turned around to find her completely zonked out! (see picture below) So, she did get about a 30-minute nap, after all, on the drive to the hotel.
What a journey it was to make it to Charlotte!! But, how exciting to finally be starting our lives here and to be all together again as a family. We thank you all for your prayers for Lauren's sickness (she has recovered beautifully) and for our safe travels. I'll write another post in a few days to share about life in a hotel and our daily adventures.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Saying Goodbye
As I write this, I am sitting in my empty kitchen with boxes and packing paper surrounding me. It is a very surreal feeling. The emotions have just now started to hit me...like a ton of bricks. I am finally realizing all that I will be leaving behind and missing out on. We were both born and raised here - this is the town where we met, it holds the schools we went to, the churches we grew up in and all the little places where we made memories. It is almost unimaginable to be leaving now, with no idea of when...or if...we will return. It's so hard to not think of this place as home any longer - not just this house, but this state. No doubt, the hardest part (for me) will be saying goodbye to my family. They have been my strength time and time again, talked me down from the ledge more than once and loved me through it all. To not have them living near me may just be the most difficult thing I have ever faced.
And yet, in spite of the deep sadness I am feeling, I also know the great promise that Charlotte holds for us. God must have something incredible for us there - we are convinced of this! Moving away from our families and friends is unsettling, but it will give us the opportunity to really lean on each other, like we never have had to before. And what a way to put to test that radical dependence on the Lord that I have been practicing. I am certain that I couldn't make it through this were it not for the strength He is so graciously giving to me, to all of us. Our goal has always been and continues to be that God will make Himself glorified through us as we trust Him on this journey. We are simply walking the path He has laid and following Him on what we are sure will be a wonderful ride.
So, as always, we ask for your prayers...for safe travels on the 18th, for Lauren as she adjusts to the change, that the closing of our house in NC will go smoothly, that the Lord will guide us to the home church where He wants us to be and that we can quickly get connected with other young families near us. I will do my best to post new blogs as often as possible once we get out there, so keep checking back for updates. Please stay in touch with us - through email, mail or phone. Beginning on June 20th, we can be reached at:
423 Fairwoods Drive
Huntersville, NC 28078
(704) 274-5280
carolinasmiths@gmail.com
Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement and unceasing prayers - it has made the burden lighter knowing that we are constantly being lifted up.
And yet, in spite of the deep sadness I am feeling, I also know the great promise that Charlotte holds for us. God must have something incredible for us there - we are convinced of this! Moving away from our families and friends is unsettling, but it will give us the opportunity to really lean on each other, like we never have had to before. And what a way to put to test that radical dependence on the Lord that I have been practicing. I am certain that I couldn't make it through this were it not for the strength He is so graciously giving to me, to all of us. Our goal has always been and continues to be that God will make Himself glorified through us as we trust Him on this journey. We are simply walking the path He has laid and following Him on what we are sure will be a wonderful ride.
So, as always, we ask for your prayers...for safe travels on the 18th, for Lauren as she adjusts to the change, that the closing of our house in NC will go smoothly, that the Lord will guide us to the home church where He wants us to be and that we can quickly get connected with other young families near us. I will do my best to post new blogs as often as possible once we get out there, so keep checking back for updates. Please stay in touch with us - through email, mail or phone. Beginning on June 20th, we can be reached at:
423 Fairwoods Drive
Huntersville, NC 28078
(704) 274-5280
carolinasmiths@gmail.com
Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement and unceasing prayers - it has made the burden lighter knowing that we are constantly being lifted up.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Moving Schedule
Well, things are moving quite quickly since I last posted. There is a lot of information, so bear with me! Here is an update:
The movers come on June 13th to pack up all our stuff...then they will haul it away on the 14th. Also on the 14th, we will close on the sale of our house here. Our cars will get picked up and shipped on the 15th. Then, we will get to enjoy one last weekend with family (we'll be staying with my mom and dad) and celebrate Father's Day. We fly out Monday, June 18th for Charlotte! Ryan's company is putting us up in a Residence Inn for 2 weeks and he will be able to work in their Huntersville office so we can all be together (praise the Lord!).
We will finally close on our house in North Carolina on June 28th. We are having a painter come on the 29th and 30th to redo some of the rooms. Our new furniture we purchased on our last trip out will be delivered on the 30th, as well. Then, my mom flies out on July 2nd to help us get all settled and the movers will come with our stuff on the 3rd!! My sister might also fly out on the 5th to help, as well. I'm sure it is going to be a crazy busy week of moving furniture around and putting things away...and I am so thankful that I have some family who is able and willing to come out with us!
We continue to ask for your prayers during this busy and, let's face it, stressful time - specifically that Lauren will do well on the plane ride out and will adjust okay to going from living in a hotel to living in a brand new place. Also that the details of the financing will all come together and that, despite the chaos, we will still find ways to enjoy the little moments that we still have here with our friends and loved ones. We are going to miss you all so much!!
The movers come on June 13th to pack up all our stuff...then they will haul it away on the 14th. Also on the 14th, we will close on the sale of our house here. Our cars will get picked up and shipped on the 15th. Then, we will get to enjoy one last weekend with family (we'll be staying with my mom and dad) and celebrate Father's Day. We fly out Monday, June 18th for Charlotte! Ryan's company is putting us up in a Residence Inn for 2 weeks and he will be able to work in their Huntersville office so we can all be together (praise the Lord!).
We will finally close on our house in North Carolina on June 28th. We are having a painter come on the 29th and 30th to redo some of the rooms. Our new furniture we purchased on our last trip out will be delivered on the 30th, as well. Then, my mom flies out on July 2nd to help us get all settled and the movers will come with our stuff on the 3rd!! My sister might also fly out on the 5th to help, as well. I'm sure it is going to be a crazy busy week of moving furniture around and putting things away...and I am so thankful that I have some family who is able and willing to come out with us!
We continue to ask for your prayers during this busy and, let's face it, stressful time - specifically that Lauren will do well on the plane ride out and will adjust okay to going from living in a hotel to living in a brand new place. Also that the details of the financing will all come together and that, despite the chaos, we will still find ways to enjoy the little moments that we still have here with our friends and loved ones. We are going to miss you all so much!!
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