I do not recall when I first thought about leaving California, but it has been several years. My husband used to be against it, and I had to put it out of my mind.
Then in October 2018, his company was acquired and he was let go. During his job hunt, he applied for work in Texas, wondering if his job loss was God's provision for us to relocate; but he found work in California a month later.
Given that he re-opened that can-of-worms, he said he would resume searching jobs in Texas after he completed his Master's program of June 2020. True to his word, he even had a few interviews; I was ready to pack our bags, but it was a false alarm.
We did agreed that we wanted to do this with God's blessing, but how does one know if it is? My husband continued searching and applying week after week, but most of the time he heard nothing. If God was going to provide a way, we expected it had to include a job prospect.
After a trip to Florida to visit my dad in June of this year, my husband said he could see us living in the sunshine state, and he expanded his search, but it, too, came up nothing.
In September, when my father contracted the Fauci Flu, my thinking changed. I felt helpless. Granted, God used me in other ways, and I was able to get Ivermectin for him, but not before my brother (who lives in Florida) was able to fight for our dad to get the antibody treatment, Regeneron. It saved his life.
Recovery was difficult. He has Parkinson's, and the virus made him weaker; he fell numerous times. He lives alone and no one was able to stay with him due to quarantine at his facility. I started to pray about being able to care for my parents in their old age. (Side note: my mother, who lives in Missouri right now, plans to move to Florida very soon, and it made sense to focus on moving there to be closer to both parents.)
Since the Florida job search was not producing leads, my husband and I discussed moving my father in with us, though he did not want to return to California. (Neither does my mother, who called this place a dump! Ironically, it was my parents who moved our family from Brooklyn to California when they no longer wanted to raise their kids in NYC, back in the 80s.)
After 18 months of fruitless job searches, I realized I had been doing this wrong. I was running ahead of God, and I had to stop and get out of the way. The pressure on my husband stressed him out. I stopped looking for jobs for him, for homes, and for places to live.
Instead, I began looking at what was in front of me. Soon my heart changed. Everything we love is right here: our Bible church, church family, biblical pastor, the little house that we have spent 25 years turning into a home, our greenhouse, our yard with all the little trees that we planted, our charter school, and my kids' opportunities. God provides all we need while it feels like the world crumbles around us. My husband still has a good job and we have vehicles that work. We still homeschool, even in California! And except for our house, we have no debt. We have much to be thankful.
Instead of lamenting over our circumstances, I felt genuinely grateful for all He provides; and my prayer changed to: God, if you want us to remain in California, and even if you do not mean for me to care for my parents, we are and will be content where we are. My husband agreed. But, then I added, "If it is your will, help my children find a way our of California."
And like that, God answered my prayer quickly.
Sunday night, my oldest son left to Florida. He quit his job in California and found a job and apartment in Venice. There is even a Bible church fifteen minutes away. He did this on his own. He said to me: "Mom, I never want to wear a mask again!" I am excited for him, but sad that he left. I have been praying that, if it is His will, God would make a way for all of us to be together - not spread apart.
So again, God answered my prayer quickly...or at least, it seems that way.
Last weekend, my father made a proposition, which we had no idea was coming. He asked if we would move to Florida and care for him. He would either buy or rent a house for us, and he would live with us while we care for him. Once we are there, my husband will look for work and, God willing, find something. Then we will take over the house.
Before we discussed the details with my father, we had only heard of the idea through my brother, and we could only ask ourselves if this is what we should do. Once I had changed my mindset and put leaving California in His hands, for His purpose, in His timing, under His conditions, the only thing left was to obey. What if we did not obey because we feared the missing element - a job for my husband? Wouldn't we not be trusting God? Did we not ask for a way out of California? Now it is about obeying God.
When you pray for anything, you must be ready for God to answer. And it sometimes is nothing like you expected. This seems to be one of those times.
We must trust that God would not transplant our family without a means to support us. He will provide work, like caring for my father, which is a huge job in itself.
When I asked God to keep our family together, and my son told us he was leaving to Florida a few weeks ago, I did not think God would follow that up with more answered prayer this quickly, if at all. I have not had time to process it, yet.
It has only been a couple of days since we said yes. We are a little nervous. We are uprooting our family and leaving all that has been part of our lives these 25-years of marriage. Did I say we were a little nervous? I mean a lot nervous.
Our initial reaction was to run from morally bankrupt California, but today the means has become an immediate response to God's calling. And God willing, we are relocating to Florida, ASAP.
(I can't believe this is happening!)
P.S. I hope to find time and energy to read and write, but it may not be much. I do hope to chronicle our move to Florida. If you are interested to see how that goes, check back for updates under the page titled "leaving California."
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