From VA to DE



I can remember from the time I was young always feeling a tugging to do something crazy! I can remember reading books like Crazy Love and When God Writes Your Life Story and hearing song like "I Will Follow" and feeling almost uncomfortable. I would often pray things like "God I know You call people to step out of their comfort zones but I'm doing work for You in my comfort zone, so why leave?" But after God opened my eyes to His call for my life in July, many of my prayers have been, "God, I want to be in the place where it is that You get the most Glory from my life." and "God, I don't want to just be used, I want to be used up!" and "God, I don't know where You want me but I know that where You want me is better than where I want me."

Well the last two months ago have been nothing but an adventure! Two months ago on July 1st all of my conversations were filled with excitement as I prepared to leave for Powerlife 2012 that week on the 5th! Looking back, I can't believe how much my life has changed since then! While at Powerlife my call to ministry was clear and God prepared my heart for the surrender that was ahead. Within a week of returning home God started opening my eyes, showing me that my senior year at Milligan was not His plan, but mine. To read these two steps of the journey see COME AGAIN?! and FUTURE PLANS...

So where did Delaware come from? Well the week I retruned from Powerlife, in the midst of struggling with my Milligan plans, I received a facebook message from Tammy Lashey.{ A little history: I know Tammy because she sings with the group Calling Levi which is made up of her, her husband, her sister, and her sister's husband. They have been part of Powerlife since before I started attending and our church also got linked up with them there. I got to know all of them personally when they started visiting our church 5 years ago and we would have cookouts with them on the saturday before they sang. This relationship with these awesome people continued to develop as I became part of the Powerlife staff last year. Over a year ago, Mark (Tammy's husband) realized God's call for him to be a pastor and that's when I first heard of LIFEHOUSE. At the time LIFEHOUSE was a bible study that was held at Tammy and Mark's house. In Febuary of this year, LIFEHOUSE planted as a church with Sunday worship and Tuesday bible study. } So this facebook message was simply an invite to come and visit LIFEHOUSE and pray about partnering with them if God was drawing me. My heart immediately filled with excitement at the possibility! But the more I tossed this idea around in my head, I thought "No way! Moving to Delaware would be CRAZY!"

As we chatted back and forth, plans came together for me and my friend Joy to travel up together and see what God was doing! Last weekend we made the 9 hour trip to Delaware and from the first moment, I just knew. As I heard the testimonies and the way God was moving my heart was overflowing with joy and for the first time since surrendering to the ministry, I had a vision for what this year could look like. Our visit was truly incredible! We were greeted by amazing people that immediately felt like family. When Sunday came, we got to begin worshipping, serving, and growing with this body of believers. After returning, I spent a couple days praying just to confirm that this was God's desire and not just mine and was overwhelmed with peace and joy that only comes from God!

For those of you who know me well, you are probably surprised that I did not return to Milligan and am moving to Delaware. But for those of you who don't know me that well, I'll tell you a few of the reasons I SHOULDN'T move to Delaware:
1. I am NOT sponatneous or adventurous! I have practically had my entire life planned out since I was 15. NO JOKE! When I came into college I had a 10 year plan, and I can assure you that ministry, Liberty Online, or Delaware wasn't part of it!
2. I am a homebody! I LOVE being at home. For 3 years I lived at Milligan and almost every single weekend I drove 2 hrs home and 2 hrs back just to be with my family and my church! I have amazing friends here in Honaker and am very close to my family and church family.
3. I am from small town Honaker, VA. People don't usually leave here. You just don't. Out of the 97 people in my graduating class, 8 of us left home and went off to school. It's a great small down where generation after generation stays.
4. God is using me right here! God has given me several opportunities right here where I am from working with the youth in my church to the kids in my church. As a Christian I believe God can use you anywhere.

All this being said, WHY am I moving to Delaware!?
1. God is calling me there! All of these other reasons are great but even if they weren't present, I would be going! The most important thing for me is to be in the center of God's Will for my life doing exactly what He designed me to do! John 10.27 "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me."
2. God is doing awesome things in Delaware! People's lives are being changed by the gospel! This is an area where not everyone knows the gospel but the few that do are changed forever! This church planted in February and had 393 in attendance last sunday when I was there! God is moving and I want to be a part!
3. There is a need! Of those 393 over 140 of them are 6th grade kids and under! God is flooding this church with His glory and they need people to SERVE!
4. God has been preparing me for this for years! It is no coincidence to me that God would send me to Delaware with the families of Calling Levi. I have been close with them for 5 years! My family knows them and my church knows them! I have been praying for LIFEHOUSE for about 2 years now with no idea I would be moving there! 2 Corinthians 3.5 "Not  that we are adequate in ourselves to conside anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God."

I am so humbled to think God would call me to become a part of this awesome ministry! God has truly blessed me! Through a grant with the North American Mission Board, I am going to be able to be a part time ministry intern with this church and am committed for a year. Not only is He sending me there He is sending two of my dearest friends from Powerlife as well! I am more excited about this than any opportunity I have ever had!

I am so excited for this new journey God is taking me on and I pray that you all will pray that God will move and use me!
Psalm 16.11 "You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore!"

The verse LIFEHOUSE is named from is John 10.10: "I came that they may have life and life abundantly!"

To check out the church you can visit http://www.lifehousede.com/.
If you feel led to help support me or want to ask questions about supporting me, you can email me at brandycaudill90@gmail.com

 

CONVERSATION

3 comments:

  1. I'm happy for you Brandy! But I have to say I will miss you tremendously!!!!!! We will HAVE to stay in touch. I'll miss you!! :):):):):)<3<3

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  2. I'm going to miss you guys! :( Don't worry we will be in touch often and I will be to visit :)

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