This is a bitter sweet post for us to write. Bitter in the sense that change isn’t always easy, and sweet in the sense of new opportunities and new challenges.
We have been blessed to serve at Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa for the past 3 years. Prairie Lakes is a great church that God has been using to influence the state of Iowa for Jesus and to help people take steps in their faith for many years. We have poured our lives into the mission of reaching this area for Jesus. We are grateful to have played a small role in the story God is writing in the state of Iowa through Prairie Lakes. Just like every book has a final chapter, we feel like God is bringing to a close our time at Prairie Lakes.
We have wrestled much to understand what God is doing in our lives as we have processed through leaving Prairie Lakes. Jon has loved getting to serve as the Worship Director, to hone his craft as a leader and creative, and continue to develop his call as an artist. Michelle has loved getting to serve in the children’s ministy in a number of positions to help make it a healthy, growing, thriving ministry. We have developed life-long friendships with people we love dearly.
We are thankful to the Lord for giving us a space to grow in our gifting, and a community to walk humbly with us during this part of our journey. To say the least, we have learned a tremendous amount in the past few years here. We want to thank the leadership and staff of Prairie Lakes, our incredible volunteers, and anyone else who crossed our path during our time in Iowa, for loving and embracing us.
The verse in Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There’s a season for everything.” Sometimes those seasons are long and sometimes those seasons are short. But everything has a time and place.
Over the past several months we’ve been feeling God pulling us in a new direction. We’ve been constantly asking ourselves the question: Where in our life is God asking us to take the risk of trusting Him in a freefall? Where is God wanting us to be obedient to what He’s calling us to do? After taking time wrestling and discerning what God’s doing in our lives and where He’s leading, this is clearly the next right step.
What is that next step you ask? Well, we are moving back home to Arizona.
Michelle is feeling called back into the education field again, to use her gifts and skills to influence kids in the public spectrum. She is extremely talented in this area and is looking forward to the new challenges.
As for Jon, he has some opportunities to do some creative coaching with other leaders in ministry, and will also do some contract worship leading as he pursues a new Worship/Creative Arts type of position. He also plans to continue writing music and making that more of a focus. He’s excited about the potential opportunities that he has in front of him.
For those wondering about our adoption journey and how this affects it, here’s the scoop. Our move has no bearing on how, when, or where we will be matched. The only adjustment that we’ll have to make, is to our Home Study. That’s it, everything else transfers. For this reason, we are grateful, and still anxiously waiting to be matched.
We look forward to seeing how God utilizes our strengths in the coming months and years. God has been faithful and good to our family. He has allowed us to endure many things for the sake of His kingdom and glory. We rest in the faith of knowing that He is sovereign and guiding our every step. May our only purpose be for His glory.
We are super excited about this new journey, these new opportunities, and to be close to family again. Keep us in prayer as we enter into this new phase and make our transition back out west. Our last Sunday at Prairie Lakes is on June 24, and our moving truck pulls out of the driveway on June 25.
Arizona. We’re coming for you!
