Finally! Now *this* is home!

Hi everyone, Brianne here.  I am supposed to be working on homework right now but have an overwhelming desire to call up everyone we know and tell them all about this weekend.  However, that would rack up quite a few long-distance cell minutes, so it would probably be best to post an update here :). 

Even though we've been here a little over 3 weeks now, it just hasn't quite felt like home yet.  I'm slowly finding my way around this side of town, and I know where the essentials are (gas, bank, groceries) but it's still hard to navigate without using the GPS.  In fact, I have a little silent celebration each time I find my way back home without it.  Also, living in the midst of boxes that still needed to be unpacked is beyond stressful.  Not to mention we managed to not pack a box that had all of our good cookware in it.  How do you miss a box of dishes??  I have no clue, but we did.  So I've been unable to cook meaningful dinners either, but we still have managed to make it work :).  Not having a secured job yet has also added to the feeling that this is not quite "home" just yet.  Well, almost all of that changed for us this weekend.

We finished unpacking almost all of the boxes and got the office set up. It still needs some organization, but as you know that is what I do best so it shouldn't take too long.  I put up curtains in the living room and the kitchen, which created a more "home-like" feel.  More pictures were hung on the walls as well.  Although our apartment has begun to look like a picture gallery for Kaylee-bug I love every single one!!

The main thing I wanted to share with everyone what Jon mentioned below.  We found a new church home!  Last night it was about 10pm and I realized we had not found a new church to visit this morning.  Jon and I were both so busy and distracted this week that we had not taken the time to find a new one.  I immediately went online and started researching.  We just had to find a new place to visit.  Yes, we could go back to the church from last week that was "just okay" but we know it is not the place for us so why not do our best to keep trying?  I literally spent 2 hours online searching online profiles, reviews, websites, and facebook pages for over 30 churches in our town.  Not a single one of them had the philosophies and ministries we were looking for.  There are a lot of "reformed" churches here, which is very bizzare.  All of the non-denominational churches were still too traditional and did not have specified ministries for men/women/children/couples/singles, etc.  After becoming very discouraged I decided to expand my search to the next biggest town....Mount Vernon, WA.  It is about 30 miles away.  People travel all the time to church, so perhaps we just are going to become one of those families who get up early on Sunday morning to drive 30 miles to church.  That's okay, right?  Well....ladies, try telling your husband who is half asleep that you want to try looking for churches to visit the next morning that will require him to wake up 1 hour earlier.  Good luck with that :).  Yes, Jon thought I was crazy but I knew it was just the sleep talking.

I started my search for Mount Vernon churches, specifically looking for a contemporary church that had a growing ministry centered around teaching the ENTIRE Bible even if it hurt.  I then found a website for Citipoint Church.  Have you ever been shopping for that perfect dress or pair of shoes in a store, spending hours trying things on and once you are about to give up you find....THE ONE?  That is how I felt the minute I opened the website for Citipoint and began to listen to the preachings of Pastor Ken Hubbard.  You see...I had found a couple of churches I wanted to visit in Bellingham but once I watched some of the preaching I just knew it was not the one.  Many of the teachings were in story-like mode, and did not reference specific scripture.  I wanted a preacher who would get down to the meat and potatoes of God's word, even if it meant ruffling up some feathers.  Pastor Hubbard does just that.  He is honest, to the point, and willing to challenge you.  So that was it, we were just going to have to visit this church, no question about it.  I was not going to give up until we did, even if it meant driving out of town.  Then.....I discovered they have a new campus right here in Bellingham!!  The only problem was, I didn't know anything about the Bellingham campus and whether or not they had childcare.  So, I wrote a message on the church's FB page asking if they did.  This morning, I checked it and Pastor Hubbard actually had replied to my message and said yes, they had childcare and would love to have us come.  So, we had breakfast, got Kaylee ready and headed out the door.  The new campus is actually located within an industrial park and looks like a cabin.  It's small, and you could tell they just moved in because there were still original signeage from the previous tennants in place that were now covered up with temporary Citipoint signs.  On our way back to the nursery we passed by the room where the praise team were having prayer time.  We stood in the hallway until they finished so that we would not interrupt.  Just hearing them pray immediately made Jon and I look at each other and smile.  Kaylee went into the nursery and we headed into the small sanctuary.  Three of the 4 walls were lined in windows, showing the beautiful surroundings of trees and plants.  Jon and I were nervous.  Could a little tiny church like this have as much power as their main almost-mega-church in Mount Vernon??  Our answer came when the praise team started singing.  The two guitarists and 1 drummer had as much passion in them as an entire praise team.  They didn't need the lights, and they didn't need the huge screens.  They didn't even need a large audience.  They left their hearts on that stage and opened themselves up to what God had for them during that service.

Have you ever felt a hug from God?  I'm talking about one that makes you tear up inside and out, and it gives you a feeling that God is telling you "It's going to be okay"???  I felt that 2 weeks before we left when we attended Victory, and I finally felt it again this morning.  This branch of Citipoint is going to do amazing things for the Kingdom of God, and Jon and I are blessed to be a part of it.  Jon is excited to start making friends and becoming involved.  I know that God is taking care of our family.  Look at what He has provided for us so far!!  Jon has a job, I have a temporary one (and have faith the new one WILL come this week!) there is food on the table, a roof over our head, and now a wonderful church to call home.  I know we are going to experience wonderful things here. I can finally say, this feels like home now.