A note from Briana: I spent the morning making a mental list of what needs to be done to finish up the house. The list was very small, we are almost done! As I looked around, I started reflecting on where we've come from. We have always crammed ourselves into a small space, not really minding so much that our house was small because it was enough for our family even if it wasn't perfect. Then I started thinking about my list of 'wants' and feeling very undeserving of God granting the majority of that list..... a dishwasher, a larger kitchen, space to organize, storage, space to host, a dining room [without carpet], a guest room, furniture for the extra rooms. Even down to the tiny details.... wanting two more dining chairs so we can more easily invite others over for dinner... neighbors two doors down brought two chairs over yesterday because they are moving out and didn't want to keep them. They are nearly a perfect match. (I could share probably 8-10 more stories like that one) Sitting and thinking on all these things, I was trying to make sense of WHY God would allow provision in this manner. Why are WE on the receiving end? I feel like we should be on the GIVING end. Scott and I both have struggled with the size of this house.... being so much bigger than anything we've ever had before. Knowing God specifically GAVE us this house, I decided I just needed to pray and ask God to show me what HE wants. It is never ever about THINGS, it is always about PEOPLE and always about glorifying Him. I went to scripture to try and make sense... praying for God to show me what He wants. I came back without answers, and honestly, I was a bit frustrated. Several hours later, I sat down on the sofa and Scott says, 'Where's my Bible?'... he wanted to show me something he read this morning. Understand, we had not discussed this at all, he had no idea what was going through my mind today. This is exactly how God has been working in my life recently.... this is the scripture Scott began sharing with me... "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." 1 Tim 6:17-19 I could have NEVER said that better myself. We ARE to be on the giving end. He has provided..... He deserves Honor and Praise..... and He wants to affect the lives of others. Our job: Obedience. And For those of you who have asked for a tour, here ya go!
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Hello from Pennsylvania! We are still unpacking, but I thought I would stop for a second and give you a quick update on what has happened so far. We escaped the 90 degree weather in North Carolina to arrive to a rainy northeast. But it is absolutely gorgeous up here. We are getting all the boxes unpacked and trying to get this house looking more like our home. Through the move, we have been able to work with many of the people from First Baptist who came and helped us unload our truck (piano and all!). Then we had a bus come by (the Clarion Public Transportation) and stop to ask us some questions about our moving truck...and this happened while he was transporting passengers around! We also ran into the local mailman who delivers the mail right to our front door. He stopped us in the street on our way back from walking to the store, and he knew who we were immediately. We stood there and talked to him for a good 10 minutes. Finally, we got to meet our neighbor who is from Boston. However, his dad is born and raised in Winston-Salem, and he now has relatives who live in Kernersville, NC, where Briana and I are from!
As we get more situated, we are going to be sending out a letter to all of our partners to give a better synopsis of what is going on. We know many of you have been praying for us, and we thank you. We love you guys, and can't wait to share what God is doing as he opens doors for the gospel to be shared. In Christ, Scott and Briana Underhill "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." Luke 24:49
"While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Acts 13:2 In case you missed the title of the blog, WE ARE MOVING!!! It has been absolutely amazing to see how God prepared us these long three years for our next step to Clarion, PA. We thought 2 years ago that we were ready to go, but looking back, I am so thankful that God knows what is best. God needed us to truly understand what He meant when He said, "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you". We were not ready to be His witnesses because we did not understand we had received such power from the Holy Spirit. We were powerless, and that's not a very effective way to be God's witness! But praise God! This last year, He has taught us through His Word who He is...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It's not that we didn't know that He was the Holy Spirit...It's just that we didn't fully know the power of the Holy Spirit. So, about this moving...we are planning to move the week of May 15th. We are going to transition from Wendell to Kernersville for a couple days before heading up on May 19th. We are planning to load up the truck here on Saturday May 14th, so if you live close and can come and help, we would greatly appreciate it! Please continue to pray for us during this transition. These two weeks will fly by as we try to pack up and close up everything here. We simply want to keep our eyes fixed on Christ and, again, not get distracted by the busyness of the move itself. Pray for our safety during packing, driving, and unpacking (especially moving the piano!). Pray for us as we adjust to our new living arrangements. We know the kids are going to be excited, but at the same time, this is a HUGE change for them...new house, new city, new state, new everything. Pray for both of our families and close relationships as we all will be experiencing many emotions and new distance. Pray that God will show His purpose to us all, to give us all comfort that this is HIS plan and not our own. Lastly, please pray that we remember that we are His witnesses not only in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, but during the whole move! We are to carry His name, and depend on the Holy Spirit for direction. At this point, we are stepping out on faith because we have seen God working and moving so powerfully in Clarion. The whole week we were there, we felt Him drawing us there. Upon our arrival back home, we found no reason to stay. He put in place everything necessary to move. On our trip we nearly immediately went from 59% financial support to 69%. Early next week that 69% should be turning into 73%. We said for a while we would rely on God's direction, but we were aiming for 80% before we would be moving because we felt God would finish up our support once we were in Clarion. Once we watched Him work and move, we knew He was showing us how only HE can take care of us and provide (we hope to share a couple really awesome stories about that soon). So, this is it. I have put in my notice at work and we are now relying fully on God to support our family. We are so thankful to those of you who have held us up in prayer. We are so thankful to those of you who have been called to support us financially and have been obedient to that. Thank you for being patient and sticking it out with us! Your support has been priceless, and I know we have made it this whole time because you guys have been praying. We love you guys and we are excited to share with you what God is doing, as you share with us in this ministry. God is amazing. In Christ, Scott and Briana |