Journey to Prineville- Part 3

The move:  We are moving in 24 days.  It is hard to hear myself or others say that.  I have to swallow down a big gulp of sadness before I can answer questions.  However, God has been faithful! He has gone before us and things are falling into place!  

We got renters for our house without posting anything online.  While standing in line to get Eli & Noah from their classrooms at church, Jonny overheard someone talking about needing a rental in Albany. Jonny introduced himself and briefly told him about our house.  He said, "Its pretty set up for kids because we have four boys."  The man replied, "We have four boys also!"  They're moving in on the 25th.

Pastor Rob asked Jonny to share his testimony and story of moving with the men of the church last Monday.  I snuck out of the Women's Study to listen.  I love my husband.  He shared icky, sinful stuff for the glory of God.  To show that Jesus makes all things new.  That as a freshman in college, Jonny became a new creation.  And is still being renewed and transformed.  Surprise, surprise- I cried.

The same sort of stuff is working out for the house we're going to rent.  The rental market in Prineville in July/Aug is SLIM PICKIN's.  Our friends asked their friends if anyone knew of a rental in town for a family of six.   Low and behold, something came up!  And here's where I see a bit of God's humor in it.  The house is on Blackbear St.  Blackbear!  Like the restaurant where this whole thing started! And the house number- oh, its 524.  Like Ephes. 5:24!  Oh my gracious!  HAHA, Lord, that was a funny one!  

Everyone keeps saying, "How exciting!  It'll be an adventure!"  

I respond with, "I have four boys.  Every day is an adventure.  I don't need more adventure!"  

But it looks like God thinks this planner, organized, don't-like-change kind of chick needs more adventure in her life.  Maybe I should go buy me some adventure boots!  

God is good all the time and my life events ARE NOT by chance!  Neither are my children's.  Neither are yours!  :)

Journey to Prineville- Part 2

The next eight months:  The months following the Blackbear meeting were filled with lots of praying, talking, crying (me!), praying, talking, crying, praying, talking, crying.  I felt so sad at the thought of leaving the place where I've spent my entire adult life.  The place where I became a wife and mother.  The longest I've ever lived anywhere.  Our church.  Our homeschool group.  Our neighbors.  => our community and support!!!  There are SO many people I love and so many reasons why I love raising my kids here.  

During this time, I spent most of my quiet times in the book of Psalms.  I've read Pslams before, but its funny how things jump out at you in a different way when you're going through a trial.  There is SO much on trusting God!!  One particular "on my knees" sort of day, I was crying and pouring my heart out to the Lord.  I was telling Him how scared I was and how I couldn't do it.  Jonny had been pressing me about being willing and open.  It was so hard to just open my hand, my life and do a "trust fall"- if you know what I mean.  I told Him I needed help.  I needed Him to hold me by the hand- the way I did to my boys when they were learning how to walk.  A little later, I read:  "The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD.  He delights in every detail of their lives.  Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand."  SO GOOD!  Exactly what I needed!  So thankful for His word!  

I was also struggling with the Ephes. 5:24 verse about wives submitting to their husbands as the leaders of their home.  My husband felt like God had told him something, and he wanted to lead us in what he thought God told him, but I was really struggling with it. 

The decision:  The job did post in the middle of May.  I decided to let Jonny handle it.  He gets to decide.  Ephes. 5:24 is hard!  BUT- For the glory of God.  I had explained and explained and explained why I didn't want to move... however, its not my husband's personality to "not budge" when I feel so freaked out about something.  He truly felt very fervently that God was leading us to Prineville.  I was on my way to the "trust fall"... but believe me- it was NOT pretty!  

Jonny applied and was called for an interview. Right after the lady spoke with me to schedule Jonny's interview, I took a deep breath and ran to my bible.  I opened to Psalms 115.  In verses 9-11 it reads: "Trust the LORD!  He is your helper; He is your shield."  Not just once, but THREE times! Next to this verse was the date May 6, 2009.  Below that read:  "help with our future... moving?"  That was my handwriting four years ago when we were praying about moving to Wyoming!  

Two days after his interview we were headed to Lake Tahoe for my sisters wedding.  Talk about a STRESS filled TENSE car ride!  Jonny was told they would call by the end of the week.  By Friday morning we still hadn't heard anything and no references had been called.  Jonny was BUMMED.  He thought he didn't get it, and he was telling me to be happy.  I felt so bad for him but was bracing myself for a call.  I told him I wasn't going to assume anything until 5pm Friday night.  Sure enough, at 3:30pm, (TWO HOURS before my sister's wedding rehearsal!) the principal called and offered Jonny the job.  Luckily, the rehearsal was outside with the sun setting, so I could wear sunglasses to hide my red, puffy eyes.  But the strangest thing happened.  When we went to the dinner after the rehearsal, I wasn't thinking about everything.  God allowed me to block everything and enjoy and celebrate with my family.  It was a sweet, sweet time for my whole family!!

The tears did come... oh it was a down-pour!  On the 9hr drive home, I cried pretty much the entire way.  I was SO sad.  Monday morning Jonny called Crook Country School District to accept the job.  I have never felt grief like I felt it the first two weeks of June.  It was awful.  Like a permanent ache in my soul that rudely awoke me in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning.  Weeping throughout the day.  I lost all desire and motivation to pour into my kids.  There was constantly a lump in my throat.  I cried SO much.  The heavyness lifted some, it turned to numbness at times, confusion at other times, and even shock.... its still been painful.  Its been ugly.  But God is working in it for both of us.  A refiners fire sort of process for us each personally and for our marriage. 

Journey to Prineville- Part 1

So... if you haven't heard... we're moving to Prineville, OR!  

It's a long story, but I'll go ahead and start: 

Background:  Over the last few years as Jonny has been commuting the 20+ miles to work in Turner, while we've been living in Albany and fellowshipping 20+ miles away in Corvallis, Jonny has felt that we're too stretched.  Our monthly gas bill is outrageous, we're super busy, and we don't have the man of the house home 2+ nights of the week.  Jonny wants our life to be more integrated.  He wants to be able to invite the students he ministers to- to church.  He wants to see families we're living near, working with and homeschooling with at our church.  Living life together in ONE community.  SO.... we've been praying for a job in Albany/Corvallis.  No open doors.  

Even further background:  Four years ago our dear friends were moving on, spreading their wings to pastor a Calvary Chapel.  They didn't know where, but knew it was God's timing.  Jonny felt that we were to go with them- wherever that would be.  They almost moved to Wyoming to start a Calvary, and Jonny was even offered a job there, but it didn't end up happening.  Our friends ended up taking over the Calvary Chapel in Prineville. We've stayed in touch with our friends in Prineville and have gone to visit them- usually a couple times a year.  Every time we've gone, Jonny has mentioned that maybe the Lord would have us move there.  I've always shook my head at the idea- not liking how different Prineville is from the Willamette Valley and enjoying the community we've sunk our roots down into.  Prineville is high desert area, a small city of 9,000.  Very different from green, lushious Albany/Corvallis- college town(s) in the heart of the Willamette Valley. 

Divine appointment:  Last Oct. we were praying a lot about the issue of being spread out in three communities and that God would open doors for us.  Jonny went to Redmond to attend a Driver's Ed Conference.  He took Eli with him to visit his buddy (our friend's son.) At the end of the conference, Jonny had some time to kill while waiting for our friends to bring Eli to him.  He went to lunch at his favorite restaurant, Black Bear.  (A restaurant we discovered together in high school and frequented a lot.)  He sat down and ordered his favorite- bacon cheeseburger with fries and cracked open his bible to Hebrews.  He read through Hebrews 2:2-4, " For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?"  Jonny made a note in the margin of his bible:  "God sometimes confrims things to be true by signs and wonders."  His burger arrived as he finished writing.  He turned to the side and began talking to the older gentleman next to him.  As it turns out, the man was a biology teacher at the high school in Prineville.  He told Jonny he was retiring in the spring and that nobody was in line to take his spot.  He laughed and told Jonny, "You should apply!"  Jonny left the restaurant shaking.  He called me and he said, "You're never going to believe what just happened!?"  Knowing he was in Prineville territory, I got very serious, and said, "WHAT!?!"  You ladies know my tone... the sassy tone that doesn't really want to hear what is about to be said.