So, if you haven't heard....we are moving to Texas! The past few weeks we have gotten a few questions about this fact, so I thought I might share the rest of the story.
Why Waco, Texas? some might ask.
Well, we definitely did not predict 4 years ago we would be moving to Texas. Once David decided to do Family Medicine, we thought the easy or natural thing to do would be stay in Alabama. We have family here, we have a small child, it would be easy...comfortable. But last summer, God put it on David's heart to really look into the world of Family Medicine and explore what would be the very best training program for him. In July, David traveled to Kansas City for convention where he would have the opportunity to meet and talk with different family residency programs from across the country. He met with lots of people, learned more, got feedback about his resume, etc. While there, God led him to the people at the booth for Waco, TX. He came back talking about some of the programs and said Waco really seemed like a good program and the people were great.
In October David took 2 weeks to interview at 4 programs in Texas. Waco stole his heart. The people were David's kind of people. They took him fishing on Lake Waco, dinner at the home of residents. I just kept hearing excitement and eagerness in his voice.
I was a little skeptical at first. Waco? You want me to move 10 plus hours away for residency? Far away from family, friends we have made, a church we like? With a little one? But I wanted to give it a fair chance. So in January we road tripped to Texas, just the two of us. It was one of those times you just feel God paving the way. We were not too far out from Greenville, when we saw a complete rainbow. We pulled over to take a picture and just thought, how cool...God! God loves us and he is going to take care of us.
On the long drive, we had lots of time...we talked we analyzed and we thought we would catch up on some sermons from church. Our preacher, Pastor Mark, has been doing a sermon series on Fear. This particular sermon was on "Faith or Fear", you are welcome to listen
here. He talked about how there are times in life we choose to have faith or fear. There may be something new, something unfamiliar, something we aren't as comfortable with...and we have a choice. Do we choose what is easy for us? Or do we choose what we might be scary...what we know we could not do without the help of God? Do you choose to have faith in God or hold on to that fear? Sometimes doing what is not easiest brings us closer to God...and isn't that what we want? He shared with us two different storms in the Bible:
That day when the evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
Mark 4:35-40
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on the mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
Lord, if it's you, Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water."
"Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
Mathew 14:22-31
Very thought provoking? It was to us, especially to me. It made me think and prepare my heart for this trip. I saw what David liked about the program, they have so much to offer as far as training, procedures, facilities, faculty, and of course the people that he would be working with would be incredible. We met genuinely kind people who went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and wanted. It still was not easy for me to let go. I remember sitting in the hotel room with my paper and pen, drawing out a calendar trying to figure out how to make it work...when we would see family? How often could we could come home? I was trying to make it work for me. Then I saw it in his eyes how much this really meant to him and how much he wanted it. He would be proud to be here. How could I say no?
David said something else that made the decision clear to me. "I feel I would grow as a person and grow closer to God being surrounded by people that would make me better here."
With lots and lots of prayer, peace came. We just felt a peace about it all. Then when David opened that envelope on Match Day, we were both so excited. Not scared, not sad...but excited and proud! I feel God has been preparing our hearts for this move. Even in the last few weeks through different conversations and situations, he has brought David and I even closer. I know this is part of God's plan. He is opening doors and we can feel his presence.
So Owen, when you look back at this blog book when you are much older and wonder why did Daddy go to Waco for residency? It wasn't necessarily for the training, or the money, or because it was easy...it was because that is where we felt God was leading us to go...and that is what is important.
