In my decision to move here months ago, I knew that I would want to quickly find a church that I could call home. Three days after I found such a church, I ended up having my hurt-back-syndrome and have been out of commission for last 5 weeks. This left me in such a strange place-a place that I'd never been in before…a very frustrating place.
You see, I am fully aware that we are created for relationships. We are created for community. But here I've been, not able to physically handle going to church, or most places (like work), to meet people! I haven't been able to go a stranger's house to join their small group, or anything like that. I've had great roommates to talk with every now and then, and wonderful far-away-friends who I've been able to chat with online, or talk with on the phone. But, get this…I haven't "had coffee" with anyone in a REALLY LONG TIME. I know, I know…this is crazy. I haven't had dinner or lunch with anyone in my home (outside of my roommates), anyone else's home, or a restaurant. I haven't been to a movie, or gone shopping, or gone for a walk, or…anything with anyone else in a REALLY LONG TIME.
If you know me, you're sitting there thinking, "wow, that's so not Kim!". I mean, even if I've been in busy seasons (like fall usually is) I've been able to do a walk, or coffee, or something with a couple of people. So this has been my life! And I've been, more than ever before in my entire life, CRAVING COMMUNITY. I miss praying with friends, and having dinner with my neighbors (miss you Gocke's and Myers:), and small group every Thursday, and worship practice on Sunday morning, and meeting with the leadership team once a month, and watching shows with Jen/making brownies with Jen/napping on Sunday afternoons on the living room couch with a friend on the other couch…I miss all of these things and more. And while the people that I have valued can never, ever be replaced, I have been dying for that type of community once again!
So, yes, this has been quite a strange transition for me, because if I were hurting and still in Michigan, all of those things would still be in my life. But for some reason, and I think God's always in favor of helping us to develop other perspectives to have empathy for others, I am here to experience all of this.
Let in my next post, allow me to share today's experience with you…it just deserves its own post:)
Memoirs of a Redhead 
I’m Emily’s sister, and don’t even remember how I found your blog, but I just wanted to say that I have experienced a lot of ‘missing’ community…If you have met my family at all(and I’m pretty sure you have, I believe we met at Em and Phil’s wedding), you know that we are people who are around people and love people, so when I moved to New Mexico after getting married over 3 years ago, my life was TOTALLY changed! I began attending the church that my husband has attended his entire life, and found that the people here were much more conservative in their relationships, and I was not only unhappy here, but felt that therer was not much to offer me. It was heartbreaking, and I responded in bitterness. I hated it here, and told everyone that i was not going to live here forever. Well, it’s been over 3 years, but I am finally finding that sometimes I feel like there’s not enough time for all of the great pepole in our lives, and theres still a desire to do more and to be more. It’s wonderful. I feel so blessed to have the friends that we have in our lives, and love the closeness that God has put there- the bond is great, and there’s so much love. I realize that this isn’t exactly what your situation has been, but I do understand gaining a different perspective, and this is just something that I’ve felt so blessed with lately. 🙂
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