Update #39

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may overshadow me.” 2 Cor 12:9

Picture: Drive thru tree in the Redwood Forest

I made it! Sunday night Jamie and I pulled into my Aunt’s driveway after a full two days on the road! We took the long way after Redding, CA by cutting across from I5 to Hwy 101 (we wanted to see the Redwood forest). The road we were on was barely wide enough in places, but WOW…was it pretty!

We spent Monday toodling around Los Altos (finding my PO Box, bank, etc.), Mountain View (finding my storage unit), and Palo Alto (finding my Aunt’s store, touring Stanford – wow Craig that is a big campus). Then we had tea with my new co-workers and boss (the cheesecake was incredible), toured/shopped Half Moon Bay (have Jamie show you her purchases), and then went to dinner with some of my teammates from Cape Town! What a day!

Jamie headed back to Washington a bit after seven this morning and I was off to pick up a car – yep, God came through again! One of my friends is off to Poland for two weeks and is letting me borrow his car (THANK YOU ERIC!).

I feel like God is up in heaven giggling. I ask for something, like a map of the area, and BAM!, an AM/PM store is around the next corner. I tell him I need a car to get around and TADA! I get to borrow an M3 BMW for two weeks. I tell him I need a safe place to stay, and BING! my aunt and uncle offer me a room and have made it very clear that I am welcome as long as needed.

I always thought ‘weakness’, in 2 Cor. 12:9, referred to a deficit or lack of growth in my strength, personality, or innate talents. After the last 11 months of my life, I view ‘weakness’ differently. I see it as any ‘need’ we may have. God likes to come through, he likes to be relied upon and asked for help. In a way, he likes to show up and say, “See, I can do that. Yep, I can help, I love to help. Thanks for asking me.” I view God as a gentleman; he won’t come to the party (answer a need) unless he is invited.

Well, if that is the case, let me ‘glory in my weakness’ so he can show up!

Updates:
Housing – I am living 15 miles South the office and the commute is mostly highway! And, compared to Seattle, the traffic is NOTHING!
Moving – My possessions are on their way down and will be here sometime before the 15th…I am hoping for this week sometime! Please pray that stuff stays intact, that the movers treat my stuff with respect, and that the drive down for them is uneventful.
Car – I have one for the next two weeks, then who knows what God will do!
Samson – slept most of the drive! Whoo Hoo! He did great on his harness and got a ton of compliments, stares, and pointing fingers…he was quite the attraction!
Trip Down – went great, awesome weather, traffic was mostly light, and we had no car issues
Storage – Rented and moving into soon!
Financing – Thank you for your generosity…donations are coming in. I have raised about 1/2 of my lowest monthly salary for the next 6 months!

Requests:
Housing – I am with my Aunt and Uncle for most of the summer but, when the new REP office is in place, I need to find my own space close to the office
Car – due to insurance issues, the best case scenario would be to borrow a car until August 1st and then obtain one
Work – my first day is Thursday, July 5th
Samson – he is currently hiding under my Aunt’s bed and won’t come out…
Financing - Eventually my position will be salaried but at first I need to raise $2,500 - $5,000 a month cover basic expenses. If you are interested in contributing, please see ‘Donations’ at http://www.repurposing.biz/ on the bottom left of the page, or visit http://www.denaandrews.blogspot.com/ and read the footer for additional info.

Blessings to you!

Dena

P.S. I have gotten a lot of questions about exactly who I am working for - ‘equip’ and ‘rep’ have both been used. There was a name change…see http://www.repurposing.biz/ for the entire story…D.