I know, I know, I am a day late. Well, better late than never. So here is the second half of our journey.
So I left off with us packing up the truck and heading west. But what I neglected to mention was that Carie did not even have a job, a job prospect, not even an interview the morning before we left. We knew we were supposed to be moving to Oklahoma and that this is where God was leading us but we were going to need some Manna from heaven or something in order to make it. You see, I wasn't going to work my first year because they do not encourage it, so our entire income would be from Carie, who did not have a job yet. Well that God works in mysterious ways.
As we are pulling into our apartment in Nashville after picking up the moving truck, I see Carie on the phone in her car. After a few minutes she gets out and I ask her who that was. It was a company in OKC and they wanted to have her interview for a position! Well now at least we had a job prospect. So we pack up and move. Just a day or two after arriving in OKC Carie goes to her interview. She tells me she thought it went well, but we would have to wait and see. Well that evening they called her back and offered her the job! Within a week Carie already had a job. The next thing on our list was to find a church.
We had researched churches in the OKC metro area before moving and found Lifechurch.tv. We figured we would try it and a few others before making a decision. We never made it to those other churches. Lifechurch was exactly were God wanted us at this point in our lives. I have never listened to a more effective pastor than Craig Groeschel. This church was a Godsend for Carie and I at this step in our lives; newly married, and not as close in our faith as we should be. Carie and I have never been closer to our Father than we are right now and it has been great building our marriage around our faith. But it keeps getting better.
On our second try we found the lifegroup we currently attend. This is our second family. I do not think we would have made it in Oklahoma without this group of couples. God lead us to our OKC family. Additionally, this group also provided Carie with her second job opportunity.
The first job was not working out so well with the monkey and all. (Yes, a monkey in the office. An actual real, live, monkey.) It just so happened that a couple in our lifegroup work for Lifechurch and knew of a job opening. Carie applied and the rest is history. She has been working for Lifechurch for nearly two and a half years now.
Now, I do not want you to get the impression everything has been pees and carrots here in OKC. It has definitely had its moments. But once again God knew what he was doing. He has always provided for us. The hardest part was being away from our family. But this too was a blessing. This allowed Carie and I to build our marriage on or own. No outside influences. We could only lean on each other. But there was also another reason I think God moved us from our family.
Before moving Carie and I would see my mom and dad every weekend, sometimes more. We were very close. Well in May of 2009 my mother passed away unexpectedly. And while nothing could dull the pain immediately, there was a purpose to us being so fair away. I think God moved us here to help deal with the separation from my mom. Once we moved here I was only able to see mom a handful of times, so I had gotten used to her not being around very much. Imagine if we stayed at home and we were still seeing each other every weekend. The loss would have been unbearable. While I still miss mom, it has been easier for me to adjust to her absence.
Okay, now to end on a high note. Last spring, I began looking for an internship for the summer. I had some business cards made and gave some to family just in case they knew someone. Well, I was having no luck when my brother-in-law shot me a text. There was an attorney speaking to his class. My brother-in-law just happened to have one of my business cards and he asked if I wanted him to give it to the attorney. Without giving it much thought I said sure, not really expecting anything. Well three weeks later Carie and I were leaving church and I still had no prospects for an internship. We were toying with the idea that maybe we were supposed to stay in OKC and not move home. That afternoon that attorney called me. I told him I was looking for an internship that could possibly lead to a job, and he asked me to drive in for an interview. I drove in on spring break did the interview and interned last summer. This August I will start as an associate attorney at that firm, in my hometown of Murfreesboro, TN.
Well that's our story out here. There was a purpose for this mid-western detour, even if we couldn't see it at the beginning. All this was to say, we have to have faith. God won't lead us astray. He may ask you do do something you may absolutely dread, but there is a reason. Carie and I would never have gotten to where we are in life without taking that leap of faith. The unknown is scary, but often much more worthwhile than playing it safe.
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