•9:42 PM
LANA:

I get to write a pretty awesome post tonight.

If you didn't catch my incessant second-by-second Facebook status updates yesterday, we've got some pretty incredible news.

Yesterday morning, DH was offered the same movie catering position he interviewed for earlier this month. They wanted him to be at work on March 14th. Two days after his last day at the Fireside. One day after we start paying rent on our Oregon apartment.

He will not be jobless for even a single weekend in Portland.

Humbled. Grateful. Excited. Joyful. In love with our Father Who is never late. Can't you just see Him grinning and chuckling a little as He sees us going crazy over His gift? Because we put our trust in Him and Him alone - not a job waiting for us in Oregon - He got to let us know now beyond the shadow of any possible doubt that we are moving under the cover of His blessing. This is love.

What I'm learning is that our migration west is not just about God wanting us to 'be happy' or eat more fresh fish. He likes to give good gifts to His children, yes, but ultimately this is a faith journey. It's all about the single most important thing on this planet - our relationship with Him. He's been drawing us close and teaching us about Himself over the past several weeks, not for His sake, but for ours. God is God and is unchanging; He will be the same whether we pray to Him or not, or whether we ask for His guidance or not. That the God Who made the whole universe loves us enough to use our desire to move cross-country to teach us about Himself in such a personal way is astounding to me. Life is so full. Whether we're in a valley or at a peak, He's waiting for us to seek Him out so He can enrich every moment. I could go on and on right now; I just think He's pretty amazing. I love these kinds of days, when He acts in such an easily recognizable way.

And look. Look above at how much I wrote about DH's new job versus how much I wrote about Him.

Guess I'm a little more excited about one over the other.

Interesting...
•6:22 PM
LANA:

In the past few days, we've made subsequent steps of faith, the results of which are lining up at an alarming pace into a big arrow pointing WEST. We were approved for our apartment and have put notice in to both our jobs. DH's shoes will be filled by his boss, and our caretaker position is being advertised in the Help Wanted section in the local newspaper. Our moving van arrangements are being tied up. March 15th, give or take a day, we'll start out on our own Oregon Trail.

I'd like to be flippant and say we won't look back, but we will. We won't be looking back at Lake Detroit or our first house in Perham, or the Fireside or the snow or even the awesome county fair. We'll be looking back at our family and friends. We know what we're saying goodbye to - barbeques that we'll miss, friends' kids that our boys won't grow up with, and grandparents in Fergus Falls that Theo likely won't even remember apart from yearly visits. Those will be the parts that sting. They already do.

We need to find our own family's home, though. I want to be close to the awesome beauty of craggy mountains and mossy forests every day, not just once every couple of years. Plus have a city close enough to enjoy without having to make an entire weekend out of it. DH needs to develop his talents and take advantage of more work and education opportunities than are available here. We are so blessed that we actually have the option to choose where we want to go now, and that we are both in complete agreement with each other about such a huge decision.

I just didn't want our friends to think they didn't factor into our actions at all. Good friends and family are rare and not replaceable, so it was not altogether an easy choice to make. I will never rest in my quest to convince you all that Portland is where you want to be, too!
•1:55 PM
LANA:

After having the rug pulled out from underneath us somewhat with the interview and DH not getting the job, I prayed for a sign if we should stay and wait for the next interview, or move on ahead without one. Overnight, Abbamart sold $400+ worth of product. It was not a legendary, solve-all-our-concerns sort of situation, but it reminded me that after a year of being sort of a nice thing on the side to help with groceries, Abbamart really could be something now. Maybe something enough to count on a bit along with our savings to float us a few months while DH job-hunts. After all, one interview cost us about $900. Do too many more of those, and we might as well have paid rent in Oregon for 3 months.

But the job market is rough out there, and that's no joke. The doubts started creeping in again. It could turn into a bad situation if we move and he doesn't find work. We were still scared... and that's the responsible thing to be, right? No guaranteed money coming in, no security, right? We could burn through everything we've worked so hard to obtain.

I told my mom everything we were considering, expecting to hear, 'You guys are crazy to think about taking a risk like that.' But instead, she asked me, 'What are you going to do in faith?'

You mean... without a job? What are we going to do in faith about moving to Oregon without a job for DH? She said yes, to show that we trust that God will keep His promises. He's definitely told us we can go. Why were we so worried that He wouldn't take care of us and help DH find work when we get there? What were we waiting for?

Um, OK. Mom tells me to do something in bold faith. A step out of our comfort and cautious and yes, even our common-sense zone, placing the situation squarely in God's hands like He continually tells us to. Yielding control and doubt and fear and taking a leap of faith. And see what happens. If we take a step and the doors don't open, step back and pray some more. OK. The Israelites had to battle for their entry into the Promised Land, too. Just because we've been promised something doesn't mean we should wait around and do nothing. We have to do our part.

So, with the help of a friend in the area, last week we chose an apartment complex in Beaverton, OR and applied for a unit coming available March 13th. It cost $80 to apply. I told our property manager that we are planning to leave next month if the apartment accepts us.

Then Abbamart exploded. In less than 2 days, it brought in about $1700. Can you believe when that happened, my first thought wasn't 'Thank you for this, God!! Thank you so much for this HUGE, UNMISSABLE sign of assuarance that You can and will take care of our family!' I was caught up in the work and demand of getting all the orders filled for hours upon hours before I talked to my mom again, telling her about the flood of business and she laughed and said, 'See? What are you scared about? Move, and don't worry anymore.'

God knows what we need. He is God over money, food, safety, and loves us more than we love our own children. I know we'll be OK. God's got the perfect job all ready for DH at the right time. He knows how important work is and He won't forget or be late with it. He won't give us more difficulty than we can handle with His help. Taking our step of faith made this beautiful truth very real to us once again.

We are moving to Oregon!
•5:41 PM
LANA:

This really isn't the post I imagined writing today.

Um.

It was a 'no'. Apparently he has gone and gotten himself 'too much experience'. That darn experience will get you every time.

For those who didn't know, the position would have been an on-site caterer for casts and crews filming movies and TV series. We are so desperate to leave that the details of the job didn't matter. They flew around my head like so many flies to be swatted when I got the time. But, I guess they did matter. Or, would have. Here's a few:

* One dollar less an hour than he earns now (but possibly more hours!)
* Some projects would require travel for up to 3 months at a time (I'll homeschool the kids! We'll come visit! We'll live in an RV!)
* Past projects of the company have been adult films (He won't look!)
* Hours often would begin at 4am to get the breakfast spread out (Well, he doesn't have to do it forever!)
* Possibly could be gaps between projects with no work (Uh...I don't know, we'll figure it out!)

If we're brutally honest with ourselves, it wouldn't have been a good fit for our family. We kind of like having DH around every day. We're adventurous though, and ready for something, ANYTHING new, even if it is inconvenient or different or means we have to adjust further than we imagined. Plus it would have been just plain cool to have DH catering to movie stars (or soon-to-be ones, anyway). The connections and networking could have been amazing.  

Aaaaah, I can't lie - it hurts to have been so close and have the door shut on our toes. It hurts pretty bad. DH and I look at one another and have no words to say. I want him to know it's not his fault; he did everything he possibly could, and now we have to accept that this job was not the one. Not today. It has to mean something better is in the works. 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

- Jeremiah 29:11


Thank you for your answer today, God. We have faith.



•12:34 PM
LANA:

DH's interview has just started. My stomach is soup.

He says Portland reminds him of Korea because he can see the mountains again. He sounds happy!

My head is spinning, and I'm thrilled. I've got the thrill of anticipation, of excitement and fear and even sadness of the things that will end. There are friends and family here. I'm going to be pulling as many of them as I can to come with us!

I don't feel him coming home with no answers. I don't feel we'll be here to mulch the tenants' flower beds in the spring.

I don't know, but I do feel the change, the building.

15 more minutes...!