How it all
Began - Living By Faith
I think many of us desire to
live by faith because we think it would be cool to be led by God. But do we want to live by faith in that we
are willing to step out of our comfort zone?
That’s the crux.
My husband was born and grew up
on Old Owen Rd. in Monroe WA with his dad, mom, and 5 siblings next to his
grandparents. In his 30’s be purchased
his aunt’s 10 acres and 2 homes and his 2 brothers lived right beside him
also. Dave grew up haying for his family,
later managed a liquidation business for his parents, and then worked as a
small engine mechanic for his big brother alongside his little brother. Dave had attended Startup SDA church for his
entire life. Dave was a solid rock.
I was born in Omak, WA and grew
up in Wenatchee, WA. My family would
purchase a home every 8 years, fix it up, and sell it. I was married young, gave birth to Lucas and
Levi, and God became real as I drew near to Him as I went through a divorce
from an abusive marriage. Dave and I
married when I was 25, he 35, and I gave birth to Benjamin. For many years we did fostering parenting,
and this last summer we adopted Serenity a day before her 17th
birthday. Over the 12 years we have lived
in Monroe we have fixed our home into our dream home, enjoyed our beautiful heaven
on earth, built up a lucrative tractor mowing business, and become close to so
many near and dear family and friends. God
has been EXTREMELY good to us, blessed us, and we have become very comfortable.
This year has been most unusual. When I first married Dave I desperately
wanted to move to Eastern Washington but Dave said he would not move. I kept bugging him for years. Finally, I realized it wasn’t going to
happen, and I began to settle in and love life in Monroe. About this time, Dave someday we would move
to get away from the way of life in Western Washington. In February while we were driving down our
driveway from going skiing, a herd of elk was grazing in our field, and I
turned to Dave and said, “When do you think we will move?” He said, “No sooner than 5-10 years.”
A couple weeks later I woke up with a distinct impression it was time to
move. I said “But God, I like it
here! I don’t want to move!” My husband and I are both pretty stubborn –
so I knew if I said something it would result in an argument. I thought “I can be quiet – keep peace, and
not have to move!” But later that day
Dave said “Lisa, it is time to move.”
WHAT!?!?!?! Well, God had spoken
to Dave too… I asked Dave for his
criteria for where we were moving: Able to buy debt free, within 6 hour drive
of our parents, over 100 acres, it’s own water source, some hay field, some
forest, flat land that was all usable, not rocky soil, within 15 minutes of SDA
church and town with the basics including community college classes, within 45
minutes of a Lowes or Home Depot, within an hour of a major airport, 2 homes, a
shop… I said “We aren’t moving
then!” But later that day I got on
realtor.com and put in the criteria.
Only one place showed up in Newport, WA.
We drove there that Sunday and felt it was it – It met all the
requirements plus had a lot of bonuses: 2 fenced orchards, a fenced garden, greenhouse,
beautiful views, and it felt like home.
We headed home and quickly began to get our property and two homes ready
for sale. We had to get a boundary line
adjustment which were told could be a challenge. It was done in less time than predicted. We found out one of our homes never had a
permit and were told it would take a long time; 18 days later we had the permit
and final inspection signed off. We
decided to try and sell our property without a realtor and save $50,000; our
home had a full-price buyer within 2 hours of listing it. God moved in unmistakable and mighty
ways. Too many to list here.
When Dave was a kid his family filled a motorhome and toured the
Northeast for a month. It was one of his
favorite memories. He said he wanted to
someday. But how would that happen when
we both had jobs? This seemed like a
perfect opportunity. And with having the
typical mixed American family of mine, ours, and adopted – we needed some time
to bond deeply as a family and have a new start. What better recipe? 6 people – 4 months – 33foot RV.
It all seems overwhelming and scary at times; my heart begins to
pound. But I want to learn to live by
faith. I want to be ready when Jesus
comes. I want to teach my children to
live by faith. I want my children to be
ready when Jesus comes. Ready or not –
it is time to live by faith. To wake up everyday with no plan, and go where
Jesus leads. To get rid of all the junk
and distractions in my life. To find out
what really matters: God and family.
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