We're making the move!

Ladies and gentlemen...(well, all 3 of you who read this, thanks mom!)....I have some exciting news! Ethan and I are officially making a move! Where to you might ask? Well, does this picture even do it any justice?

 We're moving to WILMINGTON!!!!

You guys, I am so excited. But not just because it's Wilmington. It's the reason why we're going that gets me hype.

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Ethan and I have made a 2 year commitment to move to Wilmington in the spring as part of a church plant. Yep. I said it. We're starting a church!!

We will be helping build up and launch the Bridge Church (which you can learn about here). We plan to stay there until one day God hopefully calls Ethan to branch off and start his own church, or another area of ministry calls us.

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I'd venture to say that Ethan and I probably seemed like two of the most unlikely people to move away and become missionaries. We both value being close to family, we both are hesitant with change, and we both love our comfort bubbles.

But following God isn't about being comfortable. It's usually when you're the most uncomfortable that you become the closest to Him. We know that there is nothing we can do to make this a flawless transition, and we truly have to put all of our trust in God that He will provide for us.

God has called us to Wilmington because the need there is great. Let's be real, the need for God everywhere is great, but the resources in Wilmington are also slim. There's a lack of Gospel centered churches, there's a lack of community outreach from the few churches there are. Even if people wanted to learn more about Jesus, it'd be a struggle for them to know who to go to and where to ask questions.

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At this time, we have no job prospects. We don't have a place to live yet. We have no friends there...

But we have God.

We have his protection, and his promise to go before us and never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:8). Where God leads, He also provides, and Ethan and I take comfort in that. Will it be easy? Probably not. We may both struggle to find a job, or find the perfect place to live, or just trying to fit into a new culture. But it's not about fitting in to us. It's actually about standing out. It's about our entire lives being devoted to being missionaries for the Lord, and making His name known. It's about helping the least of these, and showing them the love of Jesus.

There's a lot of great places and people that we're leaving behind in Raleigh. I'm going to terribly miss my job, and I can almost guarantee that I will cry multiple nights thinking about my gymnasts. I'm going to miss going on weekly dates with my dad (I asked if we could meet halfway, and he laughed...). I'm going to miss spontaneous shopping trips with my mom. And honestly, I'm going to miss The Summit Church.

BUT! I'll have Ethan, and I'll have Jesus. And I'll have (at this time) around 30 other people doing the exact same thing as me, with the exact same fears and concerns as me. 30 people that are praying specifically for this church, and for us. 30 people that love Jesus more than anything else, and are willing to give it all up for Him.

And THAT is what makes it all worth it.