"Maybe this year will be the year of desire fulfilled. Perhaps, on the other hand, it will be the year of desire radically transformed, the year of finding, as we have perhaps not yet truly found, Christ to be the All-Sufficient One, Christ the 'deep, sweet well of Love.' ”
Elisabeth Elliot - Keep A Quiet Heart - pg.49
Elisabeth Elliot - Keep A Quiet Heart - pg.49
As most of you should already know, after Adam finishes Pastor's College in a few weeks we will be moving to join the Sovereign Grace Church in Fredericksburg, VA. Adam will be the second pastor on staff with Ken Delage (the senior pastor) as this brand new church gets up and running - hopefully to open to the public late this summer. This is such an exciting thing to be a part of, Adam and I both feel 
very privileged to be called to serve God's people like this!So, for those of you who have no idea where Freddy-burg is, it's a 5 hour road trip north of Charlotte, NC and about an hour from Richmond and D.C., putting us not too far from dear friends and family. God is kind.
When my family moved away from Centreville, VA, some 11 years ago to join CrossWay in Charlotte, I thot that I had left Virginia behind for good. It's not a bad place to live by any means, so long as you're away from the Capital.(which we weren't) But now... I find myself packing up to head back to... none other than...northern Virginia.
Within that NoVa machine it isn't a very pleasant place to raise a family, in my mind, and so when I heard that Freddyburg was the likely option (when we lost our NC job a few months back) I immediately thot of the busy, crammed, ugly parts of near where I grew up. Nothing like my clean, new, fresh, trendy, friendly, Charlotte that I have come to love! My heart quickly flew to fear and despair as it conjured up the worse possible scenarios: Would my children have to grow up next to an overpass? Would we always be fighting for groceries if we ever wanted to shop after 4:30pm? Would we forever be fighting for a lane on the highway? Oh the traffic! Would I ever get used to being crammed and yet frightfully fast-paced? And what about taxes? And, and, and...How was I ever going to survive!? Why would God send us there!!?
(for those of you who live in these kinds of places in NoVa and love it, I hope I haven't offended you. I'm simply a comfort-loving, wimpy, country girl who can't handle germs, small spaces, and being honked at.)
Thankfully before I hyperventilated, God's Word calmed my soul and fed my spirit truth.
Ps. 34:8-9 Oh taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man
who takes refuge in him. Oh fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear
him have no lack!
There it was! I would have 'no lack.' Well, that sounded pretty good to me. It reminded me of a little Spurgeon quote that I often think of throughout the day and smile. " “But what are they without their God?" Yes, Lord, what am I without You? I'm a mess! So, as I began to pray about my fears and doubts (not to mention the great pain of moving away from family), the Lord, again, showed Himself faithful and reminded me of how much He cares for me.
Is. 26:3-4
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, the LORD GOD is an
everlasting rock.
And then I actually visited Fredericksburg (aka in my mind "Land that God Forsook") and met the dear folks who are starting up the church and I was immediately humbled. Many of these people have sacrificed much to commute hours to other Sovereign Grace churches while they prayed that God would send one to them. I respect them so much. AND then as we drove around house-hunting the next month I actually got a look at the area where we will live known as Spotsylvania County. And lemme tell ya folks, I was a happy passenger as we drove by farm after farm (reminding me of old Prosperity Church Road) and quiet neighborhoods nowhere near any ugly overpasses... oh, and a Super Target. (hey, a girls gotta dress!) Spotsy really has some nice land and it's historic, so a lot of the area will stay intact. It was old, but I felt, charming. I think I shall like it very much. Again, God is kind, even in the little things like cows on both sides of the road and tall sycamore trees, He cares for me.
In some spots it really does still look like this old picture.
So like I said, we were house-hunting, and it looks like we've found our Campbell castle. We're really excited about the possibility of it and are putting an offer on it this week. If this is the place God has for us, it's gonna be sweet. (there's a lake and acres of forest, not to mention the 4br 3fl baths) So right now we're praying for God to make it clear with the bank accepting our offer. Prayers please!
Yes, God has done (and is doing) much with the little Campbell clan currently here in G-burg. When we lost our Charlotte job at Christmas we couldn't imagine all the good what He was up to. The pain of "losing" dear friends and family and having no direction was hard to see past, but as the months have gone by, God has begun to transplant our hearts from Charlotte to Freddy-burg. We will miss our beloved CrossWay. We are so indebted to the leadership and friendship of so many. You all have shaped and taught us in the ways of the Lord so richly and lovingly! We are so well equipped now to serve our new "people" in Fredericksburg because of your faithful investment. Thank you. What a privilege to be a part of what God is doing! What an honor to serve with many faithful saints! What a joy to be used to care for the Body of Christ! Thank you, Lord, for saving us and sending us! To YOU be the glory!
A verse that has kept our eyes on eternity this year:
Heb. 11:8-10 and 13-16If things move forward, more about Campbell Castle to come...
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God…
…These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
