moving to Iowa

Did you figure out what Rilla's drawing was? It's Keith driving a moving truck! It think it's a pretty great illustration! She even included our green couch with the wooden arms, and our brown chairs all stacked together, and my fabric boxes. Actually, I only have one fabric box, but apparently it figures importantly in what needs to go on our big journey, because she drew it several times. Maybe it's because I keep wanting to sew things with her and then don't get around to it. Or maybe it's just fun to draw. Also, I particularly like that she wasn't satisfied with the orange oil pastel as a skin color, so she decided to draw her daddy with black skin instead. We agreed that was a fine thing to do.

So, anyway. The point of the drawing is... We are moving to Iowa!!!

I know some of you saw that coming. But we didn't know. And now we do. So it is a really, really, really big deal to us!!

We have moved a lot of times before. Like... uh... sixteen times, I think. Since we got married. But they have always been temporary moves. Isn't that sad? We have always moved knowing we would move again. And even though a lot of those moves have been fun and important (okay, I admit, I really hate moving. Although one nice thing is that your home never gets really filthy and grimy in the hard-to-reach places, because you're not in one place long enough for that to happen), we are not.really.moving.for.fun.anymore. Well, not that we ever moved for fun really, but we did kinda move an awful lot. Every time though, it was the Lord's leading. Every single time. Doesn't that make you glad He hasn't asked you to move that many times? It certainly has made us pray for an end to all the moving. We want to settle down, to live and serve in one place long-term, to bless others and to be a blessing, to have a long-term testimony in one place. To plant blueberry bushes and fruit trees and actually get to see the fruit from them. To grow up our children in one lovely place.

Anyway, this is another move for us. And we have wondered if there will be people who will say, guys, can't you just stick to one thing? Why do you keep moving so much? But that's not really it. Our moves have had perfectly good reasons every time, but this one is different. Keith has withdrawn from his classes at the community college because as good as it would be to be an ultrasound technician, this is better. Much better. Like, because being a pastor seems to be what he was made to do, kind of better. Like, it's the perfect fit for us, kind of better. Like, this has God's fingerprints all over it, kind of better.

So here we go. We don't fully know what we are getting ourselves into. But we know that the Lord has given us peace in our hearts and the assurance that He will be with us through whatever happens. It may be incredibly challenging. Actually, it probably will be. But we are yearning for it, whatever "it" is. Whatever this ministry He's calling us ends up looking like... we want it. We are all in. We are committed and we are racing forward whole-heartedly and we are IN and we are GOING.

Going to Iowa. Our family. At the end of this month.

It's a little bit crazy. And a whole lot perfect and good.