Our Next Chapter…

I moved to Central Illinois from my hometown in Michigan 14 years ago to attend the University of Illinois. Little did I know that I would end up meeting a boy named Guy and staying here for more than a decade! Guy is originally from a small town right outside of our college town so when we got married in college and started having kids, it just made sense to stay here.

We quickly got integrated into the community; joining a small group at our local church, getting involved in several community programs, and launching a small business renovating homes. We couldn’t have dreamed any of this up on my own and are so incredibly thankful for all the life we have done here.

Over the last couple of years we have begun to feel a sort of shift happening in our hearts. It was small at first, very subtle. But as the months and years continued the both of us began to sense more and more that God was shifting us in direction of a different location all together. We didn’t know “where” that would be but we began to slowly open our hearts up to the idea and told God that if that’s what He was wanting for us in this next season then we would follow His lead!

We invested in traveling and exploring some different areas around the U.S. that we felt drawn to and each time we came back, we felt a little more defeated that we didn’t get the feeling! You know the one where you can see yourself there and it just feels “right.” So we continued to pray and press in to this transition that we were feeling, not knowing what to expect but fully expectant that the Lord would reveal it all in His timing.

Exactly a year ago, while traveling up to Michigan to visit my family, I had this moment in the car; one of those indescribable, pivotal moments that you sometimes get in life. As we crossed over the Michigan border, I heard that tiny, soft voice that often feels like a whisper, say to me, “Tessa, THIS is home!” In that moment a shiver went down my spine and I knew, this was where we were meant to be.

I didn’t say anything to Guy about it for a while because I thought maybe, just maybe this was all in my head. But then things started to happen; things that I had been questioning started to be revealed in other people who were coming to me and asking me these very same questions! I decided to tell Guy about everything I felt like the Lord was revealing to me and he was totally on board! We began to pray about this possible location change and soon both of us began to sense the peace that was on this direction.

We told God to open those doors WIDE and we would continue to walk through them, no matter how scary. So in January, during my quiet time, I asked the Lord what next steps we needed to take. In that moment, I clearly heard Him say,

“Sell the Pennsylvania house, and finish your house.”

That’s it, that’s what I heard. So we got to work. We finished and listed the Pennsylvania house at the end of January and closed on it the following month. Once that was done we got to work on the rest of the projects that we had put off in our own home. During that time, I asked the Lord again, “What’s the next step Father?” And almost instantly I heard,

“Don’t take on anymore client projects.”

This was a huge step for us, seeing as this is our main source of income and to say no to projects would be like cutting off our life support. We didn’t know how this was all going to pan out but we remained confident that He would not lead us astray. He had always been faithful in our lives, He wouldn’t stop now.

By the beginning of June of this year things were really slowing down and we were beginning to question EVERYTHING. That is until Guy got a phone call from a guy up in Michigan wishing to speak to him about a potential job opportunity. You see, during this time, my family had been talking Guy up in their area and people were becoming curious! But it was one company and the odds of him getting into this specific company were incredibly slim seeing as he didn’t have any experience within this industry.

Fast forward to July and Guy had his very first interview. It went pretty well considering his lack of experience and they asked him to do a second interview. And then silence.

For weeks we didn’t hear anything! They had told him over and over during the interview process that he really wasn’t qualified for this position, but they really did like him (all things considered) and if they were able, they wanted to make a spot for him. They had asked him for his “must haves” (i.e. location, desired income, etc) and he began questioning if what he had asked for was “too much.”

Unexpectedly, Guy received a phone call from HR telling him he should be expecting an official offer within the week. We had no idea what the job position was they were considering him for seeing as they told him over and over that he didn’t have the qualifications or experience to land any of their current job listings. But we trusted the Lord.

When he finally received the official job offer they not only gave him a supervisor position, but they matched his desired pay and location request!! So what does this actually mean for us??

We are MOVING to Michigan!!!!

Guy starts his new job on September 11th (which is in less than 3 weeks away) but me and the kids will remain here until we have figured out housing, schools, and such up there. It’s a whirlwind folks and I’m sure there are a lot of questions which we will address at another time but for now, please, if you think of us, pray that things continue opening up for us there.

Thank you for everyone that made it this far. I feel like I’m back in my old blogging days writing a novel of sorts! LOL!We are excited for this next adventure and can’t wait to take you all along with us as we navigate it!

xoxo, Tessa