Just some shots of our post-work walks this past week... More to come later!

It's wonderful to explore some of the trails surrounding our new home together! 

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

The earth is the Lord's and everything in it.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
What is mankind that you are mindful of them, 

human beings that you care for them?
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalms 8, 24, 19

Redeemed

Redeemed. I've been reminded this week how beautiful it is that we are redeemed in Christ, because of His love.

Ted and I have experienced the faithfulness of the Lord in our lives, and been strengthened by His steadfastness. It hasn't always been clear to us, or written boldly in the stars. Our weak, cataract-ed eyes have kept us from seeing in brilliant colors, only dimly, the vibrant faithfulness of God.

Yet His presence is real. It always has been, and always will be. We may not perceive it, only vaguely,   at times. Yet I am reminded now, this week, that His goodness runs deep. His steadfastness is never-ending.  I'm only now glimpsing the surface, lapping handfuls of water from a river that has no bed.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 

Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand - 

when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139:17-18

First week

The first few days in Mt Airy have been refreshing; wonderful. We may still have half-filled boxes along the floor and no curtains, but that doesn't matter... I love it.

Each day, we have enjoyed a long walk through the neighborhoods and nearby Carpenter's Woods. Flowers and pane windowed porches everywhere.

We still go to Hunting Park every day, sometimes multiple times in a day, and I've had one recurring thought each time:

I am so glad I did not leave this place because I simply don't like it here or that I can't stand the so-called "inner city." Each morning that we have driven in, I admire the people and places that I know well.

Being in these two different spots leads to some striking comparisons. One place currently has the highest crime rate in the city, and the other has the lowest. In one, you're more likely to see the one sign over the other:

The average street corners look pretty different from each other:

In one, kids roar down the busy road on their scooters and throw basketballs over oncoming traffic. In the other, a man holds a glass of red wine and walks his poodle down a tree-lined path. The differences are ... well, laughable! Such unique, wildly divergent places.

Did I mention that one is only 5 miles from the other?!

It's been a fairly mild week for us, settling in. We've rearranged furniture, dusted here and there, but mostly enjoyed these beautiful, new surroundings. We truly thank God for this space and this peace. 

Carpenter's Woods, a 5-minute walk from our new home

Moving day

Why was moving day so much fun?

Was it the endless sweeping, or the running back and forth with boxes?
No.

Was it the early morning Dunkin' run, or putting chairs in the street to find the perfect parking spot for our u-haul?
No. Though each of these things were kind of fun, in their own way.

What made moving day so great were the people who came to help.

Our neighbor, Ramon, was preparing for days to help us. At 8:30am, he was the first to join the effort in assisting Ted. Then his son, Jose. By 9am, who else shows up but our landlord Andres, Tim P, another neighbor Luke, and Chino. The men tackled the jobs at hand, leaving me to dust, sweep, and steal a couple more donuts when no one was looking... ;)

On the other end, I marveled at how quick the work was with so many helping hands. Like a well-oiled machine,  one friend commented. Everyone was flying up and down the stairs at the entrance to our new place with furniture and area rugs, not skipping a single beat. Sure, they had the lure of a 70-degree weather day and presumably better afternoon plans to motivate them to finish, but they also made the choice to be here with us today, and that meant so much.

Oh, boxes!

The donut snatcher!

In our kitchen window ;)