Settling Into Chicago

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been a little bit since I wrote, but again, moving is exhausting and SO time consuming.

Anyways, enough with excuses :)

So my dad and I got here on Thursday the 14th and I can't believe it's been 1.5 weeks already! I am very thankful that we had a community waiting for us as Jose Ramos and other men of the Grace and Peace Community Church (www.graceandpeacecommunity.com) in Humboldt Park welcomed us by helping us move our things into a garage and a temporary house that we will live in until next Saturday the 30th. Again, Jose Ramos and some church men will help us move into our new place. Praise God that we don't have to do it ourselves!

The first weekend went by quickly as we welcomed Anna on Friday the 15th and said good-bye to my dad on Sunday the 17th. In between, however, we saw 4 apartments in the Humboldt Area and we began to fall in love with 1 of the 4 places that we saw.

On Sunday at Grace and Peace, Pastor John Zayas called me up to the front and the whole church prayed for me and the ministry. It was great and I felt really welcomed and protected by people that don't know me at all :)

Monday was crazy as we began our all day apartment search at 9am and ended at 8pm. EXHAUSTING! None of the apartments measured up to the one we saw on Saturday so we prayed about our options and we felt that the LORD allowed us to have the desire in our heart as we signed a 1 yr. lease on Tuesday morning for our 3rd floor apartment :)

We really look forward to move in on the 30th! Even though we now have a place to call home, both Anna and I are having a hard transition as we miss our family and friends from the West Coast, but we have rest in that we are both confident that the LORD has called us into Chicago. However, please continue to pray as we transition into Chicago and grow roots in the land the LORD has prepared for us.

The rest of the week I spent trying to put the puzzle pieces together as I talked to my new boss Brett Hersma, Dan Hofford of Grace and Peace, and as I mingled with some donors and brothers in Christ on a Friday morning Bible Study. I worked during the day and connected during the evening as Anna and I had dinner with some old friends and some new ones as well. It's so so so good to be able to walk into a foreign place and see that the Universal body of Christ is at work and welcomes us with open arms. Praise God!!

There's lots of work to be done and I know that I need to breathe, relax, and get on my knees to see what the LORD has planned for this place and not what I want to do. Please continue to pray that the LORD reveal His vision for Humboldt Park and Hermosa.

In Him,
Pablo