When we moved to California, 13 years ago, we did so under the premise that it was temporary - just long enough to get Nathan through his undergrad degree. But once that was finished, the Lord led us on to seminary. And after that, a position at the Master's College.Once we had been here so long, we just felt settled. A great job, a great church, and wonderful friends! Why would we ever leave? If you had asked us a year ago, we would have said we thought we'd be in California at least another 20 - 30 years. We were definitely planning our ways.
But praise God, that in His sovereignty, our path doesn't always go in the direction that we plan. The Lord used a number of things several months ago to cause us to start praying about what He might have next for us. It has been exciting to see God's faithfulness to answer our prayers specifically and with great clarity. As a result we are following the Lord's leading into full-time ministry at Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. We had the opportunity to visit the church a few weeks ago and are very excited about what the Lord is doing there. We are overwhelmed at God's grace to provide an opportunity to join the team there and be a part of what He is doing in Chicago.
The joy is bittersweet though as it means leaving so many who we know and love in California. We have been blessed with many wonderful friendships here and that certainly makes leaving difficult.
Nathan will begin work on October 17, so we have much to do between now and then. We covet your prayers as we make this transition and trust the Lord for what He has next.
