Our Story: London, Part 1

The whole London thing did not just happen. There was a lot of prayer and preparation and listening and waiting.

The Old Testament says over and over again, "Write down and Remember all the Things The LORD has Done for you." We did not want to forget any step of the process [that's my new word]. We did not want to forget all the things the Lord has done, threads He's strung together, doors He's opened and closed, and promises He has placed in our hearts and then fulfilled.

So we wrote it all down along the way.

Sep 2010: Thoughts of living abroad really surface after trip to Italy. I look up everything I can online and we talk about how ACE has an office in London and think and plan—school and work; what options do we have living abroad? We quickly realize that school is the best option to finance the whole thing with student discounts, student housing, and student rates on the Tube and buses.

Sep 17, 2010: A friend announces her plan to live in Scotland for a month on her blog… a pretty sweet idea to us… her reasons for going are simple: seeking, listening, praying, waiting. {she's such an inspiration.}

Oct 2010: We'd kinda been looking to buy a house, but after the 3rd and final house offer Grant’s only comment was, “Does this mean we can’t live in London?” Our hope was still very much alive. And God chose this season to give us wings - the roots would have to wait!

Dec 20, 2010: That same friend, Annie, put words to her our yearnings in this post. I think it’s the best explanation of what we’re looking for, too. {as it turns out, she's going back and we'll be in the UK at the same time!!}

In exactly 30 days, I land in Scotland [we've changed it to London here] for an adventure that I have anticipated, on some deep-in-my-knower levels, for so long I don’t even know how to talk about it.

I have so many questions for God. I hope [London] holds those answers. Maybe not the place itself, but the time. The distance. The lonely moments without any of my friends. The quiet moments. The conversations with the new friends I'll make. Conversations with my God.

So I’ll pack my things and I’ll stuff my questions in side pockets, shoes, and other tiny spaces.

I have questions about art.And creating. And worship. And how life is art and how I want to grow in understanding that.

I have questions about my future. Is it [here]? I hope so. Is it [there]? I hope so. Is it some hybrid of the two + more? Is this trip about clarity or deeper longings? I want to know what’s next.

I have questions about God. And me and God. And who we are as a unit, if that makes any sense at all. I want to know Him and I want to know what our next adventure will be.

I have questions about friendships. About why some work, about why some don’t, about why some have to be sacrificed on the altar of God Knows Best. About how to cultivate the kind of community that breathes really great friendships.

I have questions about my dreams. The ones that I shout from the rooftops and the ones that I barely can whisper to my closest friends.

I have a lot of questions. Many of them I am almost too afraid to ask.

In the end,
I hope I don’t have all the answers.
I hope I am not looking for answers.
I hope, instead, that I can no longer contain the questions.