The Move, My Testimony

Moving has to be one of the hardest parts of life, depending on the person and situation I guess. For me, my past move from Salem Ohio to Paineville Ohio was a huge faith tester.

I grew up in Salem, I knew Theresa Everson as the YPSM since I was 2 and a half and she was like my second mother, though I've never told her that. So many relationships where friends in this corps became family. I mean I was so attached there, it is something about the place, that corps building to me, is home. We would have everybody's birthday party, with a nice dinner and everybody would come..!
I remember running the sound booth every week, I was the head man for the sound booth ministry team, I would run the sound, tape the service and teach others how to work everything. I felt needed and important and it was just where I seemed to "Fit into" the corps. It was what I did in church. Brennen Jeremy and my Dad were in the band, my Mom led songs, I did the sound.
Life was great! Our family was really close, at times we would argue but that is understandable right?
Then I remember one day right before the teen group was about to start, my mom who appeared to have been crying called me along with my brothers to my dad's office. When we got there and saw my that my dad was also upset, we knew something was wrong. Here we were being stationed to Painesville Ohio.
Now this was hard enough to handle, let alone the fact that we couldn't tell anyone. I was mad, mad at my parents, mad at the Salvation Army, mad at God, mad at the world! We had to go about a month I would say, maybe longer maybe shorter without telling anyone. It was complete torture to go to teen group and hang out with my friends, knowing that I would be moving soon and wouldn't be able to hang out with them any longer.

So when we were able to tell people, we did, And that brought on the tears, and the frusteration of having to face reality. Our neighbors wanted to have a petition to keep us in Salem, lol It sounded good to me, but my parents insisted that God must have a plan for us in Painesville, Ohio. We came up one day before the move to check things out, and ofcorse I didn't delight in anything, accept the Gym at the corps that is, haha. On the tour of the corps I was confused, not knowing where we came in or anything. I felt lost. And then we went to see the house. When we pulled up the first reaction was, Its pink. (lol) We had a tour of the house and on the way home I didn't say a word. I tortured my family for "putting me through this" when it actually wasn't their fault, in fact, they were just as scared as I was. We seemed to grow apart through this part of the move. I thank God that by the end of it we ended up growing closer to each other, and closer to God.

We had to come home from camp for our "goodbye party", I think they called it. It was really nice, people were so thoughtful! I didn't want to leave that night. But ofcorse, I ended up leaving and going back to camp the next day, which was alot better then lingering around our empty house with a truck full of boxes outside.
That night, my parents took us to camp and drove to painesville from there, spent the night in a hotel for about two nights until they moved into the house.

When break came, I wasn't looking forward to going to "the house" (I refused to call it home.) But by the end of the summer, the house wasn't looking too bad, and I finally got to go to church in painesville for the first time. It was OK but I didn't know anyone. Everybody welcomed us right away though, and treated us well too!
I still didn't like the place, but by now I realized what a fool I had been to doubt God, and decided although I know nothing about why I am here, I will do this for Him and not me.

Its almost two years since we've moved to Painesville. God has richly blessed us far beyond what we deserve. Our church is starting to grow, we are blessed with having the Goiz family here also, opening a hispanic corps. And although I am not head honcho in the sound booth, and Theresa Everson isn't the YPSM. This is a blessed place also, it is not the walls of the building that are blessed, its the people inside those walls. I'm also starting to find my place in the corps, we are currently working on a project that our youth group had come up with. Its a contemperary service run by the teens with some help from the adults. January 15'th at 6:30 is when our first service starts. We are also currently forming a praise band for this.
Later down the road we plan to raise enough money to shut down one of the few "Adult Eyes Only" bookstoores, possibly two, but shutting down one is a good start.

I now can call this place, Painesville Ohio, "Home". There are still those times where I really miss Salem, cause I am still adapting, slowly. I will always miss Salem and the friends and family I have there. But I will choose to not dwell on what i've lost, but on what I've gained! I've decided to not see negitive in everything, but to look at the positives, because by the looks of things, we arent going anywhere anytime soon.
God's blessed us here in Painesville with wonderful people and a wonderful opportunity to better serve Him, I'm not about to pass it up.

" 'For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord 'plans to prosper you, and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me, and come and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart. I will be found by you.' declares the Lord" Jeremiah 29:11-14