I feel compelled to let you in on some information you may not realize about me and my family.

Many of my friends and family have watched as we recently made our way across the United States from California all the way east. Without going into too much detail at this point, moving here is something God has put on our hearts even before we left Alaska a year and a half ago. We didn’t know what God’s timing would be, but when He opened doors here and closed doors in California, we knew the time had come.

It’s amazing thinking of this in light of a word my friend and mentor had given me months prior. She said that God is wanting us to simplify even more (we were living in a travel trailer at the time!), so that we would be ready to go wherever God takes us. Wow! That was spot on!

Anyway, my point in writing this is because I know many of you are watching our lives. Some may just be curious. Some may be inspired. Still others may merely be judging us as foolish or strange. That’s ok. We’re ok with that.

What I want my readers, my family, and my friends to understand is that we’re not doing this on our own. Yes, we have God, but it’s more than that. You may not realize that this whole time we have been supported by a team of trusted friends and mentors. These people literally live all across the United States. We call, we text, we FaceTime, and hang out face-to-face. We seek their counsel, prayer, and encouragement often. We did not make this decision lightly and we did not make this decision without counsel.

First and foremost, we seek God. We had already been looking at the possibility of moving east for about a year now, but the doors did not open until just a couple weeks ago. Add to that circumstances in California making it more and more difficult to remain there and we just knew it was time. We prayed. We listened. We felt total peace and even excitement as we began making plans to move.

Secondly, we seek the counsel of the people who have encouraged and supported us throughout the years. These are people who have time and time again communicated to us that they are for us. That doesn’t mean they don’t confront or question when needed, but we know they have our backs no matter what. They pray for us. They empower us. They are there to talk to whenever we are going through something challenging or are faced with a difficult decision.

The fact is, these people know us well. They have been with us through some crazy and exciting times. They understand our hearts and we trust their wisdom. We listen to them.

All that to say, if you’re watching our lives and inspired by the life we’re living, please keep these things in mind. If you feel God is putting it on your heart to move or make a big decision, don’t do it on your own. Seek counsel. Get advice. Receive prayer.

Proverbs 15:22

Plans fail for lack of counsel,

But with many advisers they succeed.