I'm Leaving Las Vegas...

Have you ever been SO excited about something, but just not sure how to share it with others? That's where I'm at right now. Big things are happening for our family and I'm just not sure how to share it. So here it goes.

We are moving to Michigan.

For real, this time.

In less than 4 weeks!

I know, I know. I said the same thing last summer. And I really thought we were going. But God just didn't open doors for us to go. He gave Chuck the vision to go there, but didn't provide the way. So, we came here to Las Vegas to help start Verve Church. And it's been cool. Really cool.

In June, Chuck had to go away for 5 weeks for police academy for his new job and it was during that time that he was away that I realized just how hard it is raising kids away from family. Chuck and I have lived far from family all of our marriage, but adding kids to that mix and then a job that requires travel for training, well... it made me rethink being away from family. I realized how important it is to me for my kids to be loved, not just by us, but by the people in our lives. And no one loves a kid like a grandparent (and sometimes and aunt!).

At the same time my thoughts were focusing on this, Chuck was appointed as a co-class leader at police academy. The other leader was a guy from MI. They became fast friends and Chuck learned of an opening in Ann Arbor, MI. In fact, he texted me about it and I didn't even respond because at that time I had no desire to move. I've known all along that Las Vegas isn't our "home," but I also wasn't ready to pack up and move.

Two days after Chuck came home from police academy I had a moment where I realized that I wanted to go home. And home, I realized, was Michigan. Chuck came home from police academy with a realized desire to live in close-knit community with others. And we just don't have that here. We have plenty of friends and people who care about us, but we aren't living out the kind of community that we desire and feel that God wants for us.

So, I told Chuck what I was thinking, expecting him to say no way, but he was excited. If you know Chuck, you know that he would be excited to move to Hawaii or Southern California, not Michigan. He quickly applied for the position in Ann Arbor.

If we learned anything when Chuck first started working for Veteran's Affairs, we learned that they don't move quickly. Chuck applied for that position fully expecting it to take at least 6 months to be transferred if they hired him. Well, his application was in on Tuesday and by Wednesday he had a verbal offer for the job, without an interview! Amazing. Not only that, but the pay is much better and there is lots of opportunity for overtime (and we have some debt that we'd love to start putting a dent in).

The next day I called a friend in Michigan and told her about what was going on. Her first question was if we needed a place to live because her mom owns the house next door and would we like to live there? Crazy! That house is 2 miles from where my family lives.

Things have just fallen into place with all of this. The owner of the house we are renting has agreed to break our lease with very reasonable terms. We are able to pack our stuff and ship it for right around the same price as renting and fueling a U-Haul. We actually have the money on hand to finance our relocation. Things are just going really smoothly with almost no effort on our part. I think about last year and how hard we were fighting to get to Michigan and this year it all just literally falls in our lap.

So, we are planning to leave Las Vegas on August 20th. My mom and sister had a trip planned to visit before we decided to move, so they will be here the 13th-17th, so I'll have plenty of help with packing! Plus, my mom is using her timeshare here, so we'll have a place to stay while our house is in the last stages of being packed up.

I took the trash out yesterday morning and found 15 broken down boxes at the curb and a dear friend brought me a bunch yesterday and works in an office where they get lots of boxes daily. I've been watching Craig's List and I fully expect to have our needs met for boxes and packing paper. We'll see if God can throw in some packing tape, too!

There are a few things I want to mention because there is such evidence of God's work in my heart. Last year my biggest fear about moving to Michigan was that I'd be close to family. You see, we are kind of dysfunctional (who's not these days?) and living far away keeps us out of and from creating drama. This year the biggest draw for moving to Michigan is my family. Only God could change my heart like that.

Last year I was terrified of moving. Even packing overwhelmed me. This year I'm fully aware that I have a lot of work to do, but I'm just so EXCITED. I know I have awful roads and cold weather and dreaded SNOW to look forward too, but I'm really just excited that God has pulled this together for us.

I want to add that most people I know who are moving away from Las Vegas do so because they hate it here. I have absolutely loved it here. Yes, it is hot, but it is NOT humid. It really makes all the difference. It is beautiful. Yes, we have very few trees or greenery, but we are surrounded by beautiful mountains. I even like the desert landscape (which is basically rocks!). I love the neon lights and the 24-hour everything. I love the diversity here. Traffic is the best I've experienced in years. My water bills have never been more than $20 a month (we won't talk about the electric bills...). I've really enjoyed Las Vegas. I don't hate it here. I've made some really awesome friends, too.

Finally, I'll talk about church planting. Last year Chuck sensed God calling him to plant a church outside of Detroit and as he pursued that, the doors began slamming shut. We are not going to Michigan with a plan to start a church. If God clarifies that vision from last year, we will pursue it. We are really looking forward to joining a church (we have one in mind) and serving within our giftedness. What happens from there is completely up to God.

So, there you have it: our news. While we are sad to leave Las Vegas, we are very much looking forward to what Michigan has in store for us.