Breakthrough!

I have a major announcement that has been years in the making. Today is a big day for our family and it makes me so happy to get to share this with all of you.

I know that most of you have already heard our story probably 10 times over, but I also have so many new readers and subscribers so I’ll try to get everyone caught up with a tiny little nutshell version of the past 4 years.

In 2011 we felt the Lord laying it on our hearts to move across the country to Kentucky which is where I am originally from. J left his job as a worship pastor and we said goodbye to our church family that had been there for us since we got married in 2000! It was a HUGE leap of faith unlike anything we had ever experienced. We sold our house and many of our belongings and at the beginning of 2012 the four of us moved in with my parents almost a thousand miles away from what we had always known as home.

The next month we found out about our surprise pregnancy (with Ezie), and the month after that we learned that SJ was deaf. Fast forward to 2013 where we moved in with my brother and his wife in Northern Kentucky so that SJ could go to a special school. Not long after that we moved to Ohio.

Through all of this J did what he could to provide for our family. He worked many different freelance or temp jobs over the years, but nothing substantial. Nothing that was going to be a long term solution for our growing family. So J went back to school for his computer programming degree and it has been a very intense season, but he really flourished in all of his technical classes and aside from some co-op hours he recently completed his degree.

It’s been a James 1 season of trials and testing. I think back over the past 4 years and I could just about pass out because it’s so overwhelming, BUT GOD. He has been so faithful and I could tell endless stories of provision. Just one of many example is how J had the opportunity to be an interim worship leader at a time when we really needed that job while J was in school full time. It looked like it was coming to close at the absolute perfect time because J was finishing school. Except then a couple months went by without getting any legitimate job offers.

So J met with his professor who is a christian and asked for guidance. His professor told him to hold out for just one more month. He said to J, Maybe God is giving you this chance to have a break in-between school and work to be able to make up for some lost time that you need to reconnect with your family. You could trust Him and enjoy this or waste it all panicking and taking matters into your own hands. 

During that season, all of the kids school fees, clothes, backpacks etc. have been miraculously provided and we got a free months rent for chopping down a tree in the backyard and a relative sent a check in the mail not knowing any of what we are going through! We also have been able to spend time together as a family and I’ve seen some really positive effects in Z’s life thanks to getting some much overdue father-son time. It has been AMAZING!

Then on Friday J did a follow up meeting with a company that was hiring a web developer and they offered him a job!

When he told me the news there was some jumping up and down. There were some happy tears. There was some Praise You Jesus being lifted up! So today J took off to go to work with some amazing people that we know were divinely placed in our lives.

There have been so many times throughout the past 4 years that I have blogged about our situation and I have reached out for prayer and encouragement. I have repeatedly cried We need a miracle. It’s hard to take anything for granted when you go through what we’ve been through and my heart is full of gratitude.

Of course there is a lot more to it. It’s not like that’s a wrap. The end. We’re all set! But it is a big breakthrough and I can’t go on without declaring His goodness.