God's Will, God's Way, in God's Time

When we first started planning our move, there were two big obstacles that caused me some anxiety. The first obstacle we had to overcome was selling our house in Pennsylvania. The house was over 100 years old, and it was in pretty bad shape. I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to find a buyer, but I tried to put the whole thing in God’s hands and trust that He would work it out.

We had already decided to sell the house “as is,” rather than sinking a lot of money into fixing it up. Therefore, a private buyer was pretty much out of the question, since the house would never pass inspection and no bank was likely to approve a loan on the house in its current condition.

We therefore had to find someone who was independently wealthy and fond of fixing up old houses or a company that buys “fixer uppers” and flips them. Since the first option was not very likely, we decided to try the second option.

I did some research online for companies that buy houses, but most of them were not in our area. Shortly before Paul and I moved down here, I happened to look on the back of our church bulletin and saw an ad for Stonegate Management, a local company that manages properties in Southern York County. That sounded promising, so I checked their website and discovered that they do in fact buy houses. I gave their information to Bob so he could check them out when he was ready to sell the house.

Before we could sell the house, we had to get everything out of it. I tried to get rid of as much as I could before Paul and I left for Texas, but there was still quite a bit of stuff that Bob had to deal with. He was still working full time, so it took about him about six weeks to get everything cleared out. Finally, by the end of October, Bob was ready to look for a buyer. By that time, he was living in a nearly empty house, sleeping on an air mattress, and getting by with a few essentials.

Thankfully, God was merciful, and Stonegate Management was interested in the house. They made us an offer, not as much as Bob had hoped to get, but at least it was better than nothing, so Bob accepted their offer. Before we could actually transfer the property, though, we had to overcome our second obstacle: Bob had to find a job.

Bob’s intention from the beginning was to transfer from the Walmart in Shrewsbury to a Walmart in Temple, so he wouldn’t lose his benefits and vacation. Back in September, he had switched to day shift and had started a new job in customer service. He really liked the job and hoped to find something similar down here.

There are four Walmarts within a half hour of our apartment here in Temple, but the closest one is on 31st Street, just a few blocks from here. In November, Bob put in transfer requests at all four stores, but did not get any bites at first.

Since most stores cut hours after Christmas, Bob said that if he didn’t get a job by December, there probably wouldn’t be any openings until the spring. I had visions of him being in Pennsylvania for another six months, but I prayed and asked others to pray that God would intervene. Through all this, Bob had the right attitude. He told me that he just tried to remember: “God’s will, God’s way, in God’s time.” We just needed to trust that God would work everything out.

At the end of November, Bob contacted the new Walmart on Adams Street in Temple. They did not have any openings, so they suggested he call the 31st Street store. That store did not have any openings either, but they said they were thinking of creating a new full time customer service manager position and asked if he would be interested.

Bob wasn’t really interested in a management position because of the added stress, but he had to get a job, so he decided to apply for the position with the hopes that he could eventually transfer to something less stressful. Once Bob verified that he had a job, he worked out the details with Walmart, set up a date to settle on the house, got plane tickets to fly into Houston, and made arrangements to store his car in a garage for a month. His last day of work at the Shrewsbury Walmart was to be December 18, and his first day of work in Temple was to be on the 21st.

About two weeks before his scheduled transfer, the personnel manager at the Temple Walmart called Bob at work to do a formal job offer on the phone. She started reading him the details for the CSM position, but was interrupted by someone. She put him on hold for a few minutes, then came back on the line and said, “I’m sorry, but apparently the CSM position you applied for has been filled. The only position we have is for a customer service representative.”

When I heard about this, I was blown away. I could clearly see the hand of God at work. Trusting in God, Bob had applied for a job he didn’t want; then, without doing anything on his own, he ended up with exactly the job he had wanted in the first place. Besides that, of the four stores in the area, the only one with an opening was the one closest to our apartment. God is so good, especially when we put our trust in Him!

That last week in Pennsylvania was a bit of a whirlwind for Bob. He checked into a hotel after work on Monday, the 14th, settled on the house on the 15th (our 36th wedding anniversary), and worked for the last time in Shrewsbury on the 18th. Very early on the 19th, he dropped his car off at a garage, where his sister picked him up and drove him to the airport. He flew into Houston, visited for a few hours with Liz and Charles and Genevieve, then drove for over three hours to Temple.

Bob arrived here about 8:30 that night, exhausted but glad to finally be reunited with me and Paul. Thanks to all who have been praying for us for the past six months, and especially for the past three months. We are truly blessed by your faithfulness and love.

Our New Spiritual Home

Although the past ten days have been pretty intense, Temple is already feeling like home. One of the main reasons for that is our new parish here in Texas. The first thing Paul and I did the day after we arrived was to go to the church and get registered.

From the very first moment we stepped into St. Luke’s, we felt welcomed and loved. Many people have recognized us as newcomers and have introduced themselves and welcomed us to the community.

As far as getting involved in parish life, Paul and I just dove right in. I figured that was the best way to meet people and make new friends.

Last Wednesday, we joined a Bible study on the book of Acts. Today was our second class, and we are enjoying it so far. I must confess that I felt a little out of place last week, though, when I discovered that all four of the other women in the class are nurses or retired nurses (one of the consequences of living in a town where health care is the main industry). There are also several men in the class, including one who is about Paul’s age.

On Thursday night, there was a dinner for the women of the parish, and one of the women at daily Mass invited me to come. It was very nice, and I got to meet a lot more people. It was freezing in the parish hall where the dinner was held, and I had forgotten to bring a jacket, so the woman sitting next to me went out to her car and got a jacket for me. I felt blessed to be with so many thoughtful and loving women.

On Saturday morning I attended a meeting of the “Blessed Women,” a group of about ten women that meet once a month. This month they started a study of the book of Ruth. It was a great group, and the Bible study was very interesting.

On Sundays the parish has “Coffee and Donuts” (which now includes a hot breakfast as well) after the 8:00 morning Mass. Paul and I attended this past Sunday and met even more wonderful people. Two of the ladies had noticed us at daily Mass, and they befriended us. They even invited us to join their faith sharing group on Monday morning, which we did.

Paul is hoping to get involved with the young adult ministry (“YAMS”) here. They used to meet on Tuesday nights, so Paul went up to the church last night, but there was no one there. Apparently they have been inactive for a while, but are in the process of trying to get the group going again.

It’s amazing how much St. Luke’s reminds us of St. John’s. They pray the rosary, and sometimes the Divine Mercy chaplet, every day before Mass, and they even end the rosary with the prayer to St. Michael, just like at St. John’s.

St. Luke’s has an amazing lending library. They must have thousands of books, and the whole back wall is just DVD’s, all of which have been screened for suitability. They even have a copy of Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism series, as well as all kinds of mysteries and classics (including Alfred Hitchcock and most of the Agatha Christie movies). They also have music CD’s, audio books, and a whole section of children’s movies. I can hardly wait to make use of the library when I have time.


I feel so blessed that God has brought us to this parish, and I look forward to all that he wants to do in and through us here. Please pray that we continue to hear and respond to God’s call as we work with our new parish family in building up the Kingdom of God.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Well, we have now been in Texas for a little over a week. So much has happened this past week, it seems more like a month. We flew out of BWI on Saturday, the 19th, and arrived in Houston about 1:00 in the afternoon.

After grabbing some lunch on the way back from the airport, we headed for Liz and Charles’ house to relax for a little while. They had plans to take us to Kemah and meet up with Charles’ family for dinner. However, once again, God had other plans.

Two days before we left for Houston, Paul had smashed his thumb pretty badly in a car door. By the time we arrived at Liz’s house on Saturday, it was looking pretty nasty, and Liz thought he should get it looked at. Therefore, Paul and Charles and I spent the next 3-4 hours in the emergency room at the VA in downtown Houston. They x-rayed the thumb to make sure it wasn’t broken, but did nothing to treat the swelling. The P.A. said to put ice on it, and that the blood would re-circulate on its own. Although it was frustrating to wait all that time for nothing, it did give us an opportunity to pray for the other people in the emergency room.

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. We had a nice visit with Charles’ family in the afternoon, and had a chance to play Clue with Liz and Charles and Charles’ brother and sister in the evening. Of course, the highlight of the weekend was spending time with our precious patata, Genevieve.

We left Houston about 10:30 Monday morning to drive to Temple. Paul and I went to Mass and breakfast first, in an attempt to avoid rush hour traffic in downtown Houston. However, there was a terrible accident on I-45, and traffic was practically at a standstill for about an hour.

To make matters worse, the air conditioning in the car had gone up and was blowing out hot air. We eventually turned off the AC and opened the windows, but with temperatures in the 90’s and no air moving because of the backup the car quickly became a sauna.

I’m afraid that I was way too focused on how hot I was, and I did a lot of complaining. Paul, on the other hand, had the right idea. As soon as he saw that there was an accident, he started praying the Divine Mercy chaplet for those in the crash. He also led us in the rosary and the chaplet for the sick and dying. As soon as we finished the second chaplet, the traffic cleared (right in front of the St. Joseph Medical Center), and we started moving again. Although the ride through Houston was quite an ordeal, Paul and I both felt that God had placed us there for a reason. We never saw the accident, but I later learned that someone died in it.

Because of the heat, we made several stops, so it was about 5:00 in the evening by the time we arrived in Temple. We were hot and exhausted, but we were very thankful to finally be “home.” We did not have any furniture yet, so we spent the next few days eating meals at the kitchen counter and sleeping on the floor.

On Thursday, we took the car to a local repair shop to get the AC looked at. Unfortunately, it was not going to be a simple job, so we had to leave the car overnight. Thankfully, the owner of the shop lent us a car, so that we could get home and get to anywhere we needed to go.

While we were at the repair shop, the moving company called to say that our stuff would be arriving on either Friday or Saturday, and that the truck driver would call us about 30 minutes prior to arrival. Our delivery window was Sept. 20-Oct. 5, so I was thankful that the actual delivery was going to be earlier rather than later. We had already scheduled an appointment to get our internet hooked up on Friday, plus the car would probably be ready sometime that afternoon, but I trusted God to work out all the details.

The cable technician came about 10:30 Friday morning, and we were finally able to connect to the internet again. Shortly after the technician left, I got another call from the moving company saying that the truck would arrive between 3 and 5 that day.

About 2:30 that afternoon, a thunderstorm popped up out of nowhere, and it started to pour. About 2:45 the truck driver called and said that he was 15 minutes away. When the truck arrived, it was like a monsoon outside our apartment.

The movers decided to wait a few minutes to see if the rain would let up, so I took that opportunity to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. As soon as I finished praying, the driver knocked on the door, and he and his helper began bringing in our furniture and boxes. By that time, the rain had dwindled to just a drizzle and eventually stopped altogether. God had been merciful once again. Within 2 to 3 hours, the movers had everything unloaded and were on their way.

Almost as soon as the movers left, the owner of the repair shop called to say that the car was ready. I was amazed by how well the day had gone. It was clear to me that God had been with us, perfectly orchestrating every detail of the day.

After the movers left I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of stuff, but we’re slowly working our way through the boxes. Since we will hopefully be moving into a house in about 6 months, I probably won’t bother unpacking some of the stuff, but I still need to figure out a place to put the boxes in the meantime. Please pray for me that I can stay focused and not get overwhelmed.

Phase 3

When I first scheduled our move, the moving company gave me a 3 day window for the pickup of our furniture in PA. They said that the truck would arrive on Sept. 16, 17, or 18, and that they'd give me 24-48 hours notice of the actual date. I was hoping for one of the later dates, so that I'd have more time to finish packing. However, God had other ideas.

While I was on the plane to head back home from Houston, the truck driver called and left a message. He asked if it would be possible to pick up our stuff on the 15th! If that was not possible, he said he could come on the 16th.

We didn’t arrive back in town until almost dinner time on the 14th, so I knew there was no way I could be ready by the 15th. Even the 16th was pushing it, but by the grace of God, we were able to get everything packed up in time.

I must admit, though, that it was not a pretty sight at our house on Tuesday night. It had been a very long and stressful day, and I was exhausted. As my husband will probably attest, by the time I went to bed about 2:00 Wednesday morning, I was not a “happy camper.”

I got up at 5:00 Wednesday morning to finish the packing. The driver had given me a window of 7-10 A.M. for the pickup time, and thankfully it was close to 10 before he arrived.

I was very impressed with the two movers. They were very efficient and had everything packed in the truck by about 2:00. Our stuff is now on its way to Texas, with an estimated arrival date between September 20 and October 5.

God's mercies are new every morning

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness."


Thanks for all the prayers last week as Paul and I made our journey south. We left on Tuesday morning and arrived in Temple on Friday afternoon. Although the long drive was exhausting, and at times stressful, we could really feel God’s presence with us.

All along the way, God kept reminding us that he was with us. During one of the most stressful moments of our trip we passed a huge billboard that said, “Trust in Jesus.” During the last leg of our journey, as we were passing through downtown Houston, Paul pointed out the “St. Joseph Professional Center.” I looked up just in time to see a billboard right beside the building with the word “TRUST” in big, bold letters, another reminder for us to trust in God and to entrust ourselves to the intercession of St. Joseph. Later that night, as we came out of a restaurant, I noticed a small truck parked near our car. On the side of the truck were the words: “God’s mercies are new every morning.”

Every morning, before setting out for the day, Paul and I prayed and committed the day to the Lord. Each night we thanked God for being with us and invoked the help of the archangels, particularly St. Michael. In the “Prayer before a Journey,” we asked God to “grant us, we beseech Thee, safe journey and favorable weather…”

The weather forecast, at least for Texas, was not very favorable that week, with the likelihood of storms almost every day. However, God was very faithful. For the most part, the weather was dry and somewhat cooler than it had been. We only passed through heavy rain a few times, and almost each time the rain only lasted a few minutes. Because there were storms in the area, though, we were able to witness some pretty amazing skies:


Paul got sick about halfway through the journey, so I ended up doing all the driving for the last 3 days. I usually have trouble staying awake for even short trips, so I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to drive each day. However, God was faithful again and enabled me to stay awake and alert. We made frequent stops, but I was able to drive for about 8 or more hours a day, which was quite miraculous.

We arrived in Temple at almost exactly 3:00 (“the hour of Divine Mercy”) on Friday afternoon, another sign, I thought, that God was with us.

After signing the lease, getting the keys, and unloading the car, we headed for Houston to spend the night with Liz and Charles. By the time we left Temple, though, it was starting to get dark. My night vision is not what it used to be, so we had to stop for the night on the outskirts of Houston, about an hour from Liz’s house.

When we arrived at Liz’s house on Saturday morning, we all piled into their rental car and set out for a family gathering in Louisiana. It was another long ride, but I didn’t have to drive, and I got to spend plenty of time hanging out in the back seat with Liz and Genevieve.


We had a wonderful visit with Charles’ family and arrived back in Houston safely on Sunday night. Thus ended Phase 2 of our big move to Texas.

Phase 2

D-Day has arrived! Tomorrow it will be Paul’s and my turn to make the long trek from PA to Texas. We are both scrambling to get everything packed up, so that we can leave here bright and early tomorrow morning.

It’s hard to believe this day has finally come. There is still plenty to do, but I’m trusting God that whatever must get done will get done at the right time. Please keep us in your prayers over the next few days. We hope to arrive in Temple sometime on Thursday.

Mission Accomplished!

Mission accomplished! Bob returned home from his long journey today. He completed the drive in three days and arrived in Houston just in time to have dinner with Liz, Charles, Charles’ siblings, and Baby G. He set out before dawn this morning to catch a 6:15 flight and arrived here a little before noon. Thanks to all who were praying for him.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the big move has begun. Bob left here about 10:00 this morning to drive my car to Houston. We packed up his car with boxes, a suitcase, some snacks for the road, and all his electronic gadgets. If all goes well, he should arrive in Houston just in time for Charles’ birthday on Wednesday. Please pray for safe travels for him as he heads out on this long journey.

New Beginnings

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 29:11)

This week has been party week for us: two farewell parties with family and two with church friends. I was very blessed by the outpouring of support from everyone, even though most of them don’t want us to leave.

The reality of leaving this town and my family and friends hasn’t really sunk in yet. I expect that it will hit me hard next week when Paul and I head out for that long drive to Texas. I plan to keep in touch with people through my blogs and through Facebook, e-mail, and snail mail, but that’s not the same as having a face-to-face conversation with someone.

One of the hardest things to leave is our parish here at St. John’s and our parish “family.” When we first decided to move to Pennsylvania from Maryland over seventeen years ago, the first thing we did was look for a good Catholic church and a house nearby, preferably within walking distance of the church.

We couldn’t have made a better choice. We felt welcomed here from the very first moment we entered the church. Over the years St. John’s has been a real “home” for us, where our faith has been nourished and our lives enriched.

As we began to plan our move to Temple several months ago, my first priority was to find an active Catholic parish with many opportunities for spiritual growth, fellowship, and service. My research led me to St. Luke Catholic Church, which is less than two miles from our apartment in Temple.

St. Luke’s offers many Bible studies and has an active women’s group and young adult group. Also, the parish has joined with the two other Catholic parishes in Temple to run an outreach center which serves the poor of the community. Paul and I hope to get involved with charitable works once we move, and I’m hoping that this outreach center will be the perfect place to start. We also hope to continue our study of the Bible, so I have already signed up for a study on the Acts of the Apostles.

When we moved up here in 1998, we left behind a parish that we loved, and it was just as hard to leave then as it is now. Knowing how much God blessed us in our last move gives me confidence that He will do the same this time as well, in our new parish. I’m trying to keep in mind these verses from one of my favorite psalms (Psalm 139:7-10):

“Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend to heaven, thou art there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there thy hand shall lead me,
and thy right hand shall hold me.”

Wherever I go, God’s Spirit goes with me, and that is all that really matters. I just need to trust in God that, if I listen, his Spirit will lead me wherever I need to go and will show me what I need to do.

Taking the next step

With our move to Texas becoming a reality, over the next few weeks I expect to experience a roller coaster of emotions, ranging from excitement to panic. I hope, though, that in the midst of the chaos my overall attitude will be one of faith and thanksgiving.

When we first started seriously planning our move many months ago, I was beginning to wonder if we were making the right decision. We were preparing to leave our home of 17 years, our family, and many friends, to move to a city we had never even seen. Were we crazy, I wondered. I asked God to give me direction, and he was very quick to answer my prayer.

A few days later I was reading my daily meditation in The Word Among Us, and one section of the meditation really touched me. The Mass reading for that day was the story of Tobiah and Sarah from the book of Tobit. The reflection focused on marriage and the trust in God that married couples need to “move forward into the future.”

The meditation ended with this exhortation: “If you feel God nudging you down a certain path, know that he will be traveling down that path with you as well. So go ahead, and take that next step. Remember all the past times that you’ve seen the Spirit move in your life, and know that he will grant you joy as you step into the future he has planned for you.”

The answer couldn’t have been clearer. I had no doubt that this exhortation was meant for me, with regard to our move. I felt certain that God was saying, “Yes, this is my will for you. I’m asking you to trust me, and I will be with you.”

Over the past few months, when things have gotten crazy and the doubts and fears have started to creep back in, I have gone back to these words many times. I have also tried to remember God’s faithfulness in the past, especially the last time we made a big move.

Please pray for us as we “take that next step.” Pray that we can stay focused on God and that we remain open to whatever he is calling us to in our new home.