A new chapter

At the end of the summer we will be moving.
Away from Portland.
Away from a beautiful city full of unique personality.
Away from a city perfectly situated between the ocean and the mountains.
Away from our families who are mostly all just a few hours drive to the south of us.
Away from an amazing community of good good friends.
Away from an unbelievably awesome church community.
Away from all our new fellow home-schooling friends.
Away from all our green minded, urban chicken loving, farmer's market shopping, CSA supporting acquaintances that we have met and learned from in our three years here in Portland.
We are moving away from all of the beauty that is Oregon.

I am so sad to be leaving, but more than that I am excited to be going.



To a place where the sun is supposed to shine 300 days a year.
A place where 62 inches of snow fall each year on average.
A place where the mountains seem to rise up out of the city in an apparently breathtaking fashion.
A place where 1 out of every 6 residents is living below the poverty line.
A place where 60% of public school kids in the area we are looking to settle are predominantly Spanish speaking.
A place where Bosnian, Sudanese, Afghani, Bantu, Burmese and Russian refugees have settled under government programs.
A place where approximately 7.6% of the city's population, or almost 14,000 people, are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
A place ranked by Forbes Magazine as the most vain city in America and the 8th most stressful.
A place where many people are turned off by "religion".
A place where the majority of people feel like a minority population because they are not a part of the church culture of the surrounding area.
A place where there are far fewer Bible based churches per capita than anywhere else in the U.S.
A place where God, despite my best efforts to say no thanks, is inviting us to go.

So, soon we will be packing up, for our move to Salt Lake City, Utah. Where we will go and live our lives and love the people we meet. Where we will engage our community in the best way we know how. Where we will question our own sanity and have days that are miserable. Where we will learn more about ourselves and trust more fully in God, where we will have days that are extraordinary and inspiring. Where we will experience our own brokenness and inadequacies and where we will come face to face with transformation and grace all over again.

We are going with a small group of people as part of a church plant. We go with good close friends of ours, with other families with children, with some single folks that the kids adore, and some others that we are just beginning to get to know. But ultimately we go as a family in pursuit of what God has placed on our hearts. It is exciting and terrifying, but we trust that we are in God's hands through it all.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

*We don't have moving dates and such figured out, nor do we have a new address to pass along to you, but as those things come I will do my best to keep you up to date. Until then we would appreciate your prayers and would love to spend much time together before we go! *

**SLC statistics gathered from various sources.**