Truly Bittersweet

I have been absent from the blog for a little while as we have had some big changes in our home. We are on the move to Minnesota! (or Minnesotas as Quinn says!) Ben has accepted a job as Family Ministry Pastor at a church just outside Minneapolis. We are SO excited for this next adventure for our family and for the call God has for our family! At the same time we are sad to say good-bye to the many people we have met in our time here. Charlotte is the place Ben and I met, got married and had our family, so it will always hold a special place in our hearts. So you may be wondering, why Minnesota? It is a place that is far from family, cold many months of the year and neither of us have a connection to. The answer is God has called us there. Ben felt God call him to ministry in his high school years and as I fell in love with a pastor God's call on his life became a part of mine. We have always said we will go wherever God calls us, no matter the location (even if it was Alaska), and He has called us to Minnesota. It is a process that has taken some time as we went through the steps praying the whole way. At every step God has encouraged us and given us a peace that only He can provide. As Ben got to the final stages we hit a point in which they wanted to meet our whole family and get to know me, so two weeks after Mia was born all 5 of us boarded a flight for Minnesota. We met amazing people and Ben had many meetings. At the conclusion of the trip and after being thoroughly vetted, they gave Ben an offer. We prayed about it and knew it was where God wanted us in the next season of our lives. I could list detail after detail of the ways God has shown us this is His will and coincidence after coincidence of all we have in common with those at this church. God has given us a continual peace and clarity throughout this process. The church is truly taking care of our family during this big transition and giving Ben time to breath before jumping into this next phase of ministry. This place and church we are heading to is more than we could have ever dreamed of praying for. The church has already wrapped it's arms around us with love and support during this time. The city is continually ranked as one of the top places to raise a family and the schools are some of the best in the nation. The girls had a great time visiting and already met some new friends. Ben and I met many new people and we were both encouraged by the beginnings of new friendships. We know there will be challenges and sacrifices, but feel that they will be well worth it as we follow God's will for our lives. We are eager to begin this new season of family life! Please keep us in your prayers and I will try to be diligent in posting on a regular basis as we transition.

 The family we stayed with gave the girls these shirts on our last morning there as they were aware Ben was going to get an offer as the pastor had called them the night before! Our family loved staying with them and are looking forward to seeing them all again soon!

 Our first ride, the Ferris Wheel, at the Mall of America!

 The girls and I love Peeps! They have a whole store dedicated to them at the Mall of America! We are looking forward to exploring this place, especially in the winter, and many others in Minnesota!