3 Years in Louisville

 It's been 3 years since we said farewell to Smyrna and hello to Louisville. So much has changed since then. We came with a basic 5 year plan to do seminary and get on the field ASAP. We are 3 years in and still at least 3 years out from getting to the field, at times doubting if we will ever make it.
We came up here a family of 4: Jim, Emmie, Jamey and Lillian. Today we are a family of 6, adding Reuben and Gabriel in the 2 following years. Last year we also added Becca to our home, which has been a blessing in so many ways.
We came to a 3 bed 2 bath apartment in Village Manor. I had no intention of leaving this apartment until we were leaving for good. I had no desire to own a house. God had other ideas. Just over a year ago He led us to purchase a home here in the neighborhood our church is in to be an active part in it. So today we own a home in Germantown and are learning how be salt and light in our community.

We came with a desire to learn and grow. I cannot even begin to tell you how much we have learned. Part of keeping this blog is to share some of what we have learned, but what I have written does not even scratch the surface. And we have grown. We have grown in Christ and grown in our understanding of the Gospel. We have grown closer to God and closer to each other. We have also learned that it is an up and down roller coaster even at the best of times, but that's part of the journey. We have learned theology, relationships, Bible, more about prayer and life. We have grown in our understanding of God, but in some ways have many more questions. That's part of the journey too.

We came to Sojourn and learned a different way of doing church. We have learned band music and community groups. We have learned elder board and "grass roots" ministries.
We have grown in our love for the work around the world. Our hearts have been burdened more for others to love and support the work as well as to go. We have met so many who share this love as well as this burden. That has been such a blessing. We have had the opportunity to share with the nations at our door and learn more about where they are.
We have begun to homeschool, something I would not have dreamed of doing when we first talked about a family nor starting my kids this young, but have come to love teaching my kids at home. They, too, love to learn and beg to do school daily. We are blessed to have children that challenge us.
Our life looks quite a bit different than we originally thought it would this far into our seminary journey, but that's the beauty of God and His sovereignty. We see Him at work all around us as well as in us and in our home. We have learned so much about God's amazing grace and see His grace imprinted all over our lives. As we seek to bring our children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, there is no where else I would rather be since we are clearly where God has led us to be.
May the next 3 (or 10) years in Louisville exponentially increase what we have learned here and bring us to a deeper understanding and knowledge of our great God and His Son, Jesus Christ.