From Faith to Faith: My Last Week in Atlanta

       "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Romans 8:28

                                              

"Today was my last Sunday service @thegatheringoasischurch and I definitely cried throughout most of the worship. Not just because it was my last Sunday, but because of how faithful God has been throughout my time there. I spent the past 2.5 years serving, growing, learning, building, leading, and fellowshipping with some of the most wonderful people ever!!!! This has definitely been a safe haven for me to mature more into the woman that God intends for me to be. It's a wonderful feeling to know that I have fulfilled my purpose for coming to Atlanta and am leaving on a good note. I don't know exactly what lies ahead for me in Texas, but I do that I'm headed exactly where my Heavenly Father needs me to be!!!! This Northern girl is headed west in a few days!!!  ||shoutout to @jasminemorrisxo for the candid photo  #oldendings #newbeginnings #6moredays #northerngal #Bmoreraised #thesouthhasmyheart #my4thstateofresidence #Maryland #NewYork #Georgia #Texasbound #FortWorth #justthebeginning #followingGodwhereverHeleads"
Taken from INSTAGRAM- 12/27/15


I moved to Texas!!!! I can't believe that I actually got in my car and drove 793 miles to Texas, 3 days ago, by myself. Like who does that? Even in mind, it's absolutely crazy.There are so many different thoughts and emotions that I am currently experiencing, but overall I have such a peace, about being here, that surpasses all understanding. I will be blogging at least once a week about my experiences here in Texas, but for now I will focus on what happened right before I moved. My last few weeks in Atlanta were a complete whirlwind. From Christmas parties, working, Bible studies, hanging out with friends, a wedding, going to church, packing, cleaning, and NYE service, I was one busy lady. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful memories that I created with such wonderful people during those last 2 weeks!!!

Taylor, Logan, & I in Hawaii

If you read my previous blog you know that my last update, regarding this journey, was that while I was working in Hawaii my cousin in Fort Worth said that I was always welcome in her home. I still can't believe how God perfectly orchestrated that whole thing. My last trip with The Lindsey's was bittersweet, because I had traveled to Los Angeles,  Florida, Hawaii, and various regional places with them for almost 2 years. It was hard for me to even think that they, after 2.5 years, would soon not be a part of my daily routine anymore. I pretty much spent every day with Logan since he was about 3 months old and he will be 3 in March! It was such a privilege to watch him grow up and witness so many milestones. Although I didn't know Taylor for as long I definitely got attached to her quickly, but I know that they are in great hands with their new nanny, Catherine, who is one of the sweetest people that I know. While I was in Hawaii, I really got to spend some great quality time with The Lord in the mornings at the beach and He gave me even more reassurance about moving to Texas. That week I ended up having an Uber driver from the DFW area one day, met a lady by the pool from Texas, and then on our last day saw a car with a Texas license plate.


Once I got back from Hawaii, The Lord put it on my heart to take a day of rest and I'm so glad He did. There was so much to do before I left and I needed to just sit and gather my thoughts. Thankfully The Lord had instructed me to pack at least half of my stuff before I went to Hawaii, so I had cleaned out my room and piled up bags to give away, but I still had a whole storage unit of furniture that I couldn't take with me. Around August, He had also instructed me, to give away all the furniture I had, when it was time for me to move. So I started contacting people from my church and I'm thankful that I was able to meet the needs of so many. I ended up spending most of that week trying to just enjoy my last few moments in Atlanta and create memories. I only had to work half days, which left me with more free time than usual. Initially the thought of my work hours being cut in half and having days off caused me to panic, but God reassured me that He had a greater provision for me. One of my sisters in Christ, before I left for Hawaii, had already blessed me with a monetary gift, that I wasn't expecting at all, which reassured me that I was on the right path. Still at times I felt overwhelmed and as if I was alone in this journey, but God continued to remind me that He was in control. It seemed like nothing went according to my timetable or plan the last week I was in Atlanta, but it still somehow all got done. I spent so much time that week just sitting in awe of God because even though I was often full of doubt, He always came through and sustained me. I saw so many cars with license plates from Texas the last month before I left that it almost became comical. It seemed like every time God gave me a promise or I was in the car thinking about moving, He sent a reminder to let me know that I was making the right decision. Here's just a brief synopsis of what happened in my life!



Saturday, December 26th:

I met up with a couple of my Pinky Promise sisters, some of my first friends in Atlanta, for brunch at Another Broken Egg Cafe. It was wonderful to be able to exchange faith stories and encourage each other!!! Plus my sis Sabine is getting married in April so it was fun listening to her talking about her upcoming wedding and plans for the future!!!

That afternoon I went to a rehearsal for a wedding that I would be dancing in on the 30th. Afterwards I dropped by my friend Stepphina's house to take her on a surprise date to see the Nutcracker. I was so thankful to be able to do something for someone who has supported me so much in this journey.



Sunday, December 27th:

My last Sunday at The Gathering Oasis Church, was super emotional! Worship was amazing and had me in tears just thinking about how faithful God is. My pastor, Cornelius Lindsey, led the congregation in prayer for me and I said goodbye to a lot of the people that I had come to know as my family over the past 2.5 years. It was also my last day leading our dance ministry rehearsal and it was so beautiful to see the vision God had given me, over the summer, finally taking shape. All of the Bible studies and praying had truly helped to transform these women into better daughters of God and laid a strong foundation for the ministry. Then it was off to move most of my furniture out of storage. I was very thankful that 2 of my brothers in Christ were able to help last minute with the moving of the heavier objects. I was worried how I was going to get everything out of my storage unit in time, but once again God proved to me that He already had a plan.


 Monday, December 28th- Wednesday, December 30th:

I spent most of those days working for 4 hours in the morning and then running around trying to say goodbye to friends, pack, clean, and give away more of my stuff that I couldn't take with me (storage containers, lamps, coat racks, books, clothes, etc.). My motto became if it cannot fit in my car then I'm not taking it with me to Texas. Somehow along the way I had accumulated way more than I needed and I pretty much left behind everything that wasn't a necessity. There were some things that I wanted to keep, but The Holy Spirit would say no and then there were some things that I wanted to give away that He said to keep. So even though I didn't understand I tried my best to stay Holy Spirit led in my decisions. I talked to my parents on Tuesday and we discussed me moving in fuller detail and they gave me their blessing, which definitely put me more at ease about moving. Not to say that if they hadn't fully approved of my decision that I wouldn't have been obedient to The Lord, but it was just nice to know that though they didn't understand, they were still in my corner. On Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to dance to Shekinah Glory's song "Yes" alongside my friends Marvella and Laquisha "Missy" at our friend Faithe's wedding. It was such a wonderful experience and the song really ministered to me as well, as I felt my mind and heart fully surrendering to the idea of saying yes to God and moving to Texas.

Thursday, December 31st:

My last day at work was super crazy and full of so much activity, as I was trying to make sure that Catherine had learned everything that she needed to know. On top of that I was trying to prepare spiritually to minister that night through dance. Plus I had to put my shop in the car because my check engine light was on and I didn't want to be driving to Texas with any car issues. The shop owner said that since it was the holidays it would probably be there all day. Thankfully God made a way and everything was fixed by about 12:30pm!! I was worried about the costs, but the money that my parents had given me for Christmas was almost the exact amount I needed to get everything inspected and fixed! I dropped off some last minute items at the Goodwill for donation and then headed to get ready for the NYE service. It was such a special occasion because The Gathering Oasis Church had been meeting in a movie theater since it's inception in 2013 and that night we were having our first service in our new building!!! I was so happy to be a part of the dance ministry and get to use my talents to glorify God in the new space!!

Video of The GO dance ministry ministering to "Take Over" by Anthony Evans


I couldn't believe that it was my last service at The GO before heading to Texas and it took everything in me not to break down crying. To know that you are leaving such a wonderful community of people for the unknown is super hard. I will always be thankful for the beautiful memories and lessons I learned while being at The GO. I didn't get nearly enough pictures with everyone :( but here are a couple!

Friday, January 1st:

Patricia, Chloe, & I after the prayer/worship night! 

My last day in Atlanta!!! I was so exhausted from NYE service that I took advantage of not having to work and slept in, for the first time in DAYS!! During my quiet time, I just kept asking God to give me the strength to get in the car the next day and be obedient. Then it was off to brunch with my roommate April. Afterwards a couple from my church came to get my bed and that's when it got REAL. I could not stop crying! Those who know me, know that I hardly ever cry, in fact I probably cried more that day in my entire life (no exaggeration). My dear friends Stepphina & Ta'Sean really felt led to sit down with me one more time and go over some Biblical truths & foundations, so I went to their house, but I cried through most of the session. Afterwards we headed over to a gathering with some of my friends. I didn't want a going away party. I truly just wanted to gather around with my community and worship God and pray together one last time. My dear friend Patricia let me know that it was okay to cry just as long as I got in that car, in the morning, and drove to Texas. Even if that meant I kicked, cried and screamed the whole way there and reassured me that I had people in Atlanta who loved me dearly and would be praying for me every step of the way. Then a sister in Christ, who couldn't make it to the worship night, sent me a monetary gift that was totally unexpected, which led to more tears. I was a super emotional wreck, but by the end of the night I felt empowered, at peace, full of hope, covered, protected, and humbled. It was hard saying my final goodbyes, but in my heart I know that Lord willing I will see them again. Three of my friends ended up coming over to my house and loaded the rest of my stuff in my car, helped me fold laundry, took out the trash, and organized the rest of my things. If it hadn't been for their help I would have been up all night and not gotten any sleep. So I can't even describe my gratitude for them. 

I woke up on Saturday, January 2nd, at 5am and begin to embark on a journey that started a new chapter in my life. I am forever grateful for the support of the community that I have praying for me back in Atlanta. It's easy for you to look at people on social media and be inspired by their various forms of obedience to God, but they experience real pain and struggles just like you. They may make it look like obeying God is easy, but that isn't always the case. When you obey God you are literally dying to your self and your will and that's not always pretty. You also don't see the people who are praying for them, holding them up, and encouraging them to keep moving forward. It wasn't easy saying yes to God, but I have to trust that He knows best and will never led me astray. So I would like to publicly thank my community (there are too many for me to name) for helping me to get this point of my journey and praise God in advance for the community that He will send to support me here in Texas!!!!


I will be blogging about how faithful God was during my drive to Texas and since I arrived here, in a few days. I will also be doing some Periscope updates!!! I cannot wait to continue to share with you all what God is doing and just how good of a Father He is!! Stay tuned :)


Until next time,

Cierra
xoxo


                                                                  

Jasmine & I at The GO NYE service

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