Here and There

The Long Goodbye
For several months we have been calling our life the "the long goodbye" because for about the last year we have been trying to transition between living here to moving there.  Several years ago now, we started telling people we are close to, that someday we would be moving on from here to plant a church.  Someday is now here and we are still living in the midst of that transition.  I expect that the reality of the situation won't really hit until we've actually been there for awhile.  Of course we do have to get there first. 

House Update:
We are almost completely done with the sale of our house!  A buyer emerged toward the middle of December.  We had an offer just before Christmas.  We countered the offer and he accepted it.  He had the inspection done on December 27th and has been having a variety of people come make estimates on repairs the first few weeks of this month.  We went into the formal contract phase this week. Barring any unforeseen complications, we should be closing on our house here on February 15th.  Unfortunately, because this is a difficult market, we are not going to be making enough on the house here to be able to put a downpayment on something there.  We do feel fortunate to be able to walk away without being completely upsidedown, but I have to say it is a bit of a disappointment.

Bad News/Good News
The bad news is, we are having a difficult time finding something affordable to rent in the area that we feel called to work.  There are many factors as we move there that we feel need to fall into place and they just haven't yet.  That news could be worse if there weren't good news to go along with it.  The good news is that we don't have to be out of our house on February 15th if we don't have another place to live yet.  The buyer doesn't need to live here until the summer and will be extending us an occupancy agreement should we need it.  The trouble is, we are more than ready to be there and not here, so we would love not to need it.

"Who goes there?"
Some very exciting news is that we've already begun to minister in south Santa Fe (there).  We have been holding church services for the past few weeks at our friends' home there and it has been very encouraging.  Building new relationships there has only made it more evident to us how much we need to be there to do all that we are called to do.  While we are so thankful for the many incredible relationships we have built here, it is time for us to move forward. 

"I Don't Know"
These are the words that I find myself saying far too often these days.  I know that I am tired of saying them so I can't even fathom how tired my kids are to hear them.  "When are we moving there?" "I don't know."  "Where are we going to live there?"  "I don't know."  It is hard for me so I know it is much more difficult for them.  The great news is that I know who does know and I can trust Him.  He has a plan for us there, and I need to remind myself everyday when I'm feeling discouraged that His ways are higher than my ways.  Some days aren't as hard as others. Thank goodness!

Limbo Continues
So, do we pack like we are moving there next week or do we relax and enjoy the remainder of our time here?  It is a hard balance.  I've been working on packing things we don't use everyday but I don't want to live in a carboard jungle for too long.  I've been trying to plan sleepovers, play dates  and get togethers with special friends (both mine and theirs) so that this transition is fun too.  I'm hoping when it is all said and done, we will get to have all these memories stored up for the times when it isn't so easy there, because I know there will be days when we really miss it here. It would be wrong not to feel that way about a place that we have called home for so long and for people that we have considered family here.

I think maybe this describes best  how we feel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m-kbBamg_U