“The moment we start worrying (different than paying attention) about keeping the things that are known in proper order, we are no longer fascinated by the Ineffable that is calling us.” – Father José Medina

When I heard this quote from Father José, I knew it to be true in light of my experience of moving to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Two years ago, my husband was invited by a former colleague to check out a job opportunity in SD. At the time, our life in Rochester, MN was good. We were living in my hometown surrounded by family and friends. I was homeschooling our son and was involved in an active homeschool cooperative. My husband was just beginning a new project at work he was excited about. Yet, he was still curious to check out this job opportunity in SD. I humored him and agreed to visit, but in the back of mind I thought “life is good, why mess with it?” Plus, I am the oldest child and had always thought I would stay close to my parents to care for them as they got older. The idea of moving wasn’t in my plan. Before we had the opportunity to visit Sioux Falls, the pandemic hit and the world shut down. Phew! Dodged that bullet!

Over the next few months, our attention was redirected. My husband’s work changed into developing a pandemic warehouse and my son and I went on homeschooling with the absence of community. We took the vacation money we had saved and put it towards updating the house (little did we know the updates would also be great for resale!). Six months later, we found out the job opportunity was still available. Instead of being closed to change, something new had opened up in me and I took the question seriously.

When I look back, I can see how God took those months in between to prepare my heart for this journey. The uncertainty of the pandemic definitely provoked questions in me and provided the time to really face them. One of the questions that was most revealing for me was “where does my certainty come from?” Is it in what I can plan and manage or is it in God’s plan for me? I realized how the “stability” of life had given me a false hope in my own ideas and left me feeling comfortable with life. When stability was taken away and uncertainty set in, I realized again that life was fragile. It is always fragile. My need for certainty in life cannot be satisfied by me but by God alone. This awareness of my real need pointed me back toward Christ, the One who could answer my need. I began to look for people who witness how Christ generates new life within them even during times of uncertainty. With this new awareness and companionship, the decision to move to Sioux Falls for a job became not only an opportunity for new work but one of growth for our family.

On January 1st, 2021 we moved to Sioux Falls with great expectation. Moving for the first time away from my family awakened my need to be known and to be loved. I sought out the local School of Community to help me take this need seriously. We have been blessed with beautiful friendships and experiences where I can truly say Christ has taken great care of me and my family. The experience of moving has been one of belonging. We have discovered our desire to belong to Him and continue to live our life with a great curiosity.

Angie, Sioux Falls, SD