I woke up one crisp fall morning with that feeling—you know, the kind you can’t quite put your finger on, but you know something is shifting. Edwin and I had sensed it all summer, but we’d neatly packed it away, figuring we'd revisit whatever this “shift” was in the spring.
But God. He had another plan.
The problem? We had no clue what the shift was.
Or where it was leading.
Or how we were supposed to figure it out.
Our first thought? Florida. Our family was there, so it made sense.
Our second thought? North Carolina. Edwin had some family there too, along with some of our closest friends who had just taken an associate pastorate position (now lead pastors).
Final thought? Stay in Nashville. Maybe we just needed to move closer to Edwin’s job to cut his commute—or find something out in the country.
Little did we know, the search was just beginning.
Closed Doors & Stale Sandwiches
We started knocking on the most obvious door: Florida—only to get a loud and very clear NO from God within five days. We both felt it so strongly, we officially scratched Florida off the list.
Next, we focused on the most logical option—Nashville, but with a countryside twist. That kicked off an entire month of driving everywhere. And I do mean, everywhere! We spent our evenings, weekends, and even our whole Thanksgiving week on the road, filling up the gas tank more times than I care to count (three times in just four days!).
And our Thanksgiving dinner? A lovely, stale ham-and-cheese sandwich from Kroger. Ah, the memories…..
But the real crazy thing that kept occurring? Every house we liked went under contract immediately after we found it. Some of these homes had sat on the market for months, but the moment we showed interest—BAM! Gone. It honestly felt like God was practically blocking our every move.
A Text & a Hallway Praise Session
It was about this time that a friend sent me a random text out of nowhere:
"Victory is on the way!"
This friend had no idea what we were walking through, but something about those words sent Edwin and me straight into a praise session—right there in the hallway.
But as Thanksgiving week came to an end, we were still stuck. No house. No direction. No peace.
So we did the one thing we knew to do—we worshiped.
That Sunday night, as we lifted Jesus up in our living room, something hit us deeply. As soon as we finished the last song, it spilled out in conversation:
North Carolina.
Wait... was this really what God was saying?
It had been on our radar months before, but this move required the most faith. It meant walking away from familiarity, uprooting our life completely, and stepping into a place we had never even visited.
But as I looked back, I realized God had been preparing us all along.
Lord, Really?
I thought back to a hot July afternoon, standing at my kitchen sink, scrubbing dishes, and muttering a frustrating half-prayer under my breath:
"Lord, are You really going to ask us to put on shoes of faith and walk away from our life here in Nashville and head to North Carolina to our friends church? Because I don’t think I have those faith shoes to wear."
At the time, I didn’t know why I said it and even found myself laughing after that came out. But now? Now it was clear.
One story had found me over and over that year—the story of Abraham. Not once, not twice, but over ten times in different ways.
The faith Abraham had to leave everything behind? That kind of faith had been woven into my life before, but honestly? I was weary of it. I wanted security. I wanted roots. I wanted to settle.
But then, Romans 4:18-22 (NLT) would come back to me:
"Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations… Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises."
And every time I read it, I felt the challenge in my heart—was I willing to take that kind of leap?
Comfort vs. Faith
Truth be told, I struggled.
"Why do other people get to stay in the same place forever, and I have to move... again?"
But here’s the thing—God’s calling isn’t one-size-fits-all. And for me? I grew up a missionary kid. Moving. Shifting. Following His lead. It was in my DNA.
Still, the missing ingredient in all of this?
Faith.
It was time to dust off my faith-walking shoes.
The YES
The morning after that revelation, fear started creeping in. I grabbed my devotional like normal—but for some reason, I felt nudged to pick up a different one.
I flipped to that day’s reading, and there it was. Abraham.
"Wow, Lord. I hear You loud and clear."
At the same time, Edwin was on his morning drive to work, praying, "God, I just need a very clear yes or no."
That evening, as we sat eating dinner in our living room, my phone lit up. A text from our prophetic friend—the same one who had sent "Victory is on the way."
"YES! My timing is perfect for you, even when all else says it’s not. Lean into Me in faith and trust Me for your direction."
I read it aloud.
Edwin jumped off the couch.
"No way! I literally prayed this morning for a yes or no!"
And just like that—we had our answer.
God’s YES was loud and clear.
Welcome Home—Two Years Later
It’s crazy to think that over two years ago, we packed up our lives, stuffed everything we owned into U-Haul Boxes (that we may or may not have overloaded), and set off on this amazing adventure. And let me tell you—God has been moving non-stop ever since.
We’re deeply involved with worship ministry at our church, leading and serving in ways that fill our hearts. Our weekend travel ministry has been an unexpected side blessing, bringing opportunities we know only God could have lined up. It’s like He’s been five steps ahead of us the whole time, just waiting for us to catch up.
And in the “wow, Lord, You really thought of everything” department, I was able to bring my day job with me remotely. Seriously, what a huge blessing! (And yes, if my bosses are reading this—thank you, I’m forever grateful!). Having that stability made this transition a whole lot smoother and was just another confirmation that we were right where we were supposed to be.
And then there’s this—we live near the coast. Not on the beach, mind you (our toes are not in the sand every morning as much as they’d love to be), but close enough that we can take a short drive and soak in the salty air anytime we want. That was a dream we never thought possible. But here we are, living proof that God not only provides—sometimes He throws in bonus blessings just because He can.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned through all of this, it’s that when God calls you to step out, He’s already ahead of you making a way.
His plan? Non-stop.
His faithfulness? Unshakable.
Our U-Haul Boxes? Probably still recovering.
We wouldn’t trade this leap of faith for anything in the world.
And to think—it all started with a nudge, a yes, and a whole lot of U-Haul boxes.
Here are 5 Key Takeaways From Abraham’s Faith
If God is calling you to something that feels way out of your comfort zone, remember:
✅ Keep believing in the impossible.
✅ Keep hoping.
✅ Never waver in believing God’s promise.
✅ Let your faith grow stronger.
✅ Remain fully convinced that God is able to do what He promised.
Go find your faith shoes—and let’s get to walking.