It’s been a year, a year since moving to this crazy wonderful city I now get to call home. Moving to the city was certainly a culture shock. Things like carrying your groceries home (aka only buying what you can carry with a kid in toe), to rarely using your car and thinking a 1 1/2 mile walk to get somewhere is nothing, to living in a high rise and sharing your “back patio” and grill with 300 other people is normal. Yes, life is certainly different than the suburb life we once knew, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. This city is the most exciting place I have ever lived. Every day there is something new to experience or see. It is also more “homey” and caring than I could have ever imagined. I love that we have built new friendships here and have found community in a place that I thought would be hard to do.

As I sit and reflect on this year I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with the joy of seeing God work miracle after miracle in starting His church here in Southwest Waterfront D.C. We publicly launch in a little over a month! I’m brought to tears as I look back on what God has done to get us here. He has provided, moved mountains, and paved the way for our feeble feet to walk.

Though I wouldn’t trade this year for the world, I wouldn’t be fully transparent if I didn’t also talk about how difficult it has been. I am learning how hard this thing called church planting really is. I know they told us it would be, but I like to compare it to becoming a parent. You don’t really know what it’s like until your in it.

This year has certainly had its challenges of loneliness, spiritual warfare, and fear. There have been moments of weakness, where I have wanted to give up. Moments where I’ve thought that Jon finding a pastorate position at an established church would be so much easier. Moments where we were the only ones to show up to Bible study week after week, and I doubted if we were really making a difference.

But, in all of these moments God has shown up in His perfect timing and reminded me that He is here and He is at work. God has opened doors that only He can open in our community and He has given us opportunity after opportunity to love our neighbors. He has provided the most wonderful teammates after we exhausted all of our own efforts and become tired. He constantly has us on our toes as we await the next open door He brings.

I am learning to take joy in this life of faith, trusting Him with ever step. I wish I could sit over coffee and tell you story after story of what God has done this past year. He has answered so many prayers and worked so many miracles, and the beautiful thing is that I stand back in amazement and get to point to Him.

There is certainly still endless work ahead, but it’s God’s, and I’m just thankful I get to be a part of it. I am excited for what year 2 holds. I pray that as we journey ahead I don’t forget what He has done in the past, so that as I look to the future my faith and sight stay on Him.

So here is to year 2 D.C., may God be glorified!