To Kentucky or Bust

Have you ever had to move and leave friends? These last few months have been a huge transition for me. In December my family was praying about moving to Kentucky. Even though we love where we live, we wanted to have a vision as a family. But when my parents were talking about going to work for Answers in Genesis, I didn’t want to leave everyone here in Oregon that I have known since I was eight.

My parents put out a fleece and put our house up for sale with one listing on craigslist. A lady really liked it and wanted to sign papers. I sat on the hearth and cried. I said, “I don’t want to move!” Momma told me that I needed to trust God about it. “As He had blessed you with friends here, He would bless you with friends there,” she said. But I didn’t agree. When the lady backed out of the sale, I was happy.

January came and my family was still praying about moving. I was praying that we wouldn’t. Momma emailed Answers in Genesis several times about hiring Poppa. Finally they replied that they weren’t hiring until February, but would take his application. I wasn’t happy. Finally I prayed about it. I told God that whatever He chose I would accept. I trusted that He would bless me with friends over there, just like He did here. And I realized that we weren’t leaving people here forever. I felt much more peaceful.

Finally, at the end of February, Answers in Genesis emailed that they would have an interview with Poppa. Meanwhile we were talking with our friends about possibly renting our house. We said that if Poppa was hired they could begin renting in May. The interview went well and by March 5th Poppa was hired.

We had a realtor in Kentucky looking for a house that would work for our large family. But nothing was working out. My older sisters put their applications in for part-time jobs at the Ark. Within days they were hired. At the beginning of April we still didn’t have a house! We were looking all over because we were leaving on April 24th. After praying about it a lot, we noticed a house on Mount Zion Road. An elderly lady had been living there since it was built in the 70s and it was in good shape. It would work for our family! At last we knew where we were going, and had a place we could call home when we got there.

As we’ve packed and moved, I still have gotten tempted to worry and get sad about it. But I want to keep trusting God through it all. I know God has some good reason for us to be moving and I trust His plan for my life.

—Paulina, 15