A new path...

I'm back...the internet is back up...and those big changes I had to talk about? Well, they are in full swing as well! The biggest change in the Miller household is...mommy's new job!! The ball started rolling this fall- well actually, probably sooner than that even. Last March, Shawna (Herring) Neuenschwander announced at work that she would be leaving Campus Life at SW (my old school) to move into inner city at Marion. Honestly, my heart broke a little; I even cried real tears. I was bummed for SW to be losing Shawna, she was a great part of my Christian life growing up and I was so sad for the kids at SW to be losing her. I probably went into overdrive praying for her replacement, just cause SW means so much to me. Summer came, we had a possibility for the position and I was totally pumped to jump in and help her do anything that she needed to get in and get started.

About that time, I began to feel this tug on my heart. I didn't know what it was for, what it was tugging me towards, nor where it would take me, but I could tell that God was beginning to stretch me for something. Weeks passed, and the more that things started to come apart on the hiring side for the new girl, there more I felt God pulling me in. I mean, I spent most of 2008 on a journey of love; God was truly teaching me about what was important in life. He stripped away a lot, A LOT of my comfort zone and showed me that life is purely about loving God and loving others and aside from that, the rest is just fluff. So, when the call to Campus Life came that crisp October day, there was little I could do.

I've spent enough time hiding from God. I've spent enough time downplaying my gifts and so when I felt the pull to Campus Life at SW, I just had to say, "Okay God, as long as you're with me; let's do it." After a long long LONG time of application, prayer, seeking and relying on God, all of the parts finally fell together and I was offered the job in early November. I was warned to be prepared for a long fund raising process. With this full time position, I am responsible for raising my support and I knew, by watching the guys in the office, how hard this could be. I also knew that it was one of the big things holding me back in pursuing this position. I hate to ask for help, I hate to bug my family and friends and I hate to ask for money. But in the end, it was another one of those amazing things God was providing me with this fall: a comfort and a peace about the money. I knew that if God had brought me this far, He wouldn't leave me now. I knew that He had been in control this whole time, and if this was His will, it would happen. 2 weeks and 3 days later, the support that I needed to start was completely in and fully pledged. 2 weeks is the record in our office, so while I missed the record by 3 days, (sorry, I'm always the competitive one :)) it was a SUPER FAST fund raising period. I mean, we have guys in this office who have taken many painful months to wait for support to come in and here I had it in 2 quick weeks!

I may sound like I'm bragging, but in reality this was just the reminder that I was going to need for the months to come. What an amazing affirmation to have when the hard times come. God is here, He is present, and He will always provide just exactly what I need. Whether that is support, comfort, care, endless love, energy, patience...whatever, He will provide. And not only that, but I have an amazing AMAZING support base of family and friends and the SW community around me to keep me going. I feel supremely blessed.

The blessing of hindsight is that we can see all of the amazing tiny bits of the story that God was carefully molding to fall into place at the exactly perfect moment. Its so awesome to see God's hand in all of this and how He brought me to this place. Again, it's something I will never succeed at on my own, but in His power, in His will and with Him by my side, I know that I can do anything. I am more than a conqueror. Praise God for his awesomeness.

....And stay tuned...I'd love to keep you updated on this crazy ride. I'm sure this place will be full of awesome stories, some crazy events and even a few prayer requests to keep us all covered. Ready? Cause here we go...