such big changes...

so in the last month, we've been considering and planning for some big changes. i wanted to post about it at first, but had to keep the information to myself until it was final. by the time it was final, and i'd personally told everyone who i felt should get to hear the news straight from me, nearly two weeks had passed. then the holidays came up, and you know how it goes... it just didn't get posted. so, please forgive me.

in early december, matt & i were invited to the home of our dear friends - our church's children's pastor & his wife - for dinner. over dinner, they delivered some highly unexpected news, that through a series of events they had been called to another church, and that they would be leaving december 31st.

i wasted no time, immediately bursting into tears. i got a hold of myself as they told us the long story and it was so clear that God had His hand in it all. and then dan told us that he was recommending to the staff that i serve as his replacement.

and i burst into tears all over again.

that dinner lead us to a two hour interview/meeting with him and our lead pastor, which resulted in my immediate hire. on december 31st, i was introduced to our church as the Children's Ministry Director.

this is huge for me, and yet i hate to use such ineloquent words to describe it. i first felt called to ministry about 5 years ago, and immediately began pursuing the necessary education that could result in licensing within my denomination. a year ago, dan asked me if i would consider coming back to the kids church to teach. i was hesitant, but surprised that he had asked when i was already considering it. after quite a discussion, we realized that God could very well be at work in my life, so i joined his team of teachers.

and i've been thriving. the best thing about this ministry is that i have to depend on God to be successful. i need His patience and His joy and His love, because these are not qualities i possess on my own. since then, i've sensed that i was likely headed toward a position in children's ministry, but i also assumed it was a few years off.

that this kind of opportunity would arise and at this time in my life is amazing to me. i'm all of 11 days into this part-time position, and finding myself wanting to invest far more time than they've requested. i only pray that this energy and excitement would continue through my entire tenure with our church.

aside from the extra "work" {if you could call it that!}, this coincides with the {supposed} launch date of my photography business. because of the adjustment period required while i figure out how my time will be spent, i've decided to prolong the formal launch of my business, and i will probably be drastically altering my plan for operation. i'll post more as i make these decisions...

so, that's it. that's life, that's my news. i lay awake at night with ideas, it's constantly on my mind, and i'm so excited about the possibilities for the future. so glad i was finally able to share this with you.