Background

Hello readers. I'm new to this blogging, well actually on a real blog site. I have a few friends who use this site, and I enjoy reading their blogs and so I thought I would join the blogging world. : ) The reason I wanted to start blogging is because the change that is happening in my family this year. Actually the change started a few ago, so I guess this is more like the next step in this change. But I will get into that in a little bit, or might hold that out for the next post for another day. First I want to talk about my family.
My name is Ginny Barnes, born in Union City, TN. I am married to Deon Barnes (also born in UC, TN), we have been married for 11 1/2 years. We are blessed with two beautiful children; a daughter, Savannah Rose 10 1/2 years old and a 5th grader at Lake Road Elementary and a son, Dalton Nicholas 9 years old and a 3rd grader at Lake Road. I am employed at the school Lake Road Elementary school where I work in the cafeteria as a cook and help do the cash register and my mother in law is the manager. (Yes, I work for my mother in law, she's a great mil :) ) Deon is a auto tech at a shop located in Troy, TN about a 10 min drive from where we live. He's been a auto tech for over 10 years.
A about 4 years ago Deon was called to become a preacher. At this time we were members of a Methodist church. He started the progress becoming a preacher in Methodist church, was a lay speaker at the church we attended while in this progress. While doing all that we left the Methodist church and became Cumberland Presbyterian church. He then started the progress under the care of the church. Started preaching at a little country church for about a year. Then things started happening in the CP church that we didn't agree with. So we left the CP church. We then moved our membership to a new church in Union City, TN which is called Grace Community Church which is now a PCA (Presbyterian Church of America). We are also the part of the small group that got the church going with the help of God. During all this Deon started college (Bethel University, in McKenzie, TN) where we went to a class once a week at night. This was very stressful on him and this family but again with God's help we got through it. He graduated from college in Dec. 2009.
Now that he is done with college its now the next step. Looking for a seminary school for him to attend so he can become a ordained preacher. There are no PCA seminary's in this area. So we knew the possibly of having to move. I was not happy with this at all at first, and didn't want to talk about it when Deon would bring it up. I guess I thought it would go away if I didn't talk about it. But of course it didn't go away. So I finally started talking to Deon about it. There were three schools he looked at, one was in North Carolina, Mississippi and Missouri. The one in St. Louis, MO was the closet hours from here in Union City. Let me mention that Deon or myself have never lived anywhere but here in Union City. We were born here. We've traveled of course but never actually lived out of UC. So this idea was scary to me and him both. His family are here. We live 1 minute from his parents. (Yes, I live next door to my in laws, like I said they are great ) I then knew we would be taking our kids away from their family and friends. And we were going to be leaving a great bunch of people at our church (GCC). We started going to the church and meeting new people and never felt more like home than any other church I've attended in my life. They are friendly, great listeners, and loves going to worship God more than anyone I've met. I've learned a lot at this church through God putting these people in my life, and now I was going to leave them. We decided on Covenant Theology Seminary in St. Louis, MO. I know God pointed us in this direction. After the choice was made, I then thought how am I going to tell my children, that we were going to move 3 1/2 hours away from the only home they have ever known, and having to tell our family and friends. Which of course they all knew he was going to have to go seminary school, but I'm not sure they knew we were going to move away.
We first told our daughter, Savannah. She of course wasn't happy about it at all. Her first concern was leaving her family (grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousin) then her best friend, Mendi. Her and Mendi have been best friends since kindergarten. After explaining the situation to her, and more she thought about it she became some ok with it. She just doesn't know how to tell Mendi that she would be moving this summer. ( I'm not sure either, I feel for her on this) Then we told some friends that it was possible that we would be moving this summer, and of course told our parents. His parents had a idea, b/c we had talked about it before, but when we told them we for sure that this was happening, they were saddened. Which I understand, we of course told them we would be back for visits etc. But I know it still want be the same for them or us. I also told my parents, which live 10 hours away from us in Ft. Walton, FL. They moved down there around 6 years ago. They to aren't that thrilled about this either. Of course this is a big change for everyone in our lives. But I know this is God's plan for us. This is what Deon is called to do. He has been being called into the ministry for as long as I've known him. (I've known for 13 yrs) He was just trying to ignore the calling, but you cannot ignore the calling from God, He won't let you ignore it.
So this is why I wanted to start a blog. So I can document everything from now on. Of course be able to blog while living in St. Louis. People have asked if we will move back here after he graduates from seminary. Of course we don't know that answer, only God knows and he'll let us know when the time comes.
Now that you are caught up with my family and can now join our journey the progress of moving to a new city and state, and Deon and the kids starting new schools. Everything is going to be New to us.