Part 4: Living in Asheville

Friday, November 20, 2009

As I said a few posts ago, the move to Asheville was a quick one. Aaron moved to Asheville in June and came back to Nashville for the wedding in July. After the honeymoon, I officially moved to Asheville and into the apartment Aaron had been staying in for the previous two months. I didn't have a job lined up in Asheville right away. I started looking as soon as I got settled. There was lots to take care of around the house. Lots of boxes to go through from the move from Nashville and then there were the boxes that were shipped to Asheville from Los Angeles. 

As I looked for a job, I used the internet in my search. I used local employ-
ment sites, Craigslist and even the local paper. The jobs available in the areas I was looking were very slim. I would have found a great job, and fast, if I worked in the medical field. :)However, I was pursuing a job in the arts or something administrative. Craigslist would have several administrative postings, but most of them I replied to were spam. Over the course of August and the early part of September, I was very frustrated that I wouldn't find a satisfying job in time for when our student loans would begin to be due. 

For those who don't know how we are doing our finances, let me explain. We are living solely on Aaron's income. All of my income is going to paying off our loans and building up our savings. This was actually recommended to us by our marriage mentors, as that is what they did. We both agreed that would be the smartest plan for our family. So far, we couldn't be happier with how things are going.

Continuing on, I became very down with the situation. I really didn't want to go into a job that I dreaded every single day. I wanted a job that made me feel a part of something and that had meaning and purpose. In my heart, I have always felt a pull to the church. (The church meaning the body and purpose, not a specific church.) Deep down I was hoping something would come my way. 


One day when Aaron came home for lunch, he told me that Carl mentioned to him that the student ministry was hiring another assistant. Specifically, an assistant for the youth pastor. I felt something in my heart tell me that I must apply for the position. The next day I took in my application and the following week I was called in for an interview with Debbie, who is over HR, with John Mark, the Youth Pastor, and to take a test which examined my spelling, grammar and typing skills. The interview went well and I was told they had more interviews to do and I would know something in a couple of weeks. At the end of the next week, I received a phone call from Debbie offering me the job. I was so excited, and relieved!, to have the opportunity to serve our new church and help provide for our family. I know without a doubt that the Lord orchestrated this job for me. The people I work with are awesome and I have seen amazing things happen in our youth group since I have been there. I believe that I am more blessed by the people I am surrounded by and the young people I serve than they truly know. When I am at work, even though I work for John Mark, we both ultimately work for our amazing God. There really is no greater boss than Him. 

It has taken a bit of time for us all to feel comfortable around each other and to truly become a team as I came into the picture. However, I feel the Lord blessing us with trust between one another and a presence of a true team spirit where we help each other beyond our own job descriptions. I believe this is the most essential quality to a good team. We have been working together to better our ministry and to better reach our students in a way that makes them respond and meets them right where they are. 

At the beginning of this move to Asheville, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about this Biltmore Baptist Church. But, WOW! Talk about growing fast in one's faith. I have never grown like I have grown in the past three and a half months. And let me tell you, these past few months have been THE HARDEST in my whole life. The Lord has shown up everyday. Has met me at every step. And has been my guide. God KNEW that I needed an environment like this one. I NEEDED to be surrounded, not around, but SURROUNDED by people with a crazy passion for Him and for His people and reaching out and loving on those people. Asheville is so incredibly blessed to have a church that loves the city and community as much as it does. My heart overflows with His blessing, and this all in a very rough time in my life. I have never worshiped like I have been worshipping. When I get to church, I am ready to go. Start that music! And Pastor Burce, each and every week, plants a seed on my heart and challenges us all to water and cultivate that seed. 

The Lord continues to bless us every week in some form. Living in Asheville can at times be a blast, but it can also become boring at times, too. But we keep in mind that the Lord has brought us here for a reason and a little boredom isn't going to keep us down. (At least we try not to let it get to us. We realize it was only our friends back in LA that made us cool. :)  ) 
Asheville has actually been the perfect setting for Aaron and I to begin our marriage. Being in LA for two years (and Aaron for four years) we haven't had an Autumn in some time. It was so relaxing and truly breathtaking to experience the incredible fall colors and landscape the mountains have to offer. It has also allowed us to not have as much financial stress as we would have had in Los Angeles right now. Aaron and I feel that Los Angeles is in our future at some point, but we are satisfied with where we are right now. The Lord saw that we had a need. A need for a steady job, good benefits, meaningful work, and a peaceful setting for this time in our lives. He sure did provide for us. We are thankful for the opportunity to serve Him during this time as a way to give back to Him for all He has given us.