A New Season: 600 Miles Away {Part 2}

We knew we wanted to move. 

Lincoln was my home away from home. I have had connections there since before I was born since my family lived there for many years before I came along. We made trips up there every year, and even more so when my brother and sister both went to college near Lincoln. I have always had a special place in my heart for Lincoln and the Midwest in general. It's a city that doesn't feel like a city. It's a beautiful, it's slower paced than what I was used to in Dallas, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it at some point in my life. Thankfully, Tim felt the same way. And for the last few years, we have talked about it off and on and dreamed of the possibilities of picking up our lives and trying something new. We just weren't sure if that was what God wanted us to do. We knew, ultimately, that we wanted to be where God wanted us to be.

2013 had a lot of good times, but there seemed to be a lot more hard times. June came and it was one of the most difficult months we have had to face. Trial after trial -- physical, emotional, relational...you name it. It was during this time that we learned to go to God. Together. And pray the big prayers. The desperate prayers. It was our only option. We prayed for guidance, for wisdom, for direction, for clarity. We prayed that the Lord would use us where He wanted us, even if it meant staying in Dallas.

On the 4th of July, Tim came home from work and our neighbor was outside,so they started talking. He knew our story, and knew how unhappy we were, and that Lincoln had been on our hearts for awhile. He told Tim, just go for it. He told Tim to pick a date to move to Lincoln, whether he had a job or not. He said to maybe shoot for a month from now. That was August 4^th. Tim came into the house and told me all of this, and I was like…yeah right! That would be absolutely crazy! But it had me intrigued. What did we have to lose?

Tim applied for several jobs in Lincoln. There was one in particular that he looked at that he was interested in but was highly doubtful that he qualified for the position. I encouraged him to apply anyways, so he did. He really didn't expect to hear back from them but guess what? They were the first ones to contact him. And it was the day after he applied!

They spoke on the phone and they wanted to meet Tim in person if possible. It just so happened that we were going to be in Lincoln that next week to visit family. They set a time for a face-to-face interview while we were in town -- exactly a week after the initial phone conversation. The kicker was that if he got the job, he would have to start on August 5th. That was only 3 1/2 weeks away and also the exact time that we were half-heartedly planning on moving whether he had a job or not. I thought, OK, don't get your hopes up, and don't worry, because it will all work out one way or another as crazy as that time frame is. God's good like that.

A week later we were in Lincoln. That morning, I walked Tim out to his car, we prayed, and he went downtown for his interview. He felt that the interview went well, and that he was to hear back the following day whether he got the job or not.

The next morning, Tim noticed that he had a message on his phone, but we had to drive closer to downtown to be able to get cell reception so that he could check the message. The message was from one of the guys who interviewed him. We decided to drive to our favorite coffee place in downtown Lincoln, which just so happened to be down the street from this companies offices. We parked on the street, got out of the car, and Tim called. It kind of felt like a scene in a movie. I stood there anxious, excited, trying not to get my hopes up (pfft, yeah right!), watching Tim to see his reaction. I could tell by the conversation and his smile that he was offered the job. I think I might of started hopping up & down a little with a huge grin on my face. Tim got off the phone, we smiled, I might of squealed a little, and we hugged -- in the middle of downtown Lincoln, the place we would return to in 14 days. Our new home.

God just completely blew us away with how he orchestrated every single thing that had happened at that point. We had many people praying for us over the years and encouraging us. There were so many confirmations that this was what God wanted us to do. There was absolutely no doubt this is where He wanted us to go, and that is such an amazing thing! And it was all in His timing. Even today, I continue to reflect on all that the Lord has done in in our lives -- through the good and the hard circumstances, and I see His hand in ALL of it. It truly is amazing and brings me to tears just thinking about it. He is incredible.

Stay tuned for Part 3!