A year in the city

'If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.' --Jane Austen

It's really happening. I'm really moving away from this quiet, small town, to the big bustling city. I am both crazy thrilled, and partially terrified. But I know God is in this and he will be with me whatever this year may bring.

So much has happened in such a short time. Two months ago, moving to the city was just a thought. Not a new thought either. I'd loved the idea for quite a while, but it never got past the, 'yeah, wouldn't that be cool' stage. Until about two months ago, when God brought about a life-changing event in the guise of a weekend with friends.

That's what I expected it to be. Sure it was technically a church retreat. I expected to pray and sing and so on. I was even prepared to listen and learn, and excited to be around people who loved Jesus.
I wasn't prepared for the massive work of love and the Holy Spirit that worked through our lives, swept through our hearts. I found myself startled by new realizations of how real and vast God's love for us really is, and how strong an impact that has on each of our lives... how distinctly different our lives can be if we really believe the gospel we say we believe. If we live today and tomorrow loving and being loved by God, and loving people in turn. I found myself weeping and begging God to tear down the walls I'd built up against him, and I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by love.

It was a very powerful weekend, and I learned so many things. But the biggest thing I think was the love I felt from His people. It is so powerful. And I wanted more of it.

I came away from that weekend with a bunch of new friends. God answered my prayer for friends with more than I ever imagined, and when I had mostly given up.

And so, with these new friends, and desiring to live and build that community we found, we are moving closer together. With prayer, and with sound reasoning, and with reckless abandon.

For me that feels rather more like jumping out of a plane. Am I wearing a parachute? Of course. But that just makes it not stupid. It doesn't mean it's not terrifying. That's not to say I'm not equally thrilled. I love the city and have long suspected that I'm quite a city-person at heart. I've never lived away from home, apart from some traveling I've done. But it's time, and it will be a good thing and great experience, no matter what. So why not buy a car, and rent a house with your new friends, and move to the city, and find a new job? Go big or go home, right?

New horizons. A skyline to become home. So much to discover about the city, about the world, and about myself. I want to get back to writing more, and have decided I'll try to blog here every day. Just about my year in the city, how I'm getting on, new experiences. Feel free to leave comments with questions or suggestions (for blogging, or life).
365 days starts now.