This Chapter is Closed.

Those who know Nick and I best will not be in the least surprised by this post.  My heart is to pull the curtains back away from the window into our hearts and what the Lord has been doing. 


I have often wondered over the past few weeks how one should go about making a life-defining decision.  This is one that will inevitably affect my immediate family, my closest friends, and the people I care for the most.  I wish the Lord would -quickly- provide writing in the sky to give us wisdom of how to make this decision.  We have pleaded and prayed and have not come up with a solution that will leave everyone involved untouched.  I do feel, however, that these situations that can only be a piece in the puzzle of God's plan must touch all of our hearts - He is moving and using this to touch us all.

Almost two years ago, Nick and I made the decision to move to Jacksonville, North Carolina to prepare for Nick to assume the position as part-time youth director at Tar Landing Baptist Church.  We prayed a lot about it, and felt complete peace that making this "big" move was the right decision.  I was in the middle of my senior year at Liberty, and we took the steps needed to sign me up for online classes to finish my undergrad.  We found a rental home in two days, and moved four days before Christmas in 2009. 

Throughout the past year and a half, the Lord has done quite a work in our hearts and lives.  We fell in love with about twenty-five precious middle-school and high-school kids who made us smile, and encouraged us to be better people and challenged us in our own walk with the Lord.  It was exciting for us to watch God begin to romance some of the student's hearts and we prayed fervently for them.  Still, the work was not easy...of course, it shouldn't be.  I had to have a real wake up call many times before the Lord as I died to the plans I had envisioned for myself and our family and watched God's plans for us be better...time and time again.  My theme for the past year would definitely have to be that God's plans are always better. 

Even before Adrian was born, Nick and I spent a lot of time in the middle of the night awake and praying for guidance and wisdom over how to effectively lead this youth group through the joys and extreme difficulties that came with it.  The Lord used the most difficult times in our lives to bring us closer to each other and Him.  I know I will look back on this chapter in our lives as a very precious thing as I have countless memories of whispered prayers through tears over clasped hands.  I have shared some of these moments with you in this blog, using this as an outlet to share my heart when I was hurting the most as well as when my heart was overwhelmed with gratitude, amazed at how the Lord orchestrates every single detail of our lives.  You can re-read this post here, where the Lord showed me the verse, "Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. The LORD will command His loving kindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night" (Psalm 42:7-8)...what a precious reminder!  This encouraged me then and does again today.  In fact, I started this blog both to be able to look back and remember the ups and downs of my first year as a mom, but also because I wanted to share what the Lord was doing in my life as I stood by Nick as he tried to lead the Tar Landing Youth.

A prayer to the God of my life.

 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:9-10

We are heartbroken to be leaving the Youth Ministry at Tar Landing.  We have felt that we are part of a supernatural battle that is only a part of what God is going to do for this church.  We know God has an incredible plan for both the youth group and the church as a whole and our fervent prayer is that that plan will be fulfilled soon.  We know the Lord promises to use whatever circumstances to glorify Himself and we are anxious to see it.

To the youth:  We are soooo proud of you and are so encouraged to see how God has created each of you for a very specific purpose.  Even at such a young age, many of you have had to deal with extremely "adult" circumstances, and we are proud to see how you are making the decisions you are to allow God to use these things to be the most glorified in your life.  You are all at a crossroads, and you don't even realize it.  While it is difficult to not be distracted by relationships, school work, and day-to-day drama, it is during these years that the Lord begins to shape you for what He has planned for you.  We plead to you that you take Him and your relationship with Him very seriously.  Seek Him and seek to know Him!  We pray for you and for that relationship - knowing Him deeply is the most precious gift God has given us as His creation.  We love you all.

If anyone reading has any questions, you are more than welcome to email, call, text or message us.nicfasci@yahoo.com

abi.fasciano@gmail.com