If you haven’t read parts 1-2, click here:
So, back to the present—we have now bought a truck and a trailer and we are planning on traveling down to Redding and living in our trailer. After visiting Bethel Church last year and getting reconnected with friends, we know this is the place for us. The sense of family we felt was tangible. I guess you just know it’s right when you get connected with the right people. We are looking forward to getting plugged in and continuing our journey to more freedom and growth and continued intimacy with our Father God.
We know that mistakes will be made along the way and there will be difficult times, but we’re beginning to see how circumstances cannot be our vision. Our vision is to seek after God and obey all He has for us. Our vision includes continuing in our journey of heart healing and learning to love better. Our vision is to be so filled up that we pour out into our kids and eventually see them surpass us. And that is our legacy. Our children are our disciples; they are receiving straight from us. What sins we carry, they will carry. But if we allow Jesus to break the bonds of generational sin and replace it with love and freedom, we will see our kids go places we never dreamed of. My victories position them for power as I allow my life to be a platform.
Another way that this season has been stretching me is in my faith. We have had many opportunities of hearing God, putting something on the line, and obeying in faith before we understood what God was doing. All of these things were building our faith and helping us to trust God more and more. I don’t think it’s possible to truly trust God to that capacity until you risk something of value and He shows Himself trustworthy in a personal way. But first, we have to believe His promises so much so that we are willing to give up everything to pursue God.
Now we are at a place where we really do feel like we are giving up everything. We have an amazing living situation as apartment managers. Josh has been doing work that he loves. We have a great church with great friends and mentors. It’s been just in the past couple years that I feel like I have truly connected with some incredible friends.
By no stretch of the imagination are Josh and I running away from Alaska and the life we’ve had here. In fact, the past few months have been a very difficult time of letting go and grieving—my last Alaska fall, my last Christmas with family, preparing to say goodbye to dear friends and family, [since the writing of this letter, we also had to say good-bye to our dog who has been with us for 12 years], etc. This has not been easy for us at all. Life has been a constant roller coaster since beginning this journey.
God in Real Life 