Scott Freeman

Moving, This Is Really The End

We finally got our phones turned on here at the new crib so we have internet access. Tomorrow I begin work in my new office setting it up. That will lead up to my first official Sunday a week from today.

I finally feel like I can catch my breath. Here’s a re-cap of what the last week has been like for us.

Sunday–We finished up the important packing. I took the big two back to the Disciples of Christ congregation because that is where they wanted to go. I was extremely disappointed with the sermon. It was on prayer and the points were patience, persistence and passion. I guess I expected more than alliteration.
We spent a large part of the day bidding farewell to friends in the Waco area. On Sunday night we went back to our old congregation. It was a fine farewell where I thanked the church for the past three years and bid them God’s blessings. We were
extremely hesitant to go but knew it was the right thing to do. We had found out on the Friday before that the Sunday evening service would be a short devotional followed by a congregational meeting about the future of the congregation. THAT was awkward.
The main reason that we were hesitant is because our closest friends while we were in Waco did not talk to us over the last few months beyond pleasantries. They went to being vocal supporters of ours to not even saying goodbye to our children before we left. Our kids loved them and they were hurt that they didn’t get to see them before we left. But it was obvious that there was no desire on their part to continue the relationship. That hurt the most.

Monday–But moving day was about new beginnings. We woke up to a perfect day for moving: upper 40s, windy and pouring down rain. I got a great deal on a moving truck. But as it slowly filled it became obvious that it was not big enough. So, after filling up the truck I went to U-Haul to see if they could hook up a trailer to a Budget truck. Luckily we were able to get the largest trailer hooked up. By the time I got back home with the trailer, however, the movers were gone and it was just me and Tracy doing the last bit. But guess what? The trailer wasn’t enough either. We finally got away from Waco about 4:00. We had a hotel in OKC that we stayed in. It was a long drive for me because the truck would typically hit 65 only on long downhill shots.

Tuesday–After a short night of sleep I got up and drove the truck the rest of the way to Ponca Village. At noon there were a large number of our new congregants there to unload. It was all done in about an hour. Then we had a few stick around to get beds put together and other bits of arranging finished. At 4:30 I got in the mini-van with both of the back seats removed and headed back to Waco to get the last bit of our stuff. At 5:30 the front left tire blew out on me on I-35. I could have waited two hours for a wrecker or change it myself on the side of the road. I opted to do it myself. That is typically no problem but it was just on the other side of a hill so it was a little disconcerting to see all of those vehicles pop out of nowhere at 75 plus miles an hour inches away from me. I was finally able to get back on the road about 8 and I drove all the way to Waco getting to my hotel about 1:30.

Wednesday–I spend the morning getting everything loaded up, the house cleaned and ready for the landlord, and some banking work done before heading back. I arrived in Fort Ponca around 8:00 Wednesday night. I decided to buy a Sirius radio for the drive home (seriously, we are not going to have Ponca Junction radio as our only choice) so I was blessed with NFL talk and the Bruce channel. They actually played the Staples concert I saw The Boss give back in 1999. See ya, XM.

Thursday–Another full day as our two oldest children both started school. We were nervous how they would do but, after scrambling to get them to their two respective campuses, they both fell in love with their teachers. After that I went to urgent care. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I woke up Sunday night with a pain in my side. I have Shingles. Isn’t that a fitting end to the most stressful six months of my life?

Friday and Saturday–Lots of unpacking. My dad came to help and we got most everything done.

Sunday–I got to sit and hear a great sermon and class from one of our members. It’s been a blessing to be here already. We finally got online and I can turn my attention to a new work.

We have been so tremendously blessed this week, even in the midst of all the things that went wrong. We have never been more embraced by a church family so quickly. The pace, attitude and spirit of the congregation is such a great fit for us. They genuinely seem to be glad that we are here. Our hope and prayer is that this is our last move. That we have finally found our home and our place and from everything we have experienced so far that seems to be the case.

I’m sure I’m forgetting stuff but I’ll fill in the gaps as we go along. Any questions about our move?