A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...

Skies are overcast...looking like some sort of precipitation may fall. Temperatures are chilly. And yet, there is a warm, yellow glow coming through the front door...hhmmm.

Global warming?

No! It's the Pella truck!!!!!

That's right Ladies and Gentlemen. Our long anticipated windows and doors arrived today. What a beautiful site! I greeted the two delivery men with an eager, "Hello!" and explained that this was an amazing day!

As I followed them up the stairs, camera in hand, the song from Sesame Street (correction: Mister Rogers!) bounced into my head..."It's a beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!" Boy, is it ever.

When we first started this project, I was so excited about the possibilities. A place for Jackson, more room for our family, a place for our students and staff to gather together in worship and play. Then, crunching numbers, looking at requirements that come with living in a Historic District and reviewing time tables...it was a bit daunting, to say the least.

I remember talking to the Lord in "those first days" and saying, "This is a bit overwhelming Lord. How?" This thought came into my head, "Start with the doors and windows."

So, I started praying for the Lord to provide doors and windows. I found that when I broke it down, into bite sized pieces, it was manageable. Oh, the wisdom of the Lord! I have found that the doors and windows seemed to be the biggest challenge as well...matching the windows on our existing 100 year old house (Happy Birthday House!), pricing of doors and windows (who knew?), just to name a few.

Well, again, God in His infinite wisdom, had me start in the right place...doors and windows.

Through a friend in Minnesota, who uses Pella, we were put in contact with the Pella rep here. They really wanted to work with us and viola! Today our windows arrived.

I believe that the doors and windows are significant. As you know, we enter and exit through doors, and we see the world around us through windows. Well, as I began praying for our doors and windows, I found myself praying that we would see the world as Jesus sees the world. I started praying that the nations of the world would walk through these doors and then back out into the nations.

My prayer times were not just about getting a need met, but about equipping a generation that would reach beyond themselves into a world that is in deep need of the love and compassion of the Father. From this place, the nations of the world will be impacted...and we are starting here.

We have a ways to go, but we are moving forward. We continue to trust the Lord to provide finances and the labor to see this work completed. And that is just the beginning...

This is a place where people can see the world and be moved forward to engage with the world at large!

This is a facebook status today from one of my friends, a young lady currently in our DTS doing her outreach in India...

"There is nothing in the world like a Hyderabad sunrise. God's heart burns bright in India, it's overwhelming...each day I am consumed by His glory."

-Stephanie

She is looking out of God's window, onto His beautiful creation. Glory! That is what it is all about.

P.S. I did not send my delivery guys off empty handed. I quickly packed up a bag of goodies for the drive back to Greensboro...hot chocolate with about 25 mini marshmallows, homemade cookies, goldfish (my kids are not too big for that snack) and a few other things from the pantry. Todd thinks they may be back with another delivery tomorrow.