We have lived on this little street for 6 years now. This town has been our home for more than 10 years. We moved here just six months after getting married and right in the middle of a very difficult year. I was literally miscarrying as we moved from Houston, Texas to Jefferson City, MO. It wasn't the easiest transition. In fact, our first year was one of the darkest of my life. I didn't understand why God moved us here or how long we would "have" to stay, but it sure wasn't at the top of my list of places I wanted to live for a long time. I endured the first year. It wouldn't have mattered where I was, it was just a painful time. It's "possible" that Hawaii or some remote tropical island may have provided a healing balm, but I guess we'll never know. As I look back now, it is so clear. He brought us to Jefferson City for a lot of reasons, but it was the perfect place for my heart to heal. It was a slow process, but this is exactly where I needed to be as I grieved, healed, and found joy again.
I have been surprised by the way my heart has fallen in love with this town. It's not the beauty of it's landscape (although it's bluffs and trees around the Missouri River are beautiful), restaurant options,
It's the people.
I cannot begin to list all of the people who I have grown to love here, but there is a lump in my throat right now just thinking about grateful I am for the kindness of God during this season of our lives that He has shown us through the people in our lives.
Inside the walls of this city we have been blessed to know some of the BEST people. The community of Christ followers who make up our local church are not just friends to us, they are family. These people have grieved with us when we went through our second miscarriage, celebrated with us when our other three were born, given generously to us when things were tight financially, and cheered us on, watched our kids, and prayed us through when we decided to pursue foster care. These are the people we will miss the most.
I also treasure the people who work in the hospitals where our kids were born, the teachers at First Steps and Lawson Elementary who so gently eased us into the next season of their little lives, our pediatrician and nurses who have loved and taken such good care of our kids every time we walk through the door, our coworkers at the MBC who love and pray and care for our family as only close friends do, the terrific kids and parents who we've met through school and now count as sweet friends, our kind neighbors who pick up our mail and mow our yard when we're gone, the staff in our Children's Division office and ECH where my heart came alive in a way I never anticipated through foster care...and on and on. Even our mailman, John, is great you guys. These are the people who have loved us so well and made our season here what it is.
IT'S HOME.
It feels more like home than anywhere I've ever lived.
I would be happy to stay right here and keep everything as it is.
But we all know life doesn't work that way. Everything changes at some point. Seasons come and go. People move in and out of our lives. Our kids grow up no matter how hard we try to keep them little. That restaurant we love closes it doors.
We change. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. Sometimes we like the change we see, and sometimes we don't. We come through heartbreak and trials perhaps a little worn for the wear, but hopefully a little wiser and humble and real. Struggle changes us, and if we'll lean into God instead of running from Him, it will change us for the better.
As the years march on we also discover what makes our heart come alive. We decide if we're ever going to jump in and take a chance on a dream, the time is now.
Change is good...and hard.
Change reminds us that this world is not our home. If we have been given the rare blessing finding a place that feels like home, it's only a shadow. It's God's kindness to give us a taste of such good things, but it neither compares to our heavenly home nor can it last forever.
The time has come for a pretty big change for us. God is moving us on to a new ministry in a new location. This change has been brewing for a long time but too many details were unclear to really write about it. You should know that sitting on big news and not being able to talk about it makes it hard for me to warm up to big change. It's a bit of a relief to be able to share this with you.
The time is now upon us to not only warm up to the idea and but to start getting excited about it.
This spring we will be putting a for sale sign in our yard. Over the summer we hope to settle into a new home in Columbia, MO to be fully invested in ministry on Mizzou's campus. While we may just be moving 30 miles north, our whole life will be different. New schools, new neighbors, new ministry, new community, new church, new (old) house...everything will be new and different. I feel excited about what God will do in this next chapter of our lives, but I am also in the grieving stage as we prepare to say goodbye to this one.
What an amazing gift to be able to say that you're sad to leave because it's been so good...and it has.
Forgive me over the coming months if I'm crying for no apparent reason. I might be thinking about all of this. I might be crying because while I'm trying to declutter and purge before we move, everyone who lives here keeps bringing more junk home that I have to figure out what to do with (and all I really want to do is light a match to all of it in the backyard and go take a nap). Or it's possible that I may be crying because I've been looking at houses in our budget in Columbia. Ha ha ha...for real. Just pat me on the back, and if you really care, say a prayer for me to keep my sanity and priorities as you walk away.
I'm excited to let Jeff tell you more about how God has led his heart along in this and why we are really feeling called to Mizzou. It will be his first guest post! Thanks for sharing in our excitement about this new adventure and following along.
I do not know what the next season holds. It could be full of joy or it could be full of struggle. None of us have eyes to see into the future, and really I'm grateful for that. I would just borrow trouble from tomorrow instead of being thankful for today. What I DO know is this...God is faithful, He loves us, and He holds the pen as the next chapter of our lives is about to be written.
Where He leads, we will follow...
