First week

Front View 

The floor creaks.  The woodwork is old.  A couple of the chairs are uuuuu-gly.  There are bugs once in a while.  BUT:  The creaking floor is somehow a comfort.  The woodwork is 100 years old and just gorgeous.  Slipcovers for the chairs will be ordered soon.  Bug spray has been purchased and used plenty.  I love my new home!  I love having a place that's my own again.  I don't have the money to spruce it up much, but I can and will do my best to make it my own.

Living room (you can see one of the ugly chairs to the right)

The house isn't the best part though.  The best part is the relationships that are already being formed.  It's walking over to hear the youth worship team practice and being welcomed in like family, laughing and enjoying each other's company.  It's support from the senior pastor.  It's feeling so at ease with this huge change that it doesn't even phase me.

I dropped my mom off at the airport in Philly on Monday evening.  It was a very quick and easy 25 minute trip there.  My drive home was just as easy and as I sat down to eat dinner in the house by myself for the first time, I was ok.  My mom is incredible.  I don't think I'd be nearly as settled already if she hadn't spent so much time helping me.  Somehow, figuring things out when someone else is there figuring them out with you isn't so bad.  She helped me get places and buy stuff.  She emptied boxes, washed dishes, set up my kitchen, and helped me organize nearly every room in the house.  She was patient with me when I was crabby and just very selfless in every way possible.  She attended church with me on Sunday and she had dinner with the pastor, his wife, another church family, and myself.  She got to meet lots of people and I believe she was comforted, knowing she wasn't leaving me without anyone.  Thankfully no tears were shed during the goodbye, but I already missed her as I drove home.

Saying goodbye to my nieces wasn't quite as easy, but I'm pretty sure if I write about it I'll start crying.  Let's just say that lots of tears were shed.  We had a good last night hanging out before I left.  We popped popcorn and they got to stay up late to watch a movie with me.  We also spent a lot of time together over the weekend right before I left.  Alex and I went went to downtown Naperville to feed the ducks and have a picnic.  Then we all went to the pool (Kayla, Alex, and I) for a few hours.  We painted nails, colored pictures, and cuddled.  

I talked to both of them two nights ago.  Alexandria (5) actually talked to me for a good 5 minutes before losing interest.  She was so cute and asked lots of questions about my new house and job.  When I talked to Kayla (7) she quickly informed me that she did well after I left, only crying once the next day because she missed me.  I love them both so dearly.  I decided that I would start writing them little cards or letters once a week.  So this week I sent them both their own cards.  They're going to be pretty excited to have their very own things in the mail!

This week has been spent preparing for camp next week.  There's a big camp meeting (retreat/revival-type event) at Delanco camp, a very well known camp in New Jersey.  I was asked to be in charge of the programming for the teenagers next week.  So I've been busy getting lessons and games together, on top of trying to settle into office hours and figuring out how things work around here.  Pastor Tom, the new senior pastor has been gracious to allow me to spend this week focused on out of church stuff already.  I've met some of the youth and they all seem pretty excited.  We've started discussing making changes to the youth room and I've come up with a couple of ideas that we'll work with.  We've also talked about different plans for the summer.  I'm excited to get back from camp and get things going here!

It still hasn't quite hit me that this is my new home.  I know I've talked about this before, but I haven't been able to grasp that yet.  I've done so many "big moves", mainly to another continent that this still doesn't feel permanent.  I know that as time goes on and I become more comfortable with the area and the culture I'll sink deeper into life as a Jersey girl.  

I'm making my first trip to "the shore" (they don't call it the beach here) in about 10 days.  Wawa (a gas station/market) is place that I've already visited numerous times, as I was told would happen.  People here drink soda, but I'm pretty sure I'll always drink pop.  No road starts off heading one direction and ends heading that same direction... it's like a maze trying to get just about everywhere.  The roads were built along the same paths that have been around since the birth of America... crazy early settlers not knowing what a grid pattern is!!  New Jersey, being the Garden State has already provided me with some very yummy fruits and veggies, which is exciting.  

I'm so grateful to be here and feel so very welcomed by my new church family.  The first week I moved in I had many visitors drop by to bring muffins, flowers, and even gift cards for Wawa.  I can't remember many names yet, but by the grace of God I will by the end of the summer... just in time for more new people to start coming to church again.  

Will you join me in praying for Clarksboro and the surrounding areas?  Pray for revival and the spreading of the Kingdom.  In Jesus' name, many will be saved and come to learn what it really means to live as a disciple of Jesus.