to all my church friends...

...at all three churches

the time has come for me and the girls to take a family vote and choose where we are going to settle in and attend in 2010.

as you all know we moved to the harrisburg area back in 2001 with the sole intent to become part of the children's ministry. over the course of the last few years our family served in children's church and musicals and outreaches and invasion and taught sunday school and served on staff and served as a board member and served as prayer partners and served on kitchen committee and worked in nursery and worked with toddlers and played on softball team and performed at fine arts and sang solo's and sang in men's choir and met some of the most amazing "Sold-out to Christ" christians that one could ever meet. some came and some went and many are still there...but we are not.

i wanted to just let you all know back at first ag that it had nothing to do with you...it had everything to do with me. as i type this blog entry i sit with tears in my eyes because i really do miss all the friendships and tight bonds that were formed while i was there. but having been so involved in the church with tim and making all the friends with tim and standing at the alter praying with tim and holding hands during praise and worship time with tim...it was becoming torturous to attend this church. i was an emotional wreck...and i tryed moving my seat and i tryed coming in late and leaving early and finally i just felt that it was time to make a change (for my sanity).

so we tryed a church in middletown and loved it...loved the pastoral staff and loved the praise and worship and loved the fact that we had a few friends already there so we thought that this was going to be where we were going to settle in. then one of the girls reminded me that before we left first we agreed that we would try a couple of churches out before we made our decision.

so after spending a month in middletown and really liking it we headed over to the west shore...absolutely convinced that after a few weeks there we would be back to middletown. but i guess God had something else in mind. the church that we all knew we were not going to like really felt like a good fit. after the first service we were walking out to the car and someone asked me what i thought...i said i kinda liked it and they said me too...but that wasn't supposed to happen. so we went back a few more times and prayed about it and FOR RIGHT NOW we have decided that we are going to attend CLA in camp hill.

maybe it is because i don't see anyone i know on a regular basis because it is so large...maybe it is because we sing praise and worship songs that are new to me and don't bring back the memories or maybe it is just where God wants us at this particular time in our lives. we all like the preaching and we all like the praise and worship time...whatever the reason we have voted and although all surprised we are going to give it a shot. a one year commitment to CLA. i think that for now i am content not getting involved in ministry but if and when it is time...there is certainly opportunity for involvement over there. i thought the size would be a bad thing but i found that i am at that stage in my life where it is just me and God when i am there...the size of the church is irrelevant.

the kids are happy there

i am happy there

so...please know that even though you may not see me as much anymore you are all still very near in my heart. i miss you all and when i am ready i will stop in for a visit and say HI. my church family was so supportive and so wonderful throughout the many years that tim was sick and at first i felt really guilty leaving you all...but i couldn't keep doing what i was doing. i kept praying that God would make it better where i was and he kept insisting that i make a change...so reluctantly i left. (as usual...He was right)

i hope you all understand....

thanks for checking in

tammy