the journey begins

i’ve always had a home.  when i would leave one place, another was always ready for me.  it’s something i haven’t had to think about.  the beginning of this year changed all that.  the home i was living in was being sold and it was time to move.  everything in me knew it was time.  i’d lived in that house for ten years and as many beautiful memories created there, i also had terrifying and painful memories as well.  it has been a journey of healing for me over the last year and a half and severing ties to that house was another step into freedom.  i was excited for the future and the possibility of what was to come.  the catch: san francisco is experiencing one of the largest spikes in cost of living and it seems everyone is looking for a place to live.  for every one apartment, 100 people were applying.

i began my search and immediately felt discouraged.  rent prices for studios were more than what people in other parts of the U.S. were paying for a four bedroom mortgage.  i believe God had a plan for me and so by faith I began packing and claiming a miracle home that He was preparing for me.

in the midst of this, i was preparing to go on my first missions trip with my church.  my heart had broken in 2013 for the people of the philippines and i knew i had to get there.  when my church announced that’s where we were going, i was all in.  i began raising money and quickly realized the Lord was pouring in provision as I received donations from people i didn’t expect and in amounts that were beyond what i would think to ask.

i came across the mother teresa quote and used it on  my fundly account.  it was a mindset i began to live by.  if it didn’t hurt, i wasn’t giving enough.  and not pain without a cause, but a place of discomfort that pushed me to check my priorities, my spending and what i considered a need.

as time drew closer to leave for the philippines, so did my deadline to move out of my home and into a new apartment.  i was having a hard time.  i ran into scams left and right, rent costs that were too high and weird situations no one in their right mind would put themselves into.  a week before i left on the trip i moved out of my home, put my stuff in storage and found myself in a place of trust in God i didn’t expect to find myself.  could i still trust that He was looking out for me, that He had a plan, that He heard my prayer and knew my need even when what was in front of me was the complete opposite?  i answered yes and stepped into the unknown.

the family i had been a nanny for had a room in the city they let me stay in for the week.  to them i am grateful and see how the Lord places people in our lives for times like this.  i found myself having to prepare for things i didn’t expect like where would  my kitty stay while i was away?  where would i stay when i returned?  what size storage room did i need?

all my questions were answered and, peacefully, a week after i moved out of my home of the last ten years and willingly walked into discomfort, i left for a brand new unknown filled with expectancy and wonder.  i was being called into mystery and for the first time in my life i was walking into the it without the comforts i had taken for granted my whole life.

saturday, may 31st, before the sun rose, i woke up with my bags packed and boarded a plane that would lead me into the start of a brand new journey …