Rainbow

"I will put a rainbow in the sky, and it shall be the sign of my covenant with you." Genesis 9:13

Last night we got into Dalhart about 6 pm and stopped for dinner. It rained while we were in the restaurant. When Dave and I came out of the restaurant, there was a huge rainbow in the sky. Those of you who know us well, know about the way God has sent us a rainbow in every transitional time in our lives, this is really incredible. It is even more amazing because they only get about 15 inches of rain a year here. (I know he have had that in Illinois in the last three months) So for it to be raining, for it to be then sunny and for us to leave the restaurant at the right time to see the rainbow, it just had to be a God thing. God has definitely led us here to Dalhart Texas. Thanks for all your prayers and support. We will keep you posted.

God is so Amazing!!

Shannon

Texas bound, again...

Dave and I are leaving for Texas tomorrow. Dave will be preaching Sunday morning at the First Presbyterian Church in Dalhart, Texas. The church is in a town of approx. 7000 in the northwest corner of the Texas panhandle. Thank you to everyone who is following our blog and who are praying for us. If the church votes to accept Dave as their pastor, we will be searching for a house and moving in the next 8-10 weeks. Please pray for our kids as this transition will be difficult for them as well.

God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.
"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits and in his Word, I put my HOPE" Psalm 130:5

Blessings, Shannon

On the road again...

It has been a couple of weeks since I have posted. We are now ready to announce the big news. We are going back to Texas on June 7 for Dave to preach in the church in Dalhart. They will take a congregational vote the same day and we will know if this is where God wants us to serve him next. We have already given our affirmative decision so the next step is up to the church memebers and ultimately to God. We are excited and of course, a little nervous but we continue to place it all in God's capable hands.

On another note, Vicki graduates from High School this Friday night. All of her grandparents will be here for the big event. We are excited and happy for her. She plans to go to college at Olivet Nazarene University in Kankakee, IL this fall.

Trusting God's Timing

"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be Patient! They will not be overdue a single day." Habakkuk 2:3

Why is waiting so hard? Why is it so hard to trust God and believe that he really does have a plan for our lives? And that it is a good plan and that he will bring it to pass in his time and in his way? I think it comes down to the word TRUST. Do we, can we, trust God to do what he says he will do? Do we really, truly, deep down inside believe that he is in control and that everything will work out just the way God wants it to be?

A quote I have hanging by my desk says, "Faith is believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse." I think that faith and trust are closely linked. Without faith that God CAN do what he says, we cannot trust that God WILL do what he promised. We hold on to faith in order to continue to trust.

So, that brings me to what is going on in our lives here at the Smallegans. We are continuing to struggle with the decision of whether to take the call to the church in Texas. We were embraced and welcomed by the people from the church there. We received a good dose of southern hospitality. The people there are looking for a change. They are a dying church and if something is not done, they will have to close their doors. This is something that is exciting. That God could use us to give rebirth to this church. At the same time, it is frightening. The "What if's" start coming up. What if it is too late to save this church? What if the people want to save their church but do not really want to change? What if they close their doors and we are without a church again? What if they cannot take in enough money to pay their bills?

So we stand again between faith and trust. Do we step out in faith and trust God to provide? Do we wait for God to send us another opportunity? We don't know, but thankfully God does. Please continue to pray that his will will be clear to us.

In Christ,

Shannon

deep in the heart of Texas

Got back from Dalhart, Texas at 2:00 this morning. We had a wonderful time although the weather could have been better. We had hail, rain (which they needed), wind, and cold. It was actually 20 degrees warmer in Illinois this weekend than it was in Texas. However, if we could count the warmth from the people we met there, it was definitely nice and warm in Texas this weekend.

We spent the weekend being shown around the town, church, school, and surrounding farm and ranch land. It is a beautiful part of the country and we enjoyed our tour. The church members were very easy to get to know and they were very open about their church and its needs.

We are now in the process of praying and thinking about God's will for Dave's ministry and for our family. There are many things about the church and community that make us believe that we belong there. There are a few things that are a cause for concern. We know that God has a great plan for our lives and we continue to wait on him to show us the way.

May God Bless you Today and always!!
Shannon

Goodbye Nebraska, Hello Texas

We got the news this week that they have chosen to call someone else to the church in Nebraska. Dave and I are actually relieved by this. In fact, it is exactly what we have been praying for. While some things about Nebraska excited us, some things concerned us. We are glad that God has relived us of the burden of deciding yes or no.

So what is next...Dave and I are heading to Texas this week on Thursday for a visit with a church. Dave will preach on Sunday in a neutral church. We will get to meet the church people and get to see the town and church and surrounding area.

Thanks for all your prayers and we will continue to keep you up to date.

Shannon

Celebrating Easter

Celebrating Easter without knowing Jesus is like going to a birthday party for somebody's else's friend or family member. You can sing along, but it's hard to do it with any passion. (quote from "Apoligetix" e-mail)

WOW. Think about the above statement. The only way we can really celebrate Easter is if we know the guest of honor personally. I do. Do You? If not, get to know Jesus personally today.

Happy Easter.

Shannon