Moving Forward Means Saying Goodbye

As my departure from Danville approaches, I have begun to have the first of many "this is the last time I _______" experiences.  Today I had a "last time" experience that was really hard for me... I went to my eye doctor for the last time.  I know for most people, this wouldn't even be a blip on their radar, but over the last 8 years, my eye doctor and his staff have become a part of our extended family. 
10 years ago this fall, I was diagnosed with uveitis, a rare eye disease that is sort of like arthritis, but in your eyes.  In the last decade, I have seen over 15 doctors, and have had numerous surgeries and laser procedures.  I have put so many chemicals into my body as we try to figure out what combination of prescriptions would make my body stop hating my eyes.  I have been poked with too many needles to count (ask me about getting shots in my eyes sometime).  And I have cried an Olympic swimming pool full of tears over how this disease has impacted my life.  Over the last decade, this disease has impacted my life physically, emotionally and spiritually and has become a defining fiber of who I am.  Because of this disease, I spent a lot of time wrestling with God about why this was happening to me and why, though I've prayed over and over for it to go away, he has yet to heal me of it.  
Wrestling is hard and at times, painful, but I've learned that when you're finished, you have had a close, intimate encounter with the one you were wrestling with.  That has definitely been true in my case.  Through my wrestling, God revealed parts of his character that I never would have seen from a distance.  Its almost like seeing something under a microscope for the first time.  He taught me about His sovereignty, His heart for the broken, and His presence in my life (just to name a few).  He also showed me where my weak points were and over and over, He reminded me that I am not strong enough to do everything on my own and that I am not in control.  I now see that pain and hardship in life are not necessarily bad things, but they are opportunities for us to learn and be refined by God. 
One source of life and safety throughout the life of this disease has been the doctor I saw today and his staff.  I enjoyed my visits and felt confident that he knew and understood both the disease and my eyes to provide the care I needed.  They also helped in lightening the financial burden of frequent doctor visits.  It was hard to tell them I'm leaving.  I don't know if I'll ever trust another man to stick needles in my eyeballs!  But I guess part of moving forward means saying goodbye. 

If you'd like to pray for me this week, please pray for my eyes, their health and for their ultimate healing.  Pray that I find a new doctor in MD that will take good care of both me and my eyes. 

Getting to know Charm City

 

Each time I travel to Baltimore, I fall more and more in love with the city! Its still sinking in that I will actually be living there in a matter of months. So I thought I'd share with you some Baltimore fun facts so you know more about where I'm going (and maybe even convince you come visit me there sometime!)
 
Baltimore's nickname is "Charm City". In the 1975, the Mayor of Baltimore was nervous about the reputation the city was getting, so he called in some of the top ad agencies in Baltimore to promote the city in a better light. In those meetings, one of the writers, Bill Evans is quoted in saying, "Baltimore has more history and unspoiled charm tucked away in quiet corners than most American cities out in the spotlight." And from there, they developed the Charm City branding.

Baltimore is a city of great American history.
Baltimore is listed as one of 9 cities that were once the capital of the United States. From December 1776 - February 1777 the Second Continental Congress met in Baltimore,out of fear that Philadelphia would be overtaken by the British, making it the capital of the US for the time. (How cool?!)
The national anthem was written in the Baltimore harbor by Francis Scott Key in 1814 while watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812.
During the Civil War, Maryland did not secede from the Union even though it relied heavily on slave work in sugar production (which was a major industry for the state at the time). This made the Union nervous, so they occupied part of the city on Federal Hill (the landmark of the neighborhood we'll be planting in) and pointed canons at the business district to ensure they stayed loyal to the Union.

Baltimore is a city of diverse culture and is home to people from many different nationalities. Baltimore is home to almost 40 museums (including a pinball museum! Who knew?) The city has a vibrant arts and music presence.

The city is home to the Orioles and Ravens, two of sports' favorite teams named after birds (they could beat a Seahawk any day!) It is also the home of some sports greats like Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken, Jr, and Michael Phelps.

Baltimore has so much good food! Their local delicacy is the blue crab. They eat crab and Old Bay seasoning on everything. One of my personal favs is crab dip on a soft pretzel or even on a burger. This week, my friend Austin said he tried a mocha with Old Bay on it. I don't know about that one, but it just shows you how much they love the stuff!

Because of it's a port city, Baltimore has a love for boating and other maritime activities. You can even ride a "Chessie Monster" (a paddle boat) in the Inner Harbor.

The first dental school was started in Baltimore, so you can credit your straightened teeth to Baltimore!

The umbrella was first introduced to the US through Baltimore and the country's first umbrella factory.

The first Catholic cathedral in the US was built in Baltimore in 1821 and became a symbol for America's religious freedom.
 
I could go on and on. Like anywhere, the best way to learn more about a city is to go there! So, next time you're on the East Coast, stop by and I'll show you around. Be sure to come for a Sunday so you can experience The Foundry once it starts too!

I am so excited about what God is doing in Baltimore and that he is letting me be part of it!
 If you'd like to partner with me in my ministry in Baltimore, you can join my prayer team and sign up for my email updates here. If you'd like to partner with me financially go here and select "Baltimore City Project" and "Lindsay Ferguson" If you'd like to meet with me to hear more about The Foundry or what I'll be doing in Baltimore, shoot me a message. I'd love to meet with you!

Til Next Time,
LindsFerg

A New Chapter Begins...

In 2007, I had just accepted a position as the Communications Director at my church and was serving as a key volunteer in our student ministry. While on a mission trip, I was asked to co-lead the next mission trip we'd be taking our high school students on the following year. I know this seems very menial and not worth much space on a blog posting, but trust me, this is a dot, we'll connect it later. I agreed to help lead the trip, no questions asked. I didn't even know where we were going. But it didn't really matter I was up for the adventure regardless. I soon found out that the trip would be to Baltimore to work with a church plant there. The idea was that our students would see 1) What a church plant was. 2.) What an urban context (that wasn't Indy) looked like, and 3)that the Church and Christianity look a little different outside of the Bible-belt. To prep for the trip, our youth pastor, Scott Ancarrow, took a scout trip to visit the church we'd be working with and find out more of what we'd be doing. Scott grew up in Maryland, and when talking with David, the pastor of the church we'd be working with, found out that fun fact about him, he challenged him by asking "Why aren't you here if you're from here? We need churches in Baltimore." This conversation really resonated with Scott and he began to marinate on the idea of one day returning to Maryland to plant a church. (you might be asking why is this important? I'm getting there, but this is another dot you need to know about.) As we prepped this trip, we did a lot of dialoging about how God was tugging on he and his wife to one day return to Maryland to plant a church. As their call became clearer to them, they started saying things to me like, "When we move to Maryland, you should come with us." And my answer was always, "Sure, find me a job and I'll go" It was easy to say yes to, partly because of my whole no questions go for the adventure attitude and partly because it was a "one day" plan. And everyone knows that "one day" plans are simply dreams and wishful thinking. You don't have to stop and ponder over them because they are far enough in the future that you don't really have to worry about the details just yet. So I didn't. This idea of Maryland became a thing between us, On a bad day in the office, we'd ask, "when do we move to MD?" And it was all this nice happy idea until 2009 when Scott and Amber went through assessment and started making plans to actually leave. It seemed like the "one day" plan had tuned to a concrete, "this is really happening" plan. And this is the moment where I went into a total panic. I hadn't really thought about this, let alone prayed much about it, but they were leaving and were still asking me to come too. So I started asking a lot of tough questions (like, "can i do this?" and "do I even like Maryland?" and "what does God think about all this?"). I talked to some good, wise friends to help confirm that I had any business even thinking about this. I began to pray about all of the life options that were before me. I knew I had 3 choices - move to Maryland, stay in Danville, but take Scott's job, or keep everything the same. I felt lost and so unsure. It was like all 3 roads I could drive down had yellow lights holding me in the murkiness of uncertainty. About 6 months later, I finally felt like God was changing the color to one of the lights... to RED. When Scott announced they were leaving, a lot of people looked to me to step up and take his place as the youth pastor, but everything in me felt like it was the wrong step. So I scratched that from the options, agreed to do youth ministry in the interim until they found the right guy (and I believe they really did find the right guy in who they eventually hired). So, our trio is down to two. (because of your incredible deduction skills you probably know which path I choose, but stay with me). I kept praying and asking for clarity in God's will for my life for another 6 months before the lack of clarity made me so desperate for a word from God on which way he was taking me. So, I took some vacation time to visit the Ancarrows in Baltimore, partly to see my friends, and partly because I just wanted an answer. So I set aside that week in prayer and asked God for that to be the deadline on His silence. (I don't recommend that, but it was where I was at the time) While I was there Scott and Amber took me to see different neighborhoods that could be the location of their plant. I don't know what was looking for, maybe a neon sign in the air saying "move here", but as we drove around the city, everything was just as it was, silent. In a few neighborhoods, I even felt this sense of unease. Was this God shutting the door to Baltimore? Maybe. By the last day of the trip, that was my deduction. The lack of a word from God was surely this light turning red. So I took some time that afternoon to journal and I mourned over the idea of Baltimore and packed my bag back up. It was a nice idea, but if I'd learned anything it was that its not wise for me to move without God's ordaining it. The next morning, we left early for the airport to see a few more neighborhoods they were looking at. As we drove through the city this time, God finally broke his silence and told me "this is where I want you". (I didn't know it at the time, but the part of the city we drove through at this point would be the neighborhood where this new church will be located - how cool!) When I got to the airport, it seemed like a cruel joke. You tell me you want me here right before I get on a plane to leave? Did I just imagine this or make more of something than it was? I landed in Indy more confused than when I left. So, I prayed more and I started fasting once a week. I read through Jeremiah and journaled and prayed. "God did you really just call me to Baltimore?" I needed to be sure before I really trusted it. And over the following six weeks God continued to confirm my call. Like Moses, I kept questioning what God was telling me. "Am I skilled for this?", "What about money?", "What about the fact that I'm single", "What about my health issues?", "What about a place to live?", and so on. But with every question, God responded with, "Lindsay, I've got this. If I'm asking you to do this, I've thought everything through." There was so much peace in those words, "I've got this." The Spirit traded the uncertainty within me for an overwhelming peace. I am called to help plant a church in Baltimore. So, in February, I went through assessment, an intense, awful, yet encouraging week of tests and simulations and was green-lighted to plant. And in May, I accepted a position with the Ancarrow's plant, The Foundry, as their Director of Local Service, Outreach and Children's Ministry. At the end of July, I'll be moving to Baltimore to start a new chapter. As one chapter ends, the next begins....