Florida, a pleasant place on earth

I didn't know much about Florida nor have I been there often. With two elders of the Church, I had gone to Orlando once to attend the Stephen Ministry Leadership  training for a week.  All I saw was the inside of a big hotel.  Another time I went to Orlando for David's wedding and all I saw was all about the wedding.  I have gone to the Disney World for a week, but then again I saw nothing but the inside of DW.

This time I saw real people who live there.  I had conversations about how it is to live in Florida.  I ate at the local hangouts, and saw the sights of the city.  I even got to dip my feet in the water of the Gulf of Mexico at the "Siesta Key Beach".  The sand was white and so fine that I felt like I was walking on powdered sugar.  Yes of course I went for an interview, sort of, kind of, like half a serious interview and partly for people to get to know me better, I think.  As always it seems, I was told I would be one of the 3 finalists.  It's all in God's hands on whether or not I am the one called there.  Either way I will be happy all the same, almost.  Humanly speaking I would really like to serve the Church there: full time - spending all my work hours and a few more on caring for the congregation of a large church.  That would be a lot of fun, challenging and rewarding.  I like all the people I met including the staff but I remain in my prayers of "Thy Will Be Done".

Florida is a lovely/pleasant place where the sky seems to be blue a lot of the time and the beaches have pretty colored water, unlike in Galveston,TX where we had enjoyed the beach for nearly 4 years.  The climate is so much like back at home in Yangon, Myanmar that if I live there I may be homesick all the time or I will never be homesick again.  Good people with great senses of humor and older generations with great deals of wisdom live there, so it would be a good place to grow in wisdom and stature.  There will be fresh seafood and vegetables I assume.  So, it's very much like home.  Now that I went on this trip I know a bit more about Florida - Sarasota anyways. God blesses us each day in ways that we don't even know.  This was one of those surprise blessings in my life.  Life is good for being a Christian (follower of Christ).  Thanks be to God for this learning opportunity.

Will this become our new home - Will and mine? We don't know. We are in the middle of a discerment process for our next call in ministry.  God does the calling.  We do the faithful following.  Regardless of where God's call is, we are grateful all the same for we believe what the apostle Paul said in  ACTS 17:28, "For 'in him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, 'for we too are his offspring.'" (NRSV Bible)