The Sliter Migration: Part 2 (Scattered Family)

For those of you who want to hear the details of our 1,346 migration from Warren, OH to Magnolia, TX here you go... 

Our official move date was Saturday, April 13th, which meant we loaded up the moving van on Friday, April 12th. As I mentioned before, having two active toddlers and packing was CRAZY, so God provided in a cool way: My dad used some frequent flyer miles to fly my mom and her best friend up to Ohio the weekend  before a whirlwind "girls trip" to Amish country, then to take our kids back to Texas with them to allow us some time finish packing.

So I enjoyed a 24hr. "break" from the insane house packing in Amish Country (Holmes County, OH) with my mom and her friend Friday-Saturday. The kids got to spend one last weekend with "Uncle Tim & Aunt Tina", a wonderful couple from our church who "adopted" our kids this last year and became like family, taking the kids for one night a month so Nathan and I could have some alone time. Can't even begin to express what a blessing that was without any "real" family locally... Just lots of "adopted" family & friends!

Sunday, April 7th, we attended our church one last time. It was bittersweet, seeing faces of fellow believers we may not see again this side of the Throne. But so encouraged by so many of them as one person after another shared their excitement for us as we take this step of faith (which is another motivation to continue to blog our "migration" so we can share what God is doing with our Ohio church family). It was definitely one of those days when I'm not sure why I even bothered to put on mascara, waterproof or not! :-)

Sunday afternoon was spent packing up my kids for their adventure to Texas. I talked to Levi about what the next few days would look like for him. Riding in a car with "Tink" (my mom), flying high in the sky in an airplane, playing & sleeping at Tink and PaPa's house... He was so excited to go, he wanted to help me pack. I should have taken a picture of the suitcase he packed... It was filled with cars, planes, and trains. Not a single piece of clothing. We know what is a priority to him!

But that night as I prepared the medical release stuff to send with my mom for the kids, checked the details for the hotels & flights the following weekend, etc... I saw how far away my two precious children were about to be: 1, 346 miles. And I could barely keep it together. I attached the map above so you could see. We were truly migrating from the north to the south, and I was not going to be in the same state as Levi & Ellie for 5 days.

The Lord has just continued to be present. Calmed my fears, gave me peace, and in this story, has also given those same things to my handsome boy and beautiful girl. Thank-you so much for your continued prayers for us. My mom and dad (PaPa and Tink) sent me pictures throughout the week, as well as daily set aside time for us to Skype/FaceTime, so I got to see for myself that my kids were loving their new home, as well as verbally tell them we were coming soon!

 

(playing at my parents' neighbors)

(enjoying a Texas rainstorm & their new umbrellas from Grandma Tink)

So thankful that my dad had enough frequent flyer miles to bless us this way (one-way tickets were RIDICULOUS, and he said he didn't need the miles now that we moved to Texas) and for modern technology that allowed me to see my kids and know they were doing well.

The remainder of the week flew by as we did the bulk of the packing without the kids underfoot, had some wonderful dinners with friends at the end of long days, and then the miraculous happened... we had condensed enough of our possessions that we fit into a 26ft. moving truck with the help of several men & teenage guys. It only took three hours to pack the entire truck. They were loading so fast that at one point I had to finally just say, "Take a break. There's only one of me and eight of y'all..." They were carrying off things quicker than I could finish packing, or asking for more tasks. I had a lingering fear throughout the move that we wouldn't fit, and I would have to choose what to leave behind. The months of selling things on a local facebook garage sale and giving things away paid off.

Saturday morning I flew out of Cleveland to join my kids in Texas, while Nathan and another friend (Scott) started the three day drive to Texas... Once again, another huge blessing. It enabled me to fly to join the kids sooner without having to give up those valuable packing days. To make another God story short, after many frustrating hours of trying to plan the details of flying the kids to Texas, God opened the doors for the frequent flyer miles route to cover the kids flights, and because of that, I realized I could use my own miles to cover my flight to Texas, as well as fly our friend back to Ohio. Cost? $2.50 one way. And look at what met me at the end?


Monday, April 15th, our entire family was once again joined together after a safe journey... And Nathan & Scott had a good (tiring drive). They stoppped at a Cabellas along the way, as well as touring the National Corvette Museum. Scott had never been this far South and was treated to Texas barbecue (brisket, ribs, sausage, and chicken) at the end of the long journey.

These are the details. But God has been doing so much more. The things that have happened, the experiences we have had, they have been part of a bigger story. We don't know all the details of our future, but this has definitely been a time in our life where we will look back and say, "See how God met those needs? He is faithful and will do it again."

Right now if you're in a season of not knowing what is next, take heart. "Keep your eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2) and talk to God about what you need (Phil. 4:5-6). And keep on praising Him. This journey has been exciting but also scary. I have cried, laughed, worried, hoped, gotten really excited, and plummeted... And sometimes that is all in one day!

If you made it all the way to the end of this, I know you're a friend who wants to check on us, hear what's going on, and also probably praying for us. Thank-you. Thank-you so much. We feel your prayers and are so blessed knowing that the body of Christ knows no physical boundaries. Whatever part of the US or beyond you are, thank-you. Our story goes on... We will keep our eyes on Jesus and keeping walking where He leads!