Getting settled

We have been in Hiawassee for six weeks now and have gotten settled into the parsonage.  I thought I would take some time to share how the move went and how things are going so far.  We moved from Waleska on June 18th.  It was very bittersweet for me.  While we were ready to move on, pulling away from the Waleska parsonage was tough for me.  It had been our home for 5 years and was really the only home my children knew.  Ashlyn was only 4 and Aaron only 2 when we moved there.  There are lots of memories in that house.  We brought 3 babies home there, had our first two trips to kindergarten from there, experienced first school bus rides, celebrated birthdays, Christmases, Halloweens, hosted many playdates and cookouts, adopted two dogs, shared many bedtime stories, and much much more!

We spent the day instructing the movers and cleaning.  When the house was finally empty, I walked through each room with my memories.  When I got to the kids rooms, all I could think about was how many times I had tucked each one of my babies into their beds in their sweet little rooms.  I don't watch moving vans pull away.  To me it's just too hard.  It's like watching your whole world drive away on a truck.  As the truck was pulling away, several church members arrived to finish the cleaning and prepare for the Emmitts, the new parsonage family.  It was fitting, because these were all the people that we know loved us and had supported us  during our difficult time there.  We said our goodbyes and headed to Hiawassee.  I have to admit, I had not really cried all day until I was in my van alone.  I cried all the way to Jasper.  I felt like I just had to get it out of my system so that I would be emotionally present when we arrived at the Hiawassee parsonage.  I knew we would be greeted by some of our new church family.

We arrived tired and drained.  Also, we were not prepared for the movers to delay unloading until the next morning, so we did not have all the things we needed for the night.  Thankfully, we called ahead and our SPR chair brought sheets, blankets and towels.  We had an air mattress, but since we were using the master bedroom furniture, we had a bed!  When we got to the house, some of the ladies from church had dinner waiting on us.  We even had fresh veggies from one of the ladies' garden.

We had been to the house a lot in the month leading up to the move to work on getting wallpaper down and painting in the bathrooms.  The last time we saw the house it was pretty dirty.  When we arrived the house was so clean and had been well prepared for us.  That was such a relief.  There have been times when we have had to clean and move in at the same time.

The movers arrived the next morning and the unloading and unpacking began.  It makes me tired to even think back on it.  By the late afternoon it was all unloaded and we were fast at work unpacking as much as we could before the kids were returned to us.  Thankfully, I had the help of my awesome parents that have not missed a move yet.

The kids were spread out in several locations.  The girls stayed in Chattanooga.  Ashlyn stayed with my grandmother and Anna with my Aunt Dean.  They got to do fun stuff.  Ashlyn got to go shopping and get a pedicure.  Anna got to go on a tea party photo shoot with Aunt Dean.  After they had been apart for a couple of days, which is hard for them, Aunt dean took Anna to my grandmother's to play with Ashlyn on the slip 'n' slide.  It was good for Ashlyn, who was struggling with the move and our family being separated.  The boys were together in Athens with Sam's family.  They got to go to the pool, play with cousins, and play with smoke bombs.  What boy does not love that?

My goal was to have the kitchen and the kids room unpacked and set up before they got home.  I just feel like it is important for them to come to a new home with some familiar things around them.  With my mom and dad's help, we got it done just as they were pulling in the driveway.  It was like a scene from HGTV.  You know, the ones where people go away for a weekend and come back to a redone house or room.  They were running, jumping and squealing.  They were so happy to see us, to see each other, and to check out their new rooms.  The boys were elated to see that we had FINALLY bunked their beds.  They had been begging for a long time.  We loved it because several church members were there when they arrived.  They got to see all the excitement.

On the day the kids arrived, the phone rang and it was our parsonage representative on the trustees committee.  She is the person that I am to go to when I need to talk about parsonage issues.  She called to ask if it was ok if she brought balloons to put on the mailbox to welcome the kids when they arrived.  I told her, "of course!" and she brought over 5 balloons, one for each child.  She also came in to make sure we had everything we needed.  She did not say a word about it, but after she left, I stepped outside to find that she had placed 3 hanging ferns on the front  porch.  Also, two of the trustees came over to help hang pictures and towel bars in the bathrooms.  All of this was quite a shock to us because we had never been received like this before.  Sometimes you have to learn how to receive.

We were able to move in a little earlier than official North Ga. Conference move day, but on that day, the door bell rang and I darted upstairs because I was still in my jammies at 3:00 in the afternoon.  I just did not take the time to shower or get dressed that day and pushed on with my unpacking.  I figured it was a church member stopping by to see if they could help or check on things.  A few minutes later, Sam came upstairs to inform me that it was our District Superientendent and his wife.  So, I got to meet them for the first time in my PJs with no make up!  Lovely!  They were making the rounds to all of the parsonages in the district that were receiving new families.  He just wanted to welcome us to the district and to make sure that the church had done what needed to be done to prepare for us.  He left us with a welcome card and a Walmart gift certificate.  "Wow" was all I could say!

Our first Sunday was pretty overwhelming.  The church was very crowed as people came to check out the new young pastor with 5 kids.  There was a fellowship lunch after worship.  They also did what is called a "pounding." That is when the church stocks your home with all the necessities.  We had never had this before and had no idea what to expect.  It was amazing!  It took 3 car loads to get it home.  There were diapers, wipes, cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, cereal, condiments, and the list goes on.  We were so grateful.

Now that the dust has settled a bit, Hiawassee is starting to feel a little more like home.  We are still getting used to the mountains and the small town life.  Sam went into two different local stores to introduce himself and was told, "oh yes, you are the talk of the town."  They seemed to know a lot about our family.  That has been a bit weird for us.  Hopefully, we will be old news soon!

The hardest thing for me has been watching Ashlyn struggle.  This has been tough on her.  She has been quite sad and lonely at times and misses her friends.  It's hard to watch your child hurt.  I feel so guilty sometimes even though I have no control over this one.  I'm ready to get started with our homeschool co-op and activities so that she can start making friends with other girls her age.  More on that later.  She makes friends easily, so I know that will not be an issue.  The rest of the kids are doing well.  Aaron wants to make a trip to visit his friend Casey soon.  We haven't really left town much since we arrived.  Surprisingly, I have not had the, "oh my goodness, I live in the middle of nowhere," freak out moment yet.  It doesn't really feel like the middle of nowhere to me.  There is enough to do around here for me.  Shopping and eating is not great, but in the grand scheme of life, does that matter?

I feel hopeful for our ministry here.  Worship has been wonderful!  I have been so deprived of worship for so long that it's like filling an empty basket right now.  I know there will be challenges, we have already identified some of them, and I don't know what God's desire for our family is long term, but I know that for now we are serving here.  It is amazing the things you rediscover about yourself when you come out from under the kind of oppression and negativity we have lived under over the past few years.  I'm starting to rediscover my passions, to enjoy my kids and my husband more, to remember what I like to do for fun, and to be able to have a clearer vision for my family.  Slowly, my motivation is returning.  We have much to do for the Kingdom in Hiawassee and I am excited to see what the Lord has in store!