Team Southards is making a move

 In November, Team Southards is packing up and moving to Ohio!

That is the short version of the story, below you will find the much longer version (but believe it or not, somewhat abbreviated).

This month Steve and I celebrate 10 years of marriage. We met in 2003 in Washington D.C. and were married the next year in Bradenton, FL where we started in ministry as a Youth Pastor (note: I will say "we" the whole time, but really Steve is the only one paid but we partner in ministry so much, that it is a "we").  Our first few years in ministry were so rich and fruitful, we still have great friends from Bradenton and it holds a very special place in our hearts. It doesn't hurt our date nights were watching the sun set over the ocean, not a bad way to start life together. When an opportunity came up to be a part of a Church plant in Orlando, we sought the Lord's guidance. I remember laying on the beach under the stars praying over the decision with Steve. I told him I would be quite alright with God aligning the stars in the sky to say "Orlando" or "Bradenton", I know He is capable of it, but He doesn't always work the way we would like him to. After much prayer, we really felt like the Lord gave us a choice to stay or go and that He would bless it either way.

We made the tough choice to go be a part of a new ministry.

Orlando was a great growing time. We were part of a wonderful team there and knew our role was to help launch the church and then get out of the way for others to step in and takeover. The original plan was for us to go church plant afterwards, but through that experience we realized we are better "builders than starters." We were at a crossroads to stay or go (the other members of the launch team had either moved on to plant or had committed long-term to the church there) when Indian Creek in Olathe, KS contacted us about being the Adult Ministries Pastor with the vision to launch another campus. We both knew pretty quickly that this was the next step God had for us in ministry. When we had visited Olathe about moving here, we really looked at the city thinking we would be here 20+ years, that this would be where our kids would call home.

Even though I was on board and excited about moving, Steve and I had one of the biggest fights of our marriage while moving out to KS. We had rented a cabin in TN on our way out to have a few R&R nights before arriving in KS. Let's just say, it wasn't a pleasant time. Looking back, I was totally irrational and emotional (neither of which I am that often) and I was mourning leaving "home." Florida was all I ever knew as home. We moved there when I was almost 5-years-old and flip-flops and tank-tops were what I knew. I am not sure what we even were fighting about (isn't that how it happens) but we both distinctly remember that time, and I am not sure we will ever laugh about it. 

I remember the evening we pulled into Olathe it started to snow. It was early January and I was in for the shock of my life, a real winter (compared to the Florida ones where I would lay out on Christmas Day). 

We arrived in Olathe as a family of 2.

We will leave as a family of 6!

We have called Olathe home for almost 7 years. It really is that to us. 

H O M E

That is why when we have received calls over the past few years about taking a Lead Pastor role at other churches it was pretty easy to say "Thanks but no thanks."

We are so happy here. 

 We gave birth to all 4 kids here.

We are a part of a ministry we love here.

We have traditions established here.

We have people we love so deeply here.

We are loved deeply by others here.
We have a family lake house near here.

We have a house we love here.
We (aka Steve) has good hunting here.
We have family farms near here.

We have a plan for the future here.

But God had a different plan.

A church in Dayton, OH contacted us in April about considering the Lead Pastor position at their church, Salem Church of God. To be honest, my first thought was "Ohio?!?! Thanks but no thanks, isn't Ohio REALLY cold and I am a Gator (University of Florida), I don't like Ohio State." Those were my super spiritual thoughts about Ohio :)

After some conversation with a few of our mentors, we decided there was something different about this opportunity and we didn't want to shut the door too quickly. So prayerfully we decided to walk the journey until God closed the door or we had direction from Him to stay. 

The rest of the story and details on how we got to the place where we are packing up our family and stepping out in faith to head to Salem as the Lead pastor might not make sense to many people. This has been one of the toughest, most on-our-knees-in-prayer decisions we have made as a couple. We didn't want to get this wrong.

But that is Faith, not always knowing how things are going to work out, or even knowing 2 steps ahead, but trusting our Good and Gracious Heavenly Father has a better plan that we do. 

We love Indian Creek and have been loved on by the people of Indian Creek. God has done some incredible things in us and through us while here in Olathe.

We have visited Salem three times and it is so apparent we will be loved by the people of Salem. We have experienced an abundance of love and encouragement before we have even officially arrived there.

In my Beth Moore study this semester (her new one Children of the Day) a verse stuck out so boldly to me and has become my prayer for the people of Salem.

1 Thessalonians 2:8 (ESV)

So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

My prayer is for my heart to expand abundantly for the people of Salem and for the community surrounding. We go to share the gospel and our lives and my prayer is for them to become very dear to us. They have already become so dear in our few visits there.

We are so sad to leave Olathe, to leave Home. But we get really excited to think that God has an adventure waiting for us. We know this wasn't our plan, this was all God.  Since He is in it, we have confidence to step forward. This next season will be rich. We know it will stretch and grow us as individuals, as a couple and as a family. 

We don't have all the details figured out for the move (timing, housing, school, etc) but we do know God has gone before us and surrounds us and will guide us in our path. We have seen His hand all over this situation already and we look forward to seeing how He works in a way that only an omnipotent God can.

Friends like family

I believe I wrote another post with the same title, but we so grateful for our friends like family, especially since we don't have family here. Steve and I had meetings out of town a few weekends ago and it wasn't going to work to bring all the kids. So we split them up with a few of our favorite families and I don't think they missed us at all. 

Presley has worked her way into Mr. Paul's heart

Notice the face due to the chair, not cool Zimmers, not cool

Even got a detailed washing of our van.

Thank you Brantons and Zimmers

How do I react?

This was my devotional this morning and it made me evaluate my reaction

HELPING KIDS LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES 

Sometimes successful parenting is all in how you perceive a situation. For example, do you view your kids’ mistakes as frustrations that interrupt your day? Or are they, as James Joyce called them, “a portal to discovery”? 

A colleague told me the story of a mother who set the course for her son’s life simply in the way she reacted to his mistakes. One day, as a little boy, he dropped a jug of milk in the kitchen. 

Seeing her son standing in a large puddle of milk, the mother could have yelled, lectured him, or pointed a stern finger in his face. Instead, she smiled and reassured him that mistakes were a part of life. After helping him clean up the mess, she suggested they fill the jug with water, so he could practice carrying it. Years later, that little boy became a scientist, who attributed much of his success to his mother’s attitude. He learned from her that mistakes were nothing to be feared because they were opportunities for learning something new. 

It’s in the growing-up years that kids learn mostly through experience – that is, through mistakes. That’s why it’s important for parents to create a healthy, loving environment where kids feel safe, even in failure. It’s all a matter of perspective for you as a parent. Are your child’s mistakes a doorway to your anger? Or do you view them as an opportunity to model God’s love and help your child grow and learn something new? 

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. (1 John 4:17-18 MSG)

For a daily dose of encouragement and perspective, check out Jim Daly’s blog, Daly Focus, at JimDalyBlog.com.

Kindergarten

Payton started Kindergarten last Thursday. She goes to the half day morning class. She really enjoys it. We are all getting used to having to be out the door early every morning. Preschool started much later and was only 3 days, so the whole family is adjusting to our morning routine. She has a couple friends in her class that she already knew and I know she will thrive in school. Here are pictures from sneak peak and first day.

Larry and Kathy watched the little 2 so we could go to sneak peak and focus on Payton

Papa got her a new bling bling shirt for Kindergarten

Colton and his buddies dropping off their sisters first day of school. Colton was the only kid without a shirt, gym shorts and cowboy boots. That is how we roll :)

Steve and I celebrate our kids growing and moving into different stages. There was a part of me that thought, it just got real, that our kids are growing up. Steve shed a tear as he says I am the head and he is the heart. I am so thankful for his heart!

July Farm Trip and Wedding

About 2 weeks ago we headed down to both of Steve's family farms to visit grandparents and attend a family wedding. We first visited Papa and Granny Southards. We had a scare with Papa and his health about 6 weeks ago so we were thankful to get down there for them to meet Stetson and spend some precious time together. It is so peaceful down there, I love getting away there.

Next we headed to the dairy farm where Papa and Granny Coats got to meet Stetson as well. Steve's cousin Whitney was getting married so there was a lot of family in town for the wedding, we had a great time catching up with everyone. Colton and our niece Selah were the ring-bearer and flower girl.

 The Southards Farm

Boys practicing shooting their bows

We spent a lot of time on front porch, the weather was amazing, unseasonably "cool" for July

I love this picture, sign for their house and the old farm house in the back

4 generations of Southards men

The Coats Farm

 

Cousins reading together

Beautiful Bride and groom

I love this picture because it captures those 2 stinkers personalities

Lake trip

2 weekends ago we made our first trip to the lake for the summer. We were late getting down there this year due to Stetson's arrival and traveling to Nashville. We love slowing down and just hanging out there. This summer is a little more complicated with a 17-month-old that we don't trust around the water and a little guy who doesn't even know what is going on. I broke out the real camera for some pics down there, not just iphone pics :)

She is a hot mess right now

The boys

Steve took the older 2 to the local county fair that was going on