October 17, 2006: Gabriel turned 1. On that day, God made it clear that He wanted us to move to Orlando. My step dad's health has deteriorated, and so has my mom's. She could no longer solely take care of him, and his son (who lives in Winter Park, FL) offered to help out if they were to move here. The deal: my mom will not move if I did not come with her! My initial reaction was, of course, a worldly one, and mainly consisted of 10 things:
1) I have not finished remodeling my first condo. I'm just getting started!
2) I just bought another condo a month ago.
3) I just signed off a contract to purchase a pre-construction home in Mililani Mauka
4) I just got a new SUV
5) I love my vacation/dream job at Kaiser Permanente as a Management Consultant
6) My childcare arrangements can't be beat
7) I'm plugged in @ my church: teaching K4-K5 and playing the piano
8) I just started attending Bible college
9) I just made a 12-month commitment towards our church Building Fund. How can I meet this pledge if I don't even know where I'll be working in 2007 and what my salary would be?
10) How will I be able to meet all of my financial obligations in Hawaii while working in the Orlando market?
This was followed by self-centered, worldly reasoning: "What's in it for me" in Orlando?
- He's not my real dad (I'm a daddy's girl and my real dad passed away when I was only 12).
- What's so good about Orlando? Free Disney passes and cheaper real estate. That's it?
"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." Psalm 32:8 KJV
God's answer was clear: GO!
Hence, the question: When, Lord? I asked for 30 days to prepare for the move, and requested for the following conditions:
To be able to live, work, and play within a 1-2 mile radius.
God miraculously answered my prayers!
1) My condo remodeling project ended in January. I found a great renter: our Chuukese Pastor and his family.
2) I found a reliable renter and potential buyer for my other condo: our church's IT guy who's married to Diego's K-3 teacher.
3) I was able to back out on the offer to purchase the pre-construction home with no penalty
4) I was able to ship out my SUV at half the price.
5) I landed a job at AppleOne (5 minutes away from home).
6) My mom agreed to babysit Gabriel for free!
7) I also got plugged in into Palm Springs Drive Baptist Church (http://www.psdbc.net/) in the following ministries: Junior Church, Vacation Bible School (VBS), and a potential backup piano player (though I dislike reading notes and play by ear).
8) I found the same Bible college courses being offered by a church in Kissimmee.
9) I was able to meet our church's Building Fund pledge within 12 months, regardless if my salary had been cut in half.
10) God has faithfully enabled me to fulfill all of my financial obligations.
God answered all 10 requests and granted my request to live, work, and play within less than a 2-mile radius!!! Yeah! Wait, there's more:
- Round-trip tickets from Honolulu to Orlando were at an all-time low in February, confirming that God wanted us to leave on that month. Price: $289.00 pp
- My Hilton and Wyndham timeshares were available for a total of 6 weeks within one week's notice.
- Kaiser Permanente granted me 2 additional months of full pay while searching for a new job in Orlando. Sweet.
- God made a way for me to lease a resort-like, lakefront apartment without currently holding a job, within a day's notice!
- God gave me my first home in Florida, a few months later (also within my 1-2 mile radius)
As I look back, I humbly ask God to forgive me for still complaining, and not appreciating all of the things that He had prepared for me on a silver platter! Earlier on, I would hide in my walk-in closet crying and asking God why He had uprooted me. I was unsure about the new church, the new job, and living under the same roof with my parents!!! Transition is not always easy by default.
Spectators (believers and unbelievers) asked me for a logical explanation regarding this big move. I had none. It truly did not make any sense, from a worldly point of view. However, I was determined to follow God wherever He wanted to lead me.
Before the move, I claimed His promise: He will supply my every need.
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippinas 4:19 KJV
I was given more than enough to sustain me.
After the move, I needed the following reminder: Be content.
"[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5 KJV
"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content." Philippians 4:11 KJV
And I can always use another reminder: Be thankful, always."In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
As I said: today, I am homesick. No doubt about that. On top of that, my mom announces that she is planning to leave Orlando in September of this year, if it is the Lord's will. If not for God's leading to confirm our decision to leave Hawaii, I would be very resentful of the current situation. I could easily argue about the only reason why I am here: that is, to honor my mom's request. And now, she plans to leave? In my finite mind, I feel that there is no longer a reason for me to stay in Florida. After all, I am homesick, right?
I do not have an answer right now. However, I do know what to do:
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6 KJV
And remember:
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. " Romans 8:28 KJV
So, what should I do the next time I feel homesick and confused?
1) Remember what God has done in my life: count His many blessings!
2) Claim His promise that He shall supply all of my needs.
3) Learn to be content.
4) Remember to be thankful at all times.
5) Trust in the Lord and acknowledge Him in all things.
6) Remember Romans 8:28.
Oh, I would like to squeeze in a few extra steps...
My Immediate Action Plan:
1) Call my brother
2) Lovingly demand for a late birthday gift (it's been in the mail since I was 16!)
3) Create a list of local foods that I miss
4) Give him a big virtual hug from a bratty little sister
Okay, I feel much better now :)
