Dear Friends,
It is with a bittersweet heart that I write to you today as my very last blog post for Going Beyond Ministries. After much prayer and what I feel like is God’s prompting, I will be leaving staff here at Going Beyond and heading into the unknown.
Oh, what a wonderful journey it has been these past 4.5 years! I cannot believe that God would bring me all the way from Nashville, TN to Dallas, TX to serve here. What.a.privilege.
I didn’t know a single soul here besides the Shirers and a few “friends of a friend”. Our “office” was situated in the Shirer’s old house. Just a little room filled with papers and a printer and some boxes in a closet so we could ship resources. Just me and Jerry and Priscilla. . . my, how times have changed!
Jude was just a few months old and now he is 4 years old! I remember my first trips just like they were yesterday: Priscilla and I would head out for the airport with a car seat, plenty of diapers and wipes, and hope that there was a dark room somewhere in the church she was speaking at where we could let Jude sleep until it was time for us to head back to the hotel for the evening.
Then there was the time that I practically made Priscilla and I late for our flight due to the fact that I was in desperate need for a piece of that decadent “Molten Lava Cake” from Chilis . . . don’t judge . . . we had a layover and we deserved some chocolate! Needless to say, I was a little embarassed when I had to call Jerry and explain to him why we almost missed our flight due to a chocolate craving. OOPS!
It has been a dream fulfilled – working here. I gotta tell you, this family is way more amazing than you think they are. I feel quite privileged because while you all get to see the amazingness of what God does with Priscilla “on stage”, I get to see she and Jerry in the day to day life. And in my opinion, it’s even better! And Annetta, oh my goodness what a God-send she is! She is my partner in crime, my confident, my rock . . . you really don’t want to know what we are up to every day being together 40 hours a week . . . to say that we can now read each other’s mind before a word is spoken is an understatement. I know I will never have another Box in my life. And I don’t think I want to. I’d like to keep my memories of her just as they are!
So what am I going to be doing? Great question! I’m not quite sure yet. I do know that I will be able to serve the woman who got me this job in the first place for a few weeks in June. Her name is Ellen Olford and she is on staff at Central Church in Memphis, TN. God is so gracious to allow me to return to her and serve her for a short stint, all the while being able to spend time with my mom and sister’s family there. Then I will be off to Waco, TX to live with my brother and his family for a few months until I can figure out the next steps.
So without further ado, I bid you farewell my friends. I’m excited for YOU, and what God has in store for your lives. I’m so grateful to have been a part of this journey with you up until now. Blessings to each of you. May God do immeasurably MORE in your lives than you could even think, ask or imagine….. all for His Glory and Names sake!
Linnae Jewel
