I am sitting in the living room of my new home in Tallahassee as I write this! After several days of goodbyes, farewell parties, last minute errands, and tying up loose ends I was finally ready to leave Tampa behind and say hello to this new adventure!
I packed the majority of my things in my little red Saturn on Saturday night, hoping it would be a little bit cooler, but alas, I forgot that the humidity never ceases in a Florida August. I was just glad to be done with it. My car was packed to the roof and windows! It's never been that full before! I was ready to go, but there was still a couple things to figure out before I left. For those of you have been praying and wondering about what's going to happen to Tina, let me share this story.
For the past 3 weeks I have been talking to everyone I know who lives in Tallahassee or graduated from FSU and knows people in town, trying to find a home for Tina. There were a few possibilities, but either landlords said no or parents didn't want to take in a dog that their kids would grow attached to and then have to give her back again. It seemed like nothing was going to work out. I had a couple options in Tampa, but my hope was still to have her near me.
As the days went by and it grew closer and closer to my departure date, I started to wonder, "Lord, are you going to provide?" But I never panicked, I honestly believed that something would work out, though I didn't know how. Once Saturday arrived, I started to weigh my options- it looked like I was just going to have to leave her in Tampa, I still hadn't heard anything other wise. Sunday came and I was making last minute calls yesterday afternoon to follow up with anyone who was helping me find her a home. Still nothing. I ended up explaining to a friend of mine how to take care of her for a few weeks while I continued the search- it started to hit me then that I was really leaving without her. My plans were to leave last night by 5, however when you're moving, leaving on time doesn't usually happen. I had a few things left to do around the house, and it was 5:30 when I moved the last items to me car, stripped my bed, and was finally writing down directions to get to my new home.
As I finished these things, I was about to shut down my computer, say goodbye to Tina, and head out. At 5:45 I received a phone call from a girl I've never met. She is the roommate of a girl involved with the FSU Navs and she had heard that I was looking for a home for my dog. She has been wanting to adopt a dog, and even put in the deposit for her apartment to have a pet! She asked questions about Tina, and seemed very excited about the prospect of taking care of her for a year or two. She wanted to take her dog with her as much as possible, take her for walks, bring her on trips- it sounded too good to be true! It seemed a perfect fit! So I told her that I would be happy to share this dog with her for the next 2 years!
Talk about last minute, down to the wire provision! If that phone call came 10-15 minutes later I would have already been on the road! I packed all of Tina's things in the car and we headed to Tallahassee- together! Praise God!!
Saturday night I was talking to a friend and she was asking me how I was feeling about this whole thing and still not knowing where Tina was going to go the following day. I told her that I was concerned, but I genuinely trusted that God would provide. I was again reminded of Abraham. God called him to sacrifice his son and Abraham obeyed- he set out the next day to do exactly as God had asked him. Only, at the very last minute, once God was able to see he was obedient, the Lord himself provided the sacrifice. That's how I felt things were going to go! How could God possibly call me to sacrifice this dog, and not provide a home for her? It just didn't make sense to me. I knew God had something planned. It came down to the very last minutes before the Lord provided what I'd been trusting him for, but he did it!! That's the best way for your faith to increase, it really is! To be left at the end with no other options and nothing I could do on my own, and then God does what no one can predict, and provides perfectly.
One thing that strikes me from Genesis 22 is the verse after which this post is titled: "God himself will provide." There is none other that can provide, but God himself. I cannot provide for myself, whether its funding or finding a home for Tina. Sometimes we think we are doing it ourselves, but really it's the Lord at work on our behalf. He deserves all the glory, I deserve none. What an important reminder. Again I am humbled, and I like it that way.
I can't tell you what a relief it was to leave with her! And how my faith has increased! This experience has stretched me to trust God and believe him to provide, and when it came down to the end of the line, I watched in amazement as he showed me just how faithful he really is! Translate this into funding, and I believe now more than ever that even though I still have a ways to go, it may come down to the last minute, but I totally believe that God is going to give me what I need. I just need to be patient, trust him, and faithfully follow where he calls even if it requires sacrifice.
So here I am in Tallahassee, utterly amazed at my God. The adventure begins, and I am so excited to see what's in store. There's a lot to be done in the house- the family we're renting it from has left behind many of their things, plus we have 8 people moving in with all of their stuff- so there's a lot to figure out. None of our rooms are quite ready yet- we have a lot of work ahead of us. We've also got some exploring to do- most of us have never spent any time in this town! Only one of my teammates is here so far, but it's so fun to finally start the year! Please keep praying for us! There's a lot to do!
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