So in 2017, when I graduated nursing school, I asked God “Where do you want me to go to be a nurse?” Everything lined up to go where I went, and I know I was supposed to start out there. I am normally an extremely anxious person on the first day of anything, but not that day! I had total Jesus peace (which is something so surreal that I cannot explain) And since then, God has confirmed that it was the right decision. I have now been at that hospital for almost 3 years. I have grown SO much more than I ever thought was possible- as a nurse but also as a person! It has been such an incredible experience! I have learned a new way to serve God and each person that I get to take care of! There I fell in love with what I do!
But for the past 3 years, all of this random stuff about North Carolina started popping up everywhere. Like every day. and these aren’t just silly things. These are specific events in my life that I will never forget; patients, people, stories, events, all things that made me who I am. So, Picture me, fresh new grad starting in a specialty unit- terrified- and now unsure of where I am even supposed to be!
I thought I was crazy, so I asked God for a city. Thanks to my Pinterest obsession, I found a city outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. Cary.
I was falling in love with Cary every day and talking to God about how excited I was that we were going to Cary…
Well of course, nothing about Cary popped up anywhere! Everything about Charlotte, North Carolina started popping up. I was like “God, what is even in Charlotte? Raleigh is all about medical stuff…Cary is low crime rate… This wasn’t what we talked about.”
So after awhile of arguing, I decided to go for a visit. For a year I was trying to get somebody to come visit with me. Friends, Sisters, anyone! And it never would work out; the plans always fell through! So last November (2018), I decided to go by myself because that’s what God was trying to tell me. Why? I had no clue… But here we go!
Hands Down: Most Amazing Trip I’ve Ever Had. In those 6 days, I grew as a person and in my faith so much. I booked an Airbnb, found a route through the beautiful North Carolina Mountains, and left! Now don’t be fooled, I am not the most brave person… During the trip, it was very scary. To name just a few examples, I ran out of GPS signal on the mountain…while it was almost dark…and I was a female… alone… hours away from my Airbnb… I reminded myself who sent me on this trip, wiped fear out, prayed about it, and it came back on!! It was also my first time staying alone in an unfamiliar place! I had ALL the lights in that airbnb on and my Jesus music playing all night haha! But I woke up alive the next day!! “I did it!”
Oh and I also had a flat tire… It ended up being a piece of metal shard in my tire! I wasn’t in a good part of town, so I drove the 3 minutes I had left on my working GPS, to the coffee shop I found. There was ONE parking spot left (parking was horrible and for compact cars only- which I drive). But God took care of everything. I met the nicest couple who helped me change my tire and their only request was to “Pay it forward.” There are Good people in this world. and Faith has friends! I also met a nurse! Her and her husband actually shared their nachos with me (super sweet!!). I told her the whole story including the year of Charlotte things that were so close to my heart, and we exchanged numbers. She comes back up in my story later on! But I will never forget what she said, “Sounds like you’re moving to Charlotte!” Little did I know then……
If God tells you to go- and you take that leap- He’s not just going to abandon you!
My big Takeaway: In the bible, when Peter was walking on water, when he was looking at the water and what he was doing, he was sinking. But when he was looking at Jesus, he was doing it!! With your eye on the Lord you can accomplish so many things that you never thought you could! “He doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called!”
Here are some pictures I took from that trip! Needless to say, I fell in love with Charlotte that week.
Your Love Is Strong 