Saturday, September 23, 2006

Karen's Korner: Life in Cow Town


Here's a picture of us before our "Keep Austin Weird" going away party. Good times.

Anyway, what I really want to talk about is, well, me! Some of you out there are wondering how I am doing in Cow Town (Fort Worth), and since my last post was all about Abigail, I'll make this post more personal.

Let's see... I feel at home in my townhouse; it's cozy and comfortable and convenient. We have less space now, but all our furniture still fits, and it's made life simpler. Time is a precious commodity for us right now, so we really like that there is less to clean and maintain. I also think it's better arranged than our old house. And the yard is the best part! There's grassy areas and sidewalks where kids leave out toys that everyone shares. Abigail LOVES it. All our neighbors are seminary students, of course, and most have kids. The only drawback is the train that's 20 ft away, but we got used to that pretty quick.

I'm getting to know the area pretty well. We are right across the street from the Southwestern campus, which is beautiful. I go to the recreation center a lot for exercise, and for free food on Tuesdays. The rest of the Fort Worth landscape is, well... I'll just say it ain't Austin. I'm bummed that there are no HEB's here. I go to Kroger a lot, which always reminds me of the Kroger I worked at in Myrtle Beach, SC (LT '99 and 2000).

In some ways I feel like I'm at another LT. (For those of you who don't know, LT stands for Leadership Training and is a summer Christian program run by Great Commission Ministries.) We are learning and growing a lot, but it's intensive and difficult. Only thing is, LT was only ten weeks long. It was a sprint. We're at the beginning of what feels like a 100 mile race. You probably thought I was going to say marathon, but that wouldn't do. I'm thinking more along the lines of the kind of races Dalton Pulsipher would run. We started out thinking this would last 3 years, but it might take longer; who knows how much longer. Classes are very demanding, so Barry may not be able to take a full load and work at the same time. This semester he has 13 hours and is maxed out.

So, the bad news is we'll be here for a while. But, the good news is that we'll be here for a while. That's right. God has been showing me that being in seminary is not such a bad place to be. I want to just jump on ahead into the next phase of our life (full-time ministry), but God is saying "Wait, you're not ready. Let me prepare you. Let me teach you how to persevere." And I say, "But God, what if we have another child, or two! And what if our budget gets too tight, and what if we run through all our savings, and what if I'm too tired, and what if Barry is overloaded ... what if?" And He says, "Trust in me with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." (Prov. 3:5) I have to keep reminding myself that God has called us here, and though I am weak, He is strong.

And I know he has blessings in store for us along the way. The townhouse is a big blessing. Both of us being able to work from home is wonderful, too. I'm working 15 hours a week now, and Barry's doing 25. I try to do 3 hours per day 5 days a week. That's tough sometimes. I don't get as much sleep as I'd like. The last sermon I heard Mark Hagen preach has stuck with me -- the one about Jacob working so hard that his body hurt. Indeed, my whole back is hurting.

God has also provided friends and kind neighbors for us. I've seen God's hand in bringing certain people in my path over and over again; it's really kind of weird, and cool. The only hard part is that there is not much time for hanging out and really getting to know people. Also, we haven't joined a church yet. Please pray that God will make it clear which one we belong.

I think the hardest thing of all about being here is having almost no free time. I mean, I'm writing this at midnight on Saturday. I miss watching a movie once in a while, and reading a good book. I read so many books last year while I was nursing. Abigail is weaned now, and the only reading I'm doing is during my quiet time with the Lord, and I confess, I've been falling asleep lately before I finish.

To sum it up, I'm anxious, exhausted, maxed out, frazzled; and yet, happy we're here following this dream, and becoming more and more passionate about serving God and spreading the Good News.

So enough about me. What do you think about me? Just kidding. Barry loves that joke. Posted by Picasa

3 comments:

ellenbo said...

what a great update! thanks karen for that robust overview of your life/thoughts/feelings/plans. great stuff! we'll continue to pray for y'all! also, what size shoe is abigail wearing now? we have more for y'all to borrow if you could use them. love,
ellen and john

michele said...

thanks karen for the update. good to know whats happening. I'll keep praying everything stays managable. :0)

Ched said...

Cow town rocks. Trains, not so much.