Tuesday, December 01, 2009

new things, new places

i hope you had a lovely thanksgiving with your friends, families, loved ones...and with all that food. :) i am so happy we have officially entered the holiday season; it really is my favorite thing. our home is decorated in pine, snow, ornaments, and smells of cider; and most importantly, full of thankful hearts for who jesus was and IS in our lives.

those of you who visit this blog from time-to-time, expect my postings to be somewhat "event" related, and oftentimes they are just that. but many times, my posts are completely unrelated to events or design, and focus more on personal thoughts and adventures. why? well, for one, this is my blog and there are no rules. and two, while i own an event design business, that business does not own me. what i mean is, this little, tiny business is just a fraction of my life. there are so many bigger things that make up who i am, and in essence what this business is. if i were to solely post event related talk on this blog, it wouldn't be ME. i like to talk about the flowers i see outside and the birds chirping out under my bedroom window. i like to go on and on about how much i love christmas. and i really like to brag about my nieces and nephew. do any of these have much to do with planning your wedding? no, but for me, it has much to do with living life and being inspired by it all.

so, this is one of those times. a time when the post has absolutely nothing to do with events, design, planning parties, or arranging flowers. what this post IS about, is living LIFE, risking some, and embarking upon new adventures. i said here, almost a year ago, that this was going to be the year of completion - the act of finishing something; bringing it to an end, and entering into a new season. i even proclaimed on my blog: here is to NEW things, NEW seasons, and NEW growth. happy NEW year and NEW seasons to you. never in 30 years did i think those NEW things, NEW seasons, and NEW growth would lead my husband and i to where we are today. that is where this post comes in.

in this process of god closing doors and opening new ones, we have found ourselves 43 days away (fittingly one year after the "year of completion post") from boarding a plane, destined for west sussex/surrey, england, where we we will live for approximately 3 months as we partner with an amazing organization called YWAM. our first 3 months will be full of training as we participate in the DTS (discipleship training school) program. the last 3 months will be spent (most likely) in a third world country, where we will get to share the love of jesus with other people, in other cultures. words really can't begin to express how excited and honored we are to do this. we know it's not all going to be easy, but still so worth it. i share this with you, mainly because this is a huge change in our lives! but also, because this blog will look very different in the coming months. i am not sure exactly what will hapen, but it may become stagnant for those 6 months, or become more of an update hub for our friends and family and anyone else interested in following our journey. for now, here is our home (along with the picture above) for the first three months: holmsted manor, in west sussex, england.


i suppose we will drive down little streets like this...

isn't it amazing to look back - in hinds site - and see all that has happened in one year? it is exciting to think what will happen in this coming year... happy christmas season! and thanks again, for stopping by. ;) ~rachel

3 comments:

Rose said...

Thanks for posting all this...How exciting for you & James, Rachel! I will keep you in prayer!

Anonymous said...

Hurray for you and the hubby! Isn't God great?!?!
I will be excited to hear how God uses you and what His amazing adventure for you entails. :)
Thank you for sharing your heart, as always!

Shelley said...

I may be from a far off land, but i've always loved reading your blog and pics! You have inspired me.