Aug 29

Aug 29 Hello Seattle

We left Springfield, MO thinking we were going to make a full loop around the country to fundraise for our Chi Alpha missionary jobs.

Our plan was to come back fully funded to the land we’ve grown to love and cherish as our own.

The journey seemed like something straight out of the story of Abraham and Sarah. You know the story. Sojourners. Nomads. Righteous ones.

We just obeyed a subtle whisper and trusted in our ability to hear the Divine One speak.

So, we embarked on this journey on June 8, 2017.

The twist is, on the way to the west coast, we found out a few pretty drastic details.

Our wonderful bosses, Craig and April Woodham (seriously the best people you'll ever meet) called us to tell us that they heard the Lord tell them to move! That was pretty crazy by itself…
We also found out Alyssa’s parents, Jon and Joyce, missionaries to Thailand, told us they were seriously considering (and have now decided) that they would move back to Washington by the end of the year to take care of Joyce's parents.

God knew those key details.

I laughed. Alyssa cried. We felt like God literally shook everything around us at the same time.

We eventually got to our initial halfway point, Seattle, Washington, on June 27 and through a bunch of God moments, we both felt like God was telling us to stay in Washington....

So, now we are here!

This is our formal announcement.

We've moved to Washington!

So here are some things I'd love to share to those who are longing to walk this life with the Almighty with faith and not fear... it's not as crazy as you think and you're not as far off as you feel!

1) “Learn to hear the small whispers in the loud places to hear the big things in the quiet places.”

- Early in my journey of hearing God, He spoke to me the above statement. The loud places He was referencing was the large church gatherings I was going to every week (for me, everyday because I went to Bible college). It was everything about these gatherings that created an environment of expectancy. Hebrews actually tells us not to forsake the assembly of believers. For me, these loud places allowed me to hear the 'small' things God was saying to me. It was the words, feelings, promptings, messages, patterns, etc. I would start by hearing little things— things like, “Tell this person they are courageous,” or through a sermon, "God can do anything." The more I did this, it opened and trained my ears to listen to the bigs things— things like, “Sell everything and go”— in the quiet (secret) places.

Celebrate the little moments you hear God correctly. Each moment you step out in faith causes excitement in Heaven!

2) “It’s much easier to obey these subtle whispers when you have a history with God.”

- We hear stories of Abraham and think, “Someday I will have enough faith for that.” But I’m convinced God’s heartbeat for us is not simply that we would partake in His plans. Rather, it is that He wants us to know Him intimately. There have been a handful of powerful encounters with God that have shaped me and directed my life. These were those in your face encounters that there was no question God is alive and active. I also believe how we steward these encounters that lead us to “walk by faith and not by sight" means being faithful with the little things everyday. Like doing the dishes. So, you're not far off!

3) “Everytime we hear, feel, see God move, it is a supernatural and holy moment.”

-I used to think that I always needed regular, extraordinary encounters with the Lord. I’m the first one in line for these encounters and still have encounters with Him regurarly, however, I discovered it was beginning to create something very unhealthy in me. Something that said my relationship with Him was less than and that I was entitled to more. Total lie. Encounters must lead us to deeper commitment and revelation of who God is to us. They are to lead us to deep, everyday intimacy with Him. They are incredibly beautiful. Encounters are a manifestation of God’s kindness towards us.