On The Road Again

I read a devotional that said “the Holy Spirit is like the wind and when He changes direction we need to be ready to change with Him”

I knew already this was for me as I felt that familiar stirring that things were getting ready to change. Another move…..

My time in TN was closing, for now any way.  I began praying for confirmation and further instructions. I asked my warriors to begin praying with me. I got a text from my sister in Christ Cynthia, it read “when the Holy Spirit moves we have to be ready to move with Him” Now where have I heard that before J

I began praying and asking what the plan ahead was. You see I still had 6 ½ months left on my lease and if I broke the lease there was a $1000.00 fee. Granted the 3 months’ rent I would be responsible for and fee totaling over $3000. would have to be paid by my sweet Jesus as He was still the “bread winner” in our household. But I didn’t want Him to pay for an apartment that would be empty and it was clear I was leaving the end of the month no matter what.

God gave me the moving date and it was a little more than 2 weeks before the move and each time I asked if I should start packing the Holy Spirit would say “wait.” I reminded Him I was filling in at an office the last 4 days I was in town to make some money for the move which didn’t leave a lot of time for packing and P.S. in case He forgot I still didn’t know the financial plan. My son Anthony told me he felt like God wasn’t having me pack because I would leave my stuff for someone coming to TN. Well that was clear as mud.

Not gonna lie it was pretty frustrating at times. One night as I lay in bed I said to myself “I can’t wait to get back to Florida to have a normal life, a normal job and a place to live.” The Lord responded with “why am I not reliable enough for you?” OUCH! I literally rolled over and said I’m going to sleep!

The truth is He was right. All of my frustration and anxiety came from me not believing He was reliable enough because things didn’t happen in a time frame, based on man, thought reliable.

You see Gems God may not do things the way we think He should BUT He always does things in a way that will glorify Him. 

I continued to ask daily “what do you want me to do about the apartment?” Just in case He got busy and forgot to tell me.

Then it happened, I heard “sublet.”  Sublet, sublet to who? I don’t know anyone here!  

Well if you know me you know I need to hear things a few times.

I went to the library the day after I heard, or thought I heard, sublet. I decided to rent a movie and watch something mindless, the first scene of the movie a man walks out of an apartment and a flyer comes off a tree and lands on his leg, he pulls it off and it flies through the air and lands on his arm, he again pulls it off and this time it landed over his face. When he pulls the paper off to look at it across the top in big letters it says SUBLET. I chuckled to myself and was like OK I think I got it. The next day I worked as a temp in a local insurance office and one of the first calls I answered was a woman, when I asked her last name guess what it was? Go on I double dog dare ya, guess… That’s right, Sublet.

That night I put an add on Craigslist.

Two days later I got an email from a man in IL asking about the apartment. We corresponded a few times and he tells me he found and read my Gena’s Jewels, that it inspired him and his wife. They were believers too. I already felt in my Spirit this was who I was waiting on. He said his wife would be in the area in a few days and could she come by and see the apartment. UH yes……

As soon as Laurie got out of the car I knew God sent her. We bonded in the Spirit immediately.  Laurie shared that the Lord had them sell their home in IL and said He had a place for them in TN that would be good until the end of the year. My lease ended Dec 31^st.  Coincidence? I think not.  She shared that she and her husband gave away most of their belongings, confirmation my son heard right, I would leave things they needed. Laurie and I had a wonderful prayer time together and encouraged each other with testimonies of our sweet Jesus.

She told me they were offered a pretty nice, furnished home that she thought was the answer to their prayers, however, her husband felt the Holy Spirit wanted Laurie to meet the lady from Florida. Thank you Laurie for your obedience J

I still needed money for a truck to move the things that would go into storage and a storage unit. I had other payments that needed to be taken care of before leaving TN.  I would continue to wait for direction and finances.

The Holy Spirit told me He asked Laurie and Mike to bless me. I thought it was a delayed message as I was so blessed by them already. Meeting a fellow prayer warrior and knowing the financial responsibility was given to them for the apartment was huge for me! A few days later I got a sweet card in the mail from Mike and Laurie and with it was a financial blessing!!! I was overwhelmed with God’s faithfulness once again.

It’s funny sometimes the Lord doesn’t say anything for weeks and other times He gives you a 2 month plan. He let me know I would go to New York for a few weeks to see my sister and mom and other assignments that needed my attention. I would also be going to Haiti.

OK I want to take you on a side journey that happened before my Laurie encounter. I have been looking for a desk for over a year. Not just any desk but the perfect desk that was in my mind.

My friend Cyndi and I went to a thrift store so I could get a frame for my TN verse. I only had about $2.00 to my name. While we were there I saw a back pack that reminded me of Haiti. It was only $7.00 but like I said I only had 2. I told Cyndi it would be great for a Haiti trip but I had no idea when I would be going back there so I didn’t need it anyway.

I came around the corner and there it was the desk I had been looking for!! It was beautiful and just what I wanted. I asked the lady how much it was and she said it had just come in minutes before so she gave a random price. I knew it was a great price but like I said I had $2.  My dear friend Cyndi offered to pay for it and let me pay her back monthly so I said yes. I was so excited about this find.

 I would have to go home and get my car to pick it up as it would not fit in Cyndi’s car. As I drove back to get it I started freaking out. What was I doing buying a desk when I didn’t even have my rent money or have any idea how I was going to deal with this whole sublet thing God had handed me! Where was I going to put this desk? I was about to be homeless! I felt the Lord say “enjoy the desk.” When I got home I decided to take the drawers out before carrying it in so it would be lighter. A piece of paper caught my eye and when I pulled it out this is what I found.

Seriously, I can't make this stuff up.

The next day I got a call from my friend Gill from Schools for Haiti asking if I could go on the vacation Bible school mission trip planned for August. My response was, “I knew I should have bought that back pack!” which I was able to do because of my financial blessing J

I don’t know what the plan is after I return from Haiti. I have an obligation here in Florida the beginning of October so I know I’ll be here at least until then. My things are in Tennessee and I have to get them by the end of December when Laurie and Mike leave the apartment.

Gems, what I hope you take away from this jewel is  God is ALWAYS in control. Even when you are down to the wire. Even when the plan seems crazy. I know a lot of people thought I didn’t hear from God about moving to TN because I didn’t stay a full year.

I had to remind them that the Lord doesn’t work on our time frame. He doesn’t work on time at all. He’s still God no matter how long I live anywhere. He put me in that apartment and He took me out using His plan and every bit of it not only honored Him it glorified Him as well. 

I moved out the exact morning God gave me and Laurie and Mike moved in the same afternoon.

Our confusion comes when we try to apply man’s rules to God’s decisions. We have to trust Him even when we don’t understand because He promises to work all things out for our good.

Ya know it’s funny one of the hardest things I encountered while in Franklin was loneliness. I would spend days at a time in my apartment with no one to talk to but Jesus. Since my return to Florida I have been going nonstop, yesterday as I was driving to my temporary home I felt sad and I realized I missed Him. In just a couple of weeks I was again so busy I hadn’t had any real alone time with my sweet Jesus.

I made so many connections in TN like these 3 beautiful women

that I was blessed to start a Bible study with that will continue and grow even after I’m gone. I reconnected with a dear friend I used to work with  many years ago through Face Book. Guess where he lived? Nashville, only 20 min from me I was able to share the love of God with him and he accepted Christ. There are too many stories to list but every one of them a Christ encounter for sure.

I learned so many things about myself, and my God. I have a better understanding of “it is well with my soul.” It was a journey that I will treasure forever and it’s not over yet

I asked my friends Cynthia and Cyndi to write a little something on their take of my trip this is part of thier response:

Cynthia - How I see your time in TN is marked by obedience and trust. It is not the usual today to live like Abraham, Paul, and the disciples and move with the Holy Spirit from place to place with Him as the only provision and vision.   In our society we are so used to owned homes that require jobs to sustain them and an inability to up and go. Your situation is different than the norm. It challenges us. It can make people that know you and love you uncomfortable because they wonder where their responsibility may begin and end with your provision. You are walking YOUR walk, dancing YOUR dance alone with Him.  It cannot be compared to anyone else's nor should it be. God is so incredibly intimate and personal in His diversity.  His relationship will look different with every person he created according to His unique design in them.  It will always be aligned with His Word but it will be as different as flowers, insects, birds, denim skirted- bun wearing worshipers and tattooed street preachers. You are also modeling a freedom to all of us that makes us look at ourselves.  What a gift that is to us.  Thank you for that. 

Cyndi - When Gena first moved into the apartment two floors down from mine, I felt God wanted me to meet her. Even though she moved in December of 2014, I didn’t actually meet her until March 2015 at the mailbox after coming back from a walk.

Two days later, we went for a walk on a beautiful sunny day and talked about Jesus and His Father, God. I was wearing a T Shirt with butterflies and she took a picture of me because she felt it was a sign from God for us to meet.

The following day, we were going to go to the movies but I didn’t feel well. I had my first ambulance ride that day. On my way to the hospital, I handed Gena my keys and asked her to please keep them for me.  The ambulance driver asked if we were friends and Gena said, “Yes, we are good friends! By the way, what’s your last name?”

That was just the beginning. Gena and I went on adventures, to Bible studies, drives and she taught me about changing the way I speak of my circumstances and introduced me to doing Holy Communion at home for healing. We prayed together, ate together and I learned not to be so bossy.

Gena took me to several Messianic services and through her, I learned about some of the Jewish traditions and how we all believe in the same God and we really are not different. We just celebrate differently.

My walk with the Lord became stronger through Gena. She taught me a lot and I was sorry to see her go. She started a Bible Study on Tuesday evenings and I am going to do my best to keep it going. 

All of us miss Gena and her wonderful spirit!

These are some of the amazing people I was blessed to meet!