Finding our Niche

One of the reasons why moving to Cheyenne was such a hard thought for me was because of the loss of my Laramie community. Once you finally get settled in to a new place (like I did in Laramie all those years ago) the community that you develop becomes your little microcosm. Sometimes it's really hard to think or reach beyond that little bubble, which probably isn't the healthiest thing to begin with. But that's where I was . . . happy, safe, and comfortable.

One of the things I'm learning to love God for is the fact that He's the God of All Comfort, but not of all things comfortable. I knew that when the time came to make the final decision to move to Cheyenne, God had put His hands into that sticky little mess and said, "Go". In a lot of ways, I think I felt very sad and upset, but strangely enough, there was also peace involved.

Then the reality of actually looking for a church hit. In some ways, it's not fun, it's not comfortable, and at times you feel more like a critic trying to pick apart the elements of the church than someone who's trying to focus on God. After two months of this, I think we've finally found the church where we'll stay: Cheyenne Hills Community Church. This shouldn't be a surprise to those of you who know us, since our old church Emmaus is a daughter church of Cheyenne Hills (or should I just say 'The Hills'? . . . maybe not). Yet for some reason, there was staunch determination in my heart to go to any church but Cheyenne Hills. Why? I really don't know. Other than it just seemed so different from Emmaus, so of course we could never be fed in that kind of an atmosphere. But we went about 3 weeks ago for the first time, and we liked it! And now I'm bummed that my pride kept us from going there sooner.

We really enjoy the people. Immediately when we got there, we were scooped up, welcomed, and told about the many opportunities to serve and get plugged in so that we would find a healthy picture of community. They have a good kids ministry, which will be great for James, and they have small groups similar to what we had at Emmaus.

Last Thursday Elliot and I went to a couples Bible study that is being held by the pastor, and once we got past the awkwardness of not knowing anybody, really enjoyed. You can really tell when two people are really craving community when they're the last ones to leave!

So overall, we feel excited and hopeful that the Lord has led us to our home church in Cheyenne. We are anxious to be used by God there and blessed by the way that He is working through Cheyenne Hills.