Moving Along

Today (Monday) I just randomly checked the Arizona state board of nursing online and to much joy after I searched for my name, found an RN license number next to it! This was a little earlier than I expected as they told me it would be at least 30 days from when I turned in my fingerprint card, which was like July 13th. And I think part of me just assumed there would be another complication and I would never get my license to practice. But praise the Lord! Now I can properly apply for jobs and be completely qualified (apart from my lack of RN critical care experience...minor detail). Honestly though, I feel really encouraged because a few different men who work with Chase have wives who are critical care RNs and NPs and have offered to help me out and see that my resume gets where it needs to be. I know this doesn't guarantee me a job at all, but it is nice and encouraging just to know people are willing to help. There are like a bajillion hospitals in Phoenix, not to mention like 5 adult level I trauma centers (Indiana has 2...right next to each other downtown). So I am optimistic and really praying that God is glorified through this process and not myself, because it is really easy to just do what I want to do and not follow where the Lord is directing me. And in my short 24 years, I've at least learned that if it's not in God's will, then it's not worth doing. So Chase and I are praying that the Lord leads me to the job He has laid out for me. My only fear is that it's med-surg! (just kidding -- learned about 1000 value lessons from med-surg nursing and the excellent nurses I worked with at IU, but man, you gotta be ORGANIZED to the max, and you have to really, really enjoy walking...!)

So that's probably the most exciting news I've gotten since we've been in Phoenix! I absolutely look forward to checking our mail everyday, and (if I were to be honest) Sundays are kind of a disappointment (strictly in reference to the lack of post - darn you US postal system!). Chase thinks it's pretty pathetic. We will go work out at the gym at our apartments, right next to the mail boxes, and I make us go first to our little mail box to check it, even though we leave the mail there until after our workout, then we take it out and take it home. This is not a plea for mail!! Really I just wanted to make you laugh. But the story is true.

However, we think we found a great church! We've been looking for weeks! It's an adult ministry worship service called SOMA with Scottsdale Bible Church. We went on Sunday to the main service at Scottsdale Bible, and then to SOMA (a separate service - almost like a church within a church), and it just fit. The music was so passionate and high energy, and people LOVE and FOLLOW Jesus there. We listened to a guest pastor that night who was 61 years old, and that man was solid. He loves the Lord and really preaches the Truth, and does not water it down an ounce. He definitely challenged us and the Holy Spirit really used him to convict us, and Chase and I LOVED it. We are excited to go back and get involved. There is a volleyball tournament coming up with 2 brackets - competitive and non-competitive. I'm sure you all can imagine which bracket chase and I will be in... Also- the membership is an 8 week class, and we are excited to go through that and learn more about the doctrine and vision of the church.