Learning Obedience

Over the past few weeks Tim and I can count the following among our accomplishments: 9 or so round-trip ferry rides between Whidbey Island and the mainland, many many hours logged in one or another public library searching and applying to job listings for possible leads, 4 interviews with Target but no job offer, discovering 225 pieces of beach glass on a few stress-relieving beach walks, getting lost in The Forgotten Garden with Tim, seeing my grandparents and Anne who were still able to visit Seattle after their tour’s bus fire accident, meeting up with Wheaton friends such as Cameron O’Connor, Kelly Lemon, Kendall Batten, and soon Leslie Burdick and Amy Dykstra, climbing to the top of Goose Rock at Deception Pass, touring lots of apartments in Queen Anne, listening to the Song of Solomon sermons (which I highly recommend for any married or engaged couples!) by Mark Driscoll who pastors Mars Hill, several games of Monopoly, Sorry, and Guess Who, watching all the Disney movies we haven’t seen in SO long, catching up on my own photo editing, getting two days of internship training under my belt with Sarah and Chris Rhoads and their other intern Dorothy, interviewing with Starbucks, making many delicious (and cheap!) meals with my hubby, and learning about radical hospitality from the Wilcox family who is so graciously letting us stay in their home.

Mixed in with all of this, we’ve been learning what it means to be obedient to the Lord even (and especially) when it doesn’t make sense. We came out to Seattle because we’d been praying for a door to open and a way for us to come search for jobs. In July, Chris and Sarah had offered me a position if Tim and I were able to find work out here to support our selves. After our honeymoon, we stayed with our good friends in Wheaton for a few weeks and didn’t have any great job leads, so we started asking God if he’d have us move without job security. We didn’t hear a big booming “yes” from the sky, but a door quietly opened for us to stay in the Wilcoxes’ house on Whidbey. We’d agreed to be obedient if He opened a door, so it was time for us to step through it. I remember telling Tim I wanted my faith in the Lord to be something radical, not as easy as it’s usually been. When it came down to it, it was a scary step of faith to come out here – no jobs and not much money, only a roof over our heads and a car to get us there. We’re still figuring out what it looks like to be obedient to Him on a day-to-day basis. And we’re waiting for another door to quietly open so we can step through it. A booming voice from the sky would be nice too…but we’ll settle for an open door ;)

Tim took these next few in Seattle while I was learning the ropes with Chris and Sarah