The Lord's Provision

I mentioned earlier this year that we had finally decided on a church, called Church of the Apostles.  It is an Anglican church associated with PEARUSA (http://www.pearusa.org).  It is the same kind of church that we attended while at Wheaton.

When we first attended the church in early January, it was exactly the same experience we had when we visited our church in Tucson for the first time: we just knew it was the right place for us.  The Lord gave us a very clear sense that this was where we were to be.

The church is relatively far from us.  Most people who attend the church live north of Raleigh, while we live west of the city almost in Apex.  We were initially a bit concerned that this would make it hard for us to get to know people and be involved in a community group.  There were a few weeks where we wondered if it was really the right place for us.  But the Lord has made it abundantly clear that during this time, it is the perfect place for us.

To start, every week since we started attending, one of the three main pastors has tracked us down, said hello, and gotten to know us.  It's like they were looking for us.  We would be on our way out, heads down, and we'd hear them say, "Taylor! Christine!  How are you guys?"

We've been slowly getting to know people through Sunday school and Bible studies, and we've been so grateful for their genuine, caring hearts, as well as for their thoughtfulness about our Christian faith.  It's almost like we're back at Wheaton.  We've even met a few Wheaton grads who attend the church.

When we received our difficult news last week about our baby, we reached out to the pastors and asked them to pray for us.  They have been incredibly kind and have each called us multiple times.  We have prayed with them.  They have followed up with us at church.

Today, I attended church alone while Taylor traveled for a job interview.  I was prepared to cry the whole service, and I sure did.  But listen to the ways that we were cared for during the service:

1.  During the passing of the peace, the senior pastor sought me out (I was sitting in the back of a church that seats 500) and gave me a hug and "The peace of the Lord."
2.  The senior pastor prayed for us specifically during the prayers of the people, and for the healing of our baby.
3.  An associate pastor followed up with me after the service, asking how we were and how Taylor's job interviews are going.
4.  After communion, I went to pray for our baby with the prayer ministers.  Our pastors had added us to the list of prayer requests that the prayer ministry prays for, and they knew all about us and our situation.  They said, "You have no idea how many people are praying for you."  I am certain that we have no idea how many people are praying for us; the number that we do know about is overwhelming and a source of great joy to us.

Then, I went back to church for the evening service series on "Demystifying Prayer," where we talked about fasting.  After our small group time in which we discussed various aspects of fasting, the woman to my right turned to me and introduced herself.  She asked me how long I had been at the church and where Taylor and I had moved from.  After I told her, she asked, "Are you pregnant?"  I told her yes, I am, and she said, "Are you the one I've been praying for?"  Sure enough, she is another member of the prayer ministry and has been praying specifically for us and for Julia.  She asked me lots of compassionate questions and then prayed for me there.  Of course, more tears on my part.

We have been so loved and cared for by this church in this short 2 months that we have attended.  We could not be more grateful for the Lord's timing in placing us right where we needed to be.

I'd also be remiss not to mention the MANY encouraging emails, Facebook messages, phone calls, and conversations we have received in the past few weeks.  We feel so blessed and cared for.  Keep it up, prayer warriors!  We love and need you!

*Note: If you are completely confused about what I am talking about with the news about our baby, I apologize.  I am still deciding about how much detail I want to post on the blog.  However, if you would like to know more, please feel free to email us; we'd love to share how you can pray for us.