An Unlikely Adventure
The packers have driven away with all our worldly goods and I sit in an almost empty house, on a couch that if possession really is nine/tenths of the law, belongs to Hazel Grace. With no space in our new residence, this treasure will need to find a new home within the next day or two, as we clean around it, readying for our final inspection of a military house. The final inspection of a military house. A daunting thought. As all good things must come to an end, we are turning the pages of the last chapter on our military career. More on that later. Today we focus on the new adventure.
Many friends have journeyed with us the past three years as we have sought the Lord’s direction on what next. Feeling excited and confident, two years ago we put an offer on a home in Lancaster County with a vision to create a hospitality house/bed and breakfast. Two acres with a meandering creek and beautiful views of a neighboring Amish farm. The offer was accepted and negotiations volleyed back and forth with an agreed closing date. And as the day approached, the owners reneged. Door closed.
Disappointed but trusting God, we continued to look all over Lancaster County. We bid on an Amish farm (and even though we didn’t win, we have become friends with the owners!), we spent countless weekends running to look at houses, and many times dropped what we were doing on a weekday afternoon to drive the two hours for a possibility. Not an exact number, but we looked at close to 50 homes or current bed and breakfasts. All doors closed.
Meanwhile, the two directors for the organization I work for in Virginia mentioned a few times a tiny country church whose pastor was retiring. Ironically, I had been to this church a few years back for an off-site workday. From that day, my immediate boss, Katie, would occasionally mention how crazy it would be if God called us to that or one of our other country churches in the association. The thought was entertaining, however retirement taxes are high in Virginia, and we could never afford to live in that particular area. Besides, God was calling us to Lancaster.
We continued to follow the dream to Lancaster with the thought of Virginia lurking behind the Amish buggies in our minds. Mike accepted a call to preach at this little church in March, purely out of obedience and knowing we could back out as soon as we found a home in Lancaster. To be honest, although it was a lovely church in a beautiful area surrounded by horse farms and wineries, neither of which appealed to us, the idea of pastoring a church was never on our list of desirable options after military retirement. We definitely felt called to some type of ministry, but pastoring a church did not make the list.
Still not having a solid lead in Lancaster, Mike preached that Sunday in March. We met the seven-member-remnant of a once thriving congregation, several of these who were left representing six generations of members. They were warm and welcoming. With a determination not to allow their church and their community presence to die, they have fought with grit to limp forward. As God often does, we left that morning in the drizzling rain, unsure how but fully aware God was changing our hearts toward this church and community. As they talked of past ecumenical events with the three other churches in town, we began to share their vision for reaching the community rather than solely filling the pews on Sunday mornings. The idea of building Kingdom community with the Methodists, Episcopalians, and the African-American Baptists birthed a new excitement for what God might be up to. With each consequent visit, confirmation continued to grow, and as determined as we were to continue to find a place in Lancaster, each door clearly closed.
So, as we prepare to relocate to the quaint “Village of Upperville,” population = 129, which lies just outside of Paris (Virginia!), we leave New Jersey with a renewed trust that God is doing a new thing (that typical of how He often works makes no sense.) We continue to hold to the hope of Lancaster one day, but for now, we are eager to taste and see the goodness of the Lord nestled in the Piedmont horse country. Please come visit us soon. We’ll be running an unofficial bed and breakfast. You’ll find us at “The Baptist Pastorium” on Highway 50 in Upperville. Two doors down from the British Pub. Just outside of Paris.