New Normal

Messy Mashed Potato Making

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Blogger Friends!  Some of you have been wanting an update on our move and so I figured the day after Thanksgiving is a perfect day to cozy in, grab a cup of tea, slip on my slippers and share with you a bit of life in Arizona.

Thanksgiving was so fun! I was in charge of mashed potatoes for 25 people, as you can see from my messy stove, I rocked it!   Ron & Patricia, the founder of the church and

Jason Being Baptized

ministry we are hoping to partner with, had us over for dinner.  Patricia has been a huge influencer (mentor) in my life (and John's) over the last 15 years.  We treasure her and what she carries as a Prophet and Minister on the earth.  There was so much delicious food, more than we could begin to eat, we met many beautiful people, and one of the highlights for me was having a gentleman from India who is in training for the coming Olympics baptized in Ron & Patricia's freezing cold pool (I'll post a video of it on my FB page).  So awesome!!  We ended our evening with a super fun game that had me almost crying laughing at times.  So, if you must be away from family on the holidays, this was definitely the way to spend it.

We are loving it here.  We feel like we have come "home".  The climate is a lot like Africa where John grew up.  This time of year is so beautiful.  It's cold in the mornings and evenings and somewhere between 60-75 degrees during the day.  The sunsets are glorious here.  This is one from my friend, Melissa's house the other night.

The kids are enjoying their school, although Destiny is really missing her friends.  It's a pretty rough group of kids from a lot of brokenness but they are making friends, Destiny is already witnessing for Jesus, and  as you know - they are rockin their uniforms. :-)

We are leasing a Bed & Breakfast that needs a lot of TLC.  I am still unpacking and I hope to get to the Casita (guest house) next week and begin to unpack and decorate it.  We have tons of yard work, but it's so beautiful.  The property is full of mature saguaro cactus'.  In fact today a friend is coming out to our property to do a photo shoot since the cactus' are so beautiful.  John just got the heater in the pool and hot tub working so he is happy to be entering back into his morning swim routine.  It's

Censored Photo used with "Permission" :-)

wild to step outside and swim in your own pool instead of go to the club.  I will try to take some pictures and post them in the month ahead.  We were invited with our church group to take a camping trip to the beach in Mexico in a couple weeks, but I'm not sure we will be able to make it.  We have some of my family coming for Christmas and we still have lots of unpacking, decorating, painting, cleaning to do - we'll see! :-)  Would absolutely LOVE to be on the beaches in Mexico but we would also love for our house to be a Christmas delight for the Wenger's.

I just finished a Glory School a couple weeks ago.  Great review on  the presence and person of God and the supernatural.  I think I had taken the same school about twelve years ago, but this was good review.  Unfortunately, it was right after we moved and I was soooo tired from packing and unpacking I kept fighting sleep.  At one time the glory of God came upon me so deeply that I thought my cheeks were going to be pulled to the floor.  I have never experienced the manifest presence of God quite that deeply.  I often get a heavy feeling starting at the top of my head and moving down my shoulders but this was bit more intense.  I kept sliding down my chair as the weightiness of His presence increased.  Thankfully I was not flattened. God is so big!  So amazing!  So incredible!  Soon after that experience I had a beautiful prophesy over me - wish I had been more alert to record it.

One of the highlights for me these past couple weeks was an evening with

Destiny, Nita & Patricia Praying

Patricia and friends and them prophesying over Destiny and I.  You know those prophesies that are such a witness to your spirit and also confirm other words spoken over you - well it was one of those times.  In fact, Robert had a word for me that was almost identical to a word given me the day of our move from Sacramento when a gal stopped in at our house to buy a couch off of Craigslist and ended up prophesying over John and I.  Robert had no idea of this previous encounter.  Isn't that just too fun!  Needless to say, I (and Destiny) felt opulently spoiled. ahh!

This past week I attended a Women in Ministry Network training.  Patricia King taught the entire two days as women from all over the states came together for the training.  It was again wonderful, Biblical, foundational material, with good insights and concrete practical applications.  It felt so rich to be sitting on the front row just eating good spiritual truths.  The last night, Patricia anointed everyone with oil that she brought back from Israel and it became a Holy Spirit anointing party as pastors, leaders and ministers of the gospel were laid out on the floor.  Never a dull moment around here. :-)

Live Studio - Different Taping

I also had a chance to sit in on a live taping that Robert Hotchkin's and Patricia King were taping in their TV Studio.  So fun!  I was on the front seat learning about God's Law of Attraction.  What a hoot!  So, with all this fun training going on, it's not wonder my dinning room is still in boxes. :-)  God is good!

Simeon on Top of the Mountain

We are in an area of Arizona with high drug and illegal immigrant human trafficking.  The other day we were out hiking on a mountain and border patrol stopped to check us out.  The officer informed me (graciously) that I  now live in Arizona and he advised me to "Pack".  Pack?!!?  What on earth?!  It's not every day you are out taking a hike by your property and are told by an officer that you should be packing a gun for safety.  I can write more in months ahead about what is happening around our area with the Mexican Drug Cartel but suffice it to say, I have my work cut out for me in prayer.  This is not okay, and I am putting my faith towards a shift in the atmosphere and  corridor that we live in.

John, Simeon & Steve

This morning Simeon and John are out hiking a mountain with a friend!  Simeon is so totally in his element!  He is living the outdoor dream! :-)

Well, that's a little update on us, for those who have been asking.  We are happy and feeling like this relocation is in step with what God is doing in our lives and of course sunshine baby!  I think we have found lots of it!   We are feeling like this was definitely a "suddenly" of God or as my friend, Tatiana would say, "God is about to catapult you into an entirely new season" . . . and He did!  It's a comfort to know that those nine months of WAITING and hearing from God but being in a waiting pattern have finally converged and tipped us over into Maricopa.  "Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him."  ~Isaiah 64:4

Hello

Hello Blogger Friends!  This week life is moving forward full swing.  A little update on our "New Normal" . . .  I continue to unpack and prepare for some time away at an XP Ministry training event, the kid's started school and John is on his second week of a new position working remotely with a company based out of San Francisco.    So far the children have been really enjoying school, making friends and trying to adjust to getting up much earlier and home much later.  A huge change for them is that they have to wear uniforms.  At first it was kind of a big deal, but I have not heard much grumbling since it was established that, "this is just how it's going to be"!  Simeon already looks a year or two older to us in his outfit and Destiny is indeed rocking it!

Already there are some things about this geographical area that are unfolding for us with a sense of expectancy and purpose in why God brought us here.  I am excited and will share more in the future with pictures and a little of what is happening around us that I see as a divine set-up and Kingdom assignment.

Here is a family photo of us on our front porch this Sunday before our first morning at Shiloh Fellowship.  We had a good first day of church.  Friendly, people came along side us, we were called out and welcomed and prophesied over, had a great sermon by Robert Hotchkin.  Lovely first day!  Very thankful for the Body of Christ in Maricopa and excited to be a part of what God is doing here.  

Sunrise Over The Desert

Sunrise from our back yard

Sunrise over the hills

Good Morning from Maricopa, AZ!  This is the first morning in weeks, that I am up early, and feel like I almost got enough sleep. :-)  I watched the sunrise this morning over the desert with a quiet beauty.  I could not hear the motorcycles kicking into high gear as they accelerate through the Sacramento morning streets, I could not hear the big recycling trucks picking up garbage or people opening garage doors and starting cars for their morning commute into the city.  No, it's beautifully quite country at our new home.  I Love it!!  Here are some photos from the sunrise this morning.

I will take some photos for the blog in the days ahead but we are busy unpacking.  John has his office mostly set up and is back to work.  He loves it here and feels like he has come home, as the terrain is a lot like Africa where he is from.

Simeon is in his element!  He straps

on a BB gun, pocket knife and walkie-talkie and disappears into the brush. He is so happy to be living in the country.  Destiny loves her new room that is about twice the size as the last one.  She is busy getting it all set up and devouring her latest book.  They start school on Monday and really liked what they saw of their new school after a tour this week.

I am surrounded by rooms that need to be unpacked and fall into bed exhausted in the early hours of the morning.  Thankful that we now have clothes to wear and soon dishes to eat on. :-)  Moving (when you are blessed with lots of stuff) is a huge undertaking.  I'm hoping that this is the last move for many, many years!  It's already feeling like home and I have really enjoyed the people I have met and am loving the rural feel.  So far, I do not miss the city at all. :-)  It's a whole new world here - a new normal.

Tomorrow we meet our new church friends and that will be great!  I need to do a little shopping for a few more items for Destiny's school as she wears uniforms.  I had to run an errand yesterday and found a Krsipy Kreme, Ross, Target, Sams Club, Buffalo Wild Wings and much more, so I guess 30 minutes or so from here where we do our shopping is not too shabby! :-)

Moving Road Trip

Caravan of Four Vehicles

Here are a few pictures from our Moving Road Trip to Arizona.  I was so sad that I did not take more pictures of our move for you guys to see, but here are a couple.  We left Sacramento on Friday evening and arrived in Maricopa on Sunday evening.  My brother, nephew and niece flew out from Oregon to help us drive and we really enjoyed our time with them.

Gas Stop

We were a caravan of four vehicles, it was slow moving and we communicated via walkie-talkies and Voxer. We stopped to see my cousin Ken and his family in Fresno and had a lovely breakfast together on Saturday.  Otherwise we ate out and stayed in nice hotels.  A five hour day could take us nine hours as we crawled through mountain areas, had to stop and fill every vehicle with gas at gas stops, fulfill everyone's bathroom and food needs - it was amazing how much time a caravan takes.  But oh such a great memory.

Destiny, Simeon, Samuel & Moriah

Samuel was stellar at driving our SUV and travel trailer.  Tim handled one of the big moving vans, and we felt so bad when we realized after most of the trip was over that he did not know how the AC worked so he had his windows down going through the dessert.  Thankfully it was fall.  :-)   John had a moving van with a trailer and I stuck with my mini-van with Moriah's help driving.

We arrived safe and sound in Maricopa on Sunday night, picked up the keys to our new house and dropped off vehicles, before heading out to our last meal together and hotel for the night.  So thankful for protection, a good trip and great family time.

                                   Samuel, Moriah, Aunt Nita & Tim