I just moved to Florida.

"He made known his ways to Moses." (Psalm 103:7)

Wow, that's a big deal. As I read this a couple weeks ago, I asked the Lord, "How come Moses had such a privilege?" God reminded me of the story in Exodus 33 when Moses exclaimed, "Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight." Moses had a heart-to-heart with the Lord, and a few hundred years later the Psalmist claimed that the Lord did in fact make his ways known to Moses. While many know God in part, few ever get to know His ways. But Moses asked. He asked, simple as that. And I imagine he had asked many times before, and continued to ask beyond chapter 33. This was Moses' heart cry - to know God's ways. Jeremiah 29:13 proclaims, "And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart." Matthew 7:7 similarly says, "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." I want that to be said of me - that God made known his ways to some guy named Will. And I think that's available for everyone, as long as you have breath in your lunges.

Life is on the move. I just transitioned to Florida last weekend. I am working at the ECHO Global Farm in Fort Myers. You can check out ECHO's ministry here. It's really neat. 

A year ago today, I was 2 months out of college, moving about in Zambia/Zimbabwe with a small team of short-term missionaries, including my younger brother. I had less than $500 to my name, and was returning to the states in August without employment. I was holding on to the belief that God had invited me to live in Clemson, SC for another year (I had just finished a 4-year degree program at Clemson University) to continue expanding His kingdom there. Needless to say, Jehovah Jireh took care of me. There were several moments when I struggled to trust His guiding hand, but ultimately I clung to His words.

My son, be attentive to my words;

    incline your ear to my sayings.

Let them not escape from your sight;

    keep them within your heart.

For they are life to those who find them,

    and healing to all their[b] flesh.

Keep your heart with all vigilance,

    for from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you crooked speech,

    and put devious talk far from you.

Let your eyes look directly forward,

    and your gaze be straight before you.

Ponder the path of your feet;

    then all your ways will be sure.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

    turn your foot away from evil.

(Proverbs 4:20-27)

God is inviting His children to lean into what He is saying and walk with confidence through the unpredictability of life, accompanied by the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit. He is sowing His word into the soil of our heart. Can you hear it? Is your heart able to receive it? Will you be diligent to steward it? Every seed sown is potential for life and freedom. 

When we walk through life with this perspective, we are postured to receive God's provision in His perfect timing. He is so very good and more than able to provide for all of our needs when we look to Him. 

I lived in Clemson until early May. I oversaw Clemson's compost program, and was involved in college ministry, and my church. My accommodation was a double wide trailer with 5 stellar dudes (we had a blast!). The main reason (among others) that God had me stay in Clemson was to help facilitate a weekly worship gathering that friends and I started a couple years prior. Dozens of people would pack into a home each week to seek God together. This has been one of the greatest joys of my life. As I continued dreaming with the Lord about my future, it became clear earlier this year that my time in Clemson was coming to a close. God had said "one year," and that year was almost up. If you know me well, then you probably know of my desire to live in East Africa long term. He's opened several opportunities for me to be in Africa since 2014, and those experiences have sufficiently ruined me. :) My hope is to assist struggling people in East Africa with sustainable farming practice and appropriate technologies, and introduce them to Jesus in the process. 

God had no problem connecting me to ECHO.

The vision of ECHO is to honor God by empowering the undernourished with sustainable hunger solutions. I first heard about it from a missionary in Kenya, secondly by a few folks at my church, and finally by a random family friend at a wedding. In the end, it became clear that God was consistently placing this in front of my face. And when I discovered that their mission was directly in line with my passions, I decided to apply to be an ECHO intern. In early April, they offered me a position with a start date of June 25, 2018. While this was earlier than expected, God expedited my exit from Clemson and sent me to Kyrgyzstan and Kenya this May to assist ministry endeavors there. Then I piled all of my earthly possessions in my car and moved down to Ft. Myers.

I will be here for at least 14 months, but these first few days have been incredible. My mind is bursting with partially digested information. I have a lot to learn. I'm surrounded by amazing individuals whose hearts are set on the Lord and invested in His redeeming work across the globe. They are some real All Stars. I'm humbled each day. 

Thanks for reading :) Keep it real.

WC

A note about the weather (just for fun): 
The tropical monsoon climate of Southwest Florida is quite unique, with a defined rainy season spanning May to October. The hot, humid gulf coast consistently spawns afternoon thunderstorms. It's like clockwork. You'll look up at 3 or 4pm, and see dark, dense clouds quietly approaching from the West. The winds and rains serve to combat the intensity of the sun during the summer months.