Homesick for a T-storm

We just don't get thunderstorms out here in eugene. If you do not know a lot about Eugene I'll fill you in. Eugene is located in a valley. The Willamette valley to be correct. It is home to my car getting crazy covered with pollen (it turns yellow and green no joke) and lots of rain, but no big storms. Everything changed this week...

Last monday night i was really struggling with not going home. All of eugene church plant is basically home in indiana right now for Colby and Jenny's wedding. Colby and Jenny are very dear to our hearts. I was planning on going to the wedding months ago but then realized that it might not be the best option. You see, i still have a week of school left and taking days off plus not being able to spend a lot of time in indiana would have made it pretty hard to justify spending a lot of money on a plane ticket. but the reality of this all hit me pretty hard on monday night. i was extremely sad, had karyl pray for me that night because i just couldn't shake it off by myself (another great example of why we need community). i was missing my mom and all my friends in indiana. usually i am ok with all of this, but everyone was or is currently in indiana so it was hard for me. i wanted to be there too. so i tried everything in my power to just shut those emotions off by cleaning and reading, but it only made things worse. I got frustrated and was in a bad mood. So i stopped, sat down, felt completely drained emotionally, and just listened and prayed.

So my prayer made me laugh on Tuesday night and filled me with a lot of encouragement. Do you ever have those times when you just pray for something that seems so silly, but you know you just want God to show up in some wild and crazy way? Well, ha, i did and it was answered. It still baffles me! Well, monday night i just sat there thinking about thunderstorms and how much they remind me of indiana. Truth be told, i LOVE them. love hearing the thunder and seeing the lightning! But like i said eugene does not get thunderstorms. i prayed that God would bring a thunderstorm the next day. holy cow, it was brought! not only tuesday night, but also wednesday night, and thursday during the day! WHAT?!?!?!?!?! My silly to me prayer was not so silly to God. And some people might just say that this was coincidence and think i'm crazy for thinking that this actually was an answered prayer. But i believe that it was an answered prayer...something that i needed to help comfort me from being sad about not going back to indiana. it reminded me that God is always present, is my constant in my crazy life, and will show up in wild and unexpected ways.

Thank you God for the small gift of a thunderstorm. It was exactly what I needed.
Amen.