The Tenderness of Belonging

Praise the Lord, we have a home!!
The very first week that we were here in Orlova, Daniel and I were looking for places to live and posted on one of the bulletin boards was a picture of a little apartment that as very charming and I just know in my heart that was where we were to live and so I said to Daniel, "That is home". Well, it wasn't as simple as all of that because, Daniel and I, not being citizens of the Czech Republic, are not allowed to own property here, so it was not going be possible for us to own this sweet little place. We talked with the owners and discussed the possibility of us renting it from them, but it was not going to work out financially for them, so the door seemed to be closed and God did not seem to opening up any other options. We found another place and liked it but financially it was a bit risky for us and so we felt uneasy about it. I was beginning to feel the first wave of culture shock and really felt that I did not belong anywhere in this town. I felt very alone and isolated and was discouraged because finding a home was becoming more and more difficult. I sat down to read my Bible and spend some quiet time with God and all of these emotions welled up inside of me and began to pour out of my heart. I sat and cried and explained to the Lord how heavy my heart was, how lonely I felt, and how deeply I longed for a place to belong. I felt like a little girl crying over something so silly, something so trivial. I really didn't have it all that bad, I had a roof over my head, food to eat, and a warm bed to sleep in. I felt so ungrateful for the good things that I had and yet I could not stop my emotions from spilling out but in the vulnerability of that fragile moment, God chose to reveal Himself to me in the most personal of ways. He tenderly reminded me how deeply He loved me and that my emotions, feelings, and desires matter to Him. He reaffirmed that He knew and understood my needs before I even knew of them and that His ways our perfect, without fault or defect in any way. He had a plan and I just needed to trust in Him completely.

A few days following my tender moment with the Lord, Daniel had a conversation with the lady that owned the apartment that I liked so much and it had just been sold that day, but the people buying it wanted to rent it out and she wanted to know if we were interested! :) Praise the Lord, Yes we were interested and this home came directly from His hand! The owner commented later, "what a coincidence that I happened to talk to you that day". We believe it to be so much more than a coincidence, that it was God's plan unfolding! :)
Well, after several months of many conversations and many details needing to be worked out, this little place is indeed our home, directly from the hand of God! :)

This week has been a very eventful week for us here in Orlova because we were finally able to move into our new little apartment!! It is difficult to put into words how it feels to be so far away from home and unable to really have a place that you belong. The feelings of displacement and disorientation had been weighing heavily upon us these last several months and so it was with great rejoicing and celebration that we moved our belongings into our sweet little apartment! Our hearts our full as we remember the tender and personal ways that our God chooses to reveal Himself to us. We are undeserving of the blessings that flow from His good and faithful hand and may I faithfully learn to trust that hand wherever it may lead me.