The post where I say goodbye and hello at the same time.

Some of you, but not all of you, know that I am moving to Colorado.

If your response to that statement was, "what!? since when? what are you doing with your life Rachael??" Then click HERE.

If you are still calm, and fairly confident you know the reasons why I'm moving then read on.

Indeed it is happening.... FRIDAY APRIL 5TH!

 

 

I am so excited but it comes with a lot more than just excitement. There are a long string of emotions all tied together into a very awkward, unstable, complicated chain. And that chain is securely attached to my person. Somehow (God) I am staying grounded, and there have been no major meltdowns as of yet.
This is what I am:

-Expectant
-Overwhelmed
-Worried
-Thrilled
-Alive
-Too excited to sleep
-A little broken
-Fragile
-Determined
-Giddy
-Nervous
-At peace
...... and sure. Very sure that this is where God wants me. Sure that it is good for my heart. Sure that it I am doing the right thing.

Even if things feel weird. I am sure.

Today as I go through my desk at work there are little scraps of paper that are all that's left of moments in a season. When I stop by my mom's house to gather up my gluten free flours in a box I feel a bit pitiful that this is what I choose to carry across country with me.
I walk out doors and know I won't be walking back in them any time soon.
I hug people... I hug LOTS of people, and some of them would never hug me under normal circumstances, but all of them leave an imprint, and in that moment I realize whether or not I made an impact.
I do things for the last time.
And it's good! It's so good. It's just... that it's the last. time. 
I have been ready to move for awhile now. Not just to Colorado, which so happens to be the place God picked out for me, but I have been shuffling my feet under my desk at work and fidgeting with anything my hands can find for some time now, asking "when?."
When do I move? forward?

Awhile back God had given me the verses in Genesis that talk about Noah sending the dove out of the ark after the flood to see if the waters had receded. Noah let's the dove fly free out the window, but she circles around and never finds a place to land, so she comes back to his arms. He waits a bit, probably puts her back in her cage lovingly, and promises another flight soon, and then sends her out a second time. This time she comes back with an olive branch in her mouth. A sign of hope, but not one big enough to build a life on. The third time Noah releases his dove into the great beyond she never comes back.
She never come back because she found a home. A place that was good, and contained what she needed. A place to build a nest, and live a life, and do whatever doves do. All of the exhausting trips over the face of endless water when her wings ached, and her hope faltered were not in vain. They taught her that she needed to come back to the arms of her Master for seasons of rest, and that she wasn't in charge of when or where she got to land. They taught her patience, and that even when her cage felt like a prison, it was only meant to teach her to wait.

God told me I was that dove.
He told me that almost a year ago when I was still in the "going out and not finding anything" stage. I thought then, so there will be a day when the waters recede?
That day is Friday, April 5th 2013
This dove is off, flying on the wings that will always know their true home is in the arms of The Beloved, no matter where she lands.

In Colorado God has given me the gift of a ministry and suits who I am and what I'm good at. He has given me love deeper, and more precious than I thought I would ever find in a person. He has given me arms full of possibility. And he makes all things new.
I am fully aware that Colorado is not a state of perfection, and that it holds still more moments of failure or disappointment, but I am not going to let go of the olive branch that is His promise to be faithful to me.

So there you have it. This blog WILL remain! For my sanity, and creative steam-blower-offer (no, that's not a real word thing) but also because I want all of you to come with me!
I have no idea what life will look like for the next month or so, so bear with me. I may be able to post often, or hardly at all, and the posts could either be about food, or emotional outpourings you all know I'm so talented at producing. Either way, stick with me... It promises to be magical.



Your prayers are so needed as I make the two day trek in my disheveled car full of.... well, let's be real... dishes, and food. Mostly.
Isn't it lovely?
Also, I am still just short of my financial goal in raising enough to live on through the summer, so praying with me for God's provision would be so encouraging as well.
Love!


Talk more soon.

Wanna Join Me?

This post is going to be about me. And food of course. Never without food.

 

To any, and all of you who supported me in my mission work and
discipleship training with KBM this past summer.... THANK YOU! You
have no idea what a huge miracle you have been a part of in my life
and the lives of those around me! God has acomplished in me the kind
of stuff that leaves your jaw on the floor, and if I had several days
I would love to tell you about it. :) For any of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, you can take a look at my blog from last summer, www.breakgroundwithme.blogspot.com.  Let's leave it at this. He has
transformed me to the very core of who I am, and given me a clear
mission/purpose in life.

 

Of course it involves lovely food.

 

 

I have been asked back on staff with Kingdom Building Ministries this
next summer! And with a unuiqe roll. My love and education in cooking is something I am watching God shape
into a ministry. This upcoming summer I am going to be advancing God's
Kingdom through FOOD! It is absolutely possible if you are somewhat
skeptical. :)
Here's how: when people sit down to eat there is a transparacy that
happens. We talk, we laugh, we share things we wouldn't normally
because we feel comfortable. Jesus himself did much of his ministry
around the meal table! Remember when he had dinner with zacchaeus at
his house? or when he cooked his disciples breakfast on the beach?
With God as our provider, a meal becomes a celebration of community
and promotes healing within our midst.

" When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them,
and they are richly satisfied.
When you give them your breath, life is created,
and you renew the face of the earth."
- Psalms 104:28,30

 

This is the call God has placed on my life according the way He has
gifted me. I would love for you all to be a part of what He is doing!
Follow the link below to read more about my ministry partnered with
Kingdom Building Ministries.

http://kbm.donorpages.com/Experience2013/rachaelbelanger/

Excited to share more beauty, prayers, recipies, and adventure with you all!