the change: how it all began {part three}

In case you missed them: Part one and Part two.

Clouds in South Dakota

While Danny was in Oregon visiting helicopter schools, I would talk to him on the phone everyday and each time he would say the same thing: "Today has been awesome!" He loved the people at Jerry Trimble Helicopters and also looked at a house for rent near there. Even though we still had to officially apply for the house, the landlord gave Danny the strong impression that it was ours to rent (there were only one or two other applicants). She emailed pictures of the place so I could look at them and it was very nice. It even had a pool! The rent included utilities, which made it even better. I was already imagining myself living there and was so excited about it!

While visiting the flight school Danny was told of another student there who worked for Evergreen Aviation, a huge aviation company there in McMinnville. The people at the flight school knew Danny was looking for a job in the area, so they arranged for him to meet the student from Evergreen and to hopefully apply for a job there. So Danny goes to Evergreen, meets the student, and finds out that the student is System Chief Pilot of Evergreen, basically one of the higher-uppers in the company! The guy is very friendly and excited for Danny (as he too is learning to fly a helicopter) and promises Danny a job with Evergreen Aviation with benefits and with Danny making as much as he was before! Danny left that meeting speechless. He thought he was just going over there to apply, not get handed an awesome job! Though the guy needed some time to figure out what Danny's position would be there, he literally promised it and would get back to Danny with details by the end of the week.

Danny and I were both very excited about that, to say the least. An awesome school chosen, a house, and a job all in one trip! WOW! Things were going amazing!

As soon as he got home we started preparing to make the big move. We had a big garage sale, put our car up for sale, got rid of a lot (we were only taking what our truck and trailer could hold), and packed, packed, packed! We anxiously awaited to hear back from the Evergreen guy to hear what he found for Danny and waited to get the go-ahead about the house. And we waited. And waited some more.

Time was ticking away (remember, we were wanting to leave October 26th-ish so we could get there by November 1st).  Danny tried calling the Evergreen guy many times, but he just could not get a hold of him. He left messages, wrote emails. I think he heard back one time with the promise of getting back to Danny within the next few days (he was still looking for a spot for him). The "next few days" came and went. It was so strange because the guy was so enthusiastic about getting Danny a job--he wouldn't have promised it without meaning it, would he? Neither of us were really sure anymore.

Amidst the whole job uncertainty, about five days or so before our moving day, Danny got an email about the house situation. And frankly, it wasn't good: the landlord decided to rent her house to someone else.

Oh.

So here we were, all ready to move--Danny had quit his job, we were all moved out of our house and staying with my mom, plus our car was hopefully going to sell (it didn't, which was also disappointing), and we were moving across the country to Oregon with no house to go to and no job. After all the amazing things that happened on Danny's trip to Oregon just a few weeks before, this was all unexpected. Why, God? How can we move there without even having an address? A source of income?

Though I was tempted at times to get discouraged (oh, yes I was), it hit me:


All we really needed for moving to Oregon was God.

God Himself. Is He not enough? Can He not take care of us? Provide for our every need? Does He not know whats best?

God did not promise that this life would be easy. He tells us there will be trials:

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2-3

And what are these trials for?

The testing of our faith.

Ah, yes. All these annoyances, disappointments, set-backs, and what not, are for our good. The testing of our faith produces patience in us along with a list of other wonderful things. Those trials keep us from getting too comfortable. Remember that comfortable life Danny and I had? When you are comfortable, it's easy to forget about God. I mean, you remember God is there and say hi to Him and spend time here and there with Him, but when you have to actually depend on Him? Whoa. God suddenly becomes very real. And very big. He has to be big--what else do we have to put our faith in? He is our only hope and trust.

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2

Leaving Ohio

So even with those crazy few weeks before the move, I had this amazing peace from God. With the right perspective on it all, it was actually exciting. Danny and I both just knew that God would come through for us. And He did(of course). Danny found a house to rent online just a day or two before we left, and the landlord graciously held it for us even though he had other applicants who could pay a deposit right then and there. It's the house we are in now and I love it and its location. Danny did eventually hear back from the Evergreen guy (turns out Danny wasn't forgotten, the guy was just very busy and having a hard time finding Danny an opening since they unexpectedly had to take in a bunch of employees from Alaska). Danny is hoping to hear from them soon about a job there, but even if not we have both learned from all of this that God is in control, He is our Good Shepherd, we can trust Him to lead us wherever we go.

Life is an adventure when you are following a Big God. It really is. You don't have to move across the country to get it. Just follow Him.

As we drove away in the dark, early morning on Thursday, October 27th, leaving behind loved ones and the only home I had known my whole life, we had no idea what lay ahead-but isn't that what makes a good adventure?

And our adventure was just beginning.