Tuesday, June 8, 2021

 Hello! It has been an extremely long time since I posted. I was even a little hesitant to write this post, but I felt like I should share some things that are going on in our life. If you actually clicked on this link then I know that you love our family and trust that you would pray for us as we embark on a new, but familiar, adventure.  

I feel like I need to go back just a little bit. About two years ago J and I had sold our house and bought a new house. The kids were at new schools and I was homeschooling C. We kind of thought we had landed and was preparing to stay put for a very long time. It was not long before we started to feel the Lord was changing our heart towards a new direction. He started removing things that we held so close to us. Not necessarily in a bad way. There really wasn't anything bad that was happening,  we just started to feel our heart pulling us somewhere else. Well then the pandemic hit. We were so lonely and isolated.  We got it, it was kind of every man for themselves or focus on your family members,  but we looked around and realized we didn't have people looking out for us. Then the state starts saying you can't leave to be with family and friends in other states. We were trying to be good citizens. We wanted to follow the guidelines,  but it just isolated us more. So we started having some serious discussions about what we should do. 

In August of last year, we were in TN with the Riggs' side of the family.  We had the best of time. Years before we moved to Chicago and the years since we lived here I always felt my heart pulling me back to the city when I was away. This night in August before we were heading home,  I laid in bed and I wept because for the first time in 10 plus years I did not feel the pull towards home. We did head home, but we started praying and asking the Lord for wisdom and direction.  We knew that something was changing and we were earnestly seeking His face. 

We came back to a city in turmoil. Our kids did not go back to school in person, our mortgage shot through the roof from taxes, everything was still shut down, the loneliness only deepened as I realized that I was not included in things that I once was included. Months drug on and the Lord just started removing the reasons that had kept us here. So, we started taking steps to move out of Illinois.  There were so many discussions with our kids and how a move would impact them, especially Samuel who will be a senior (😫) next year. Then different confirmations started to appear. One night at supper Samuel told us that he wanted to move. He wanted to have his senior year at the Christian school he attended as a kid in TN. He wanted to be with kids who had similar values and morals as our family and that kind of sealed the deal. 

This is getting kind of long, so I will try to keep it short. From January until last week J applied for so many positions.  He had a lot of great interviews and we thought they would work out, but each position was offered to someone else.  He even applied for lower level education jobs, the interviewer would love what he was saying but then say he needed to be leading a school. It was really discouraging and honestly I thought we were misreading what God wanted us to do. My husband stayed strong and had 100% peace that God was having us move.  So the last week of May we put our house on the market and J told his boss that he wasn't returning next school year. We had an offer on our house in 52 hours, but no idea about jobs for either one of us and no place to move. 

Well,  two weeks ago J had an interview for a principal position in Nashville and he got the job! The most important reason for this post is so I can give God all the glory for working this out. I won't go into all the details that led up to him getting this position,  but it was the Lord and only Him that could of made that happen.  We are really excited to move back to Tennessee. I love that everyone we have spoken to in TN about our move has made the comment, " so glad to have you guys home." It really is home for us. I also know that it won't be the same as before,  but the truth is, we are not the same. We had to come to Chicago.  It has left a footprint on our hearts that we will forever be grateful for. I also believe that we have left our footprint on the ones we have grown to love so much in this city. 

If you want to pray for us, here are a few specific things.

1. The closing on this house will go smoothly.  No hiccups in repairs and for the appraisal that is happening tomorrow at 1:30.

2. We will be able to find a place in TN. We are going on Friday and Saturday to look at houses. We know the market it crazy and our timeline is pretty short, but God can do it!

3. Pray as J starts his new job on July 1st. In true Jeremy Riggs form this school will not be easy. 

4. Strength for all of us. Moving is the worst 😏. 

5. Employment for me. I don't necessarily have to work, but my desire is to be back teaching.  Hopefully have an interview next week. 

Love to you all! Thank you to the people who have already been covering us in prayer!