Dear CCO

Dear Calvary Chapel Oxnard Family,

We do not have words to fully tell you how grateful we are for all of you. Calvary Chapel Oxnard has been our church home for the last nine years. We have grown and learned so much during our time with you. When we were newly married and new to Ventura, we spent a good while "church shopping." We focused our search in Ventura since we wanted to be part of a church close by where we could dig in, get connected and get involved. As we visited various churches, none of them felt like home. During that time, my aunt was attending Wednesday night services at CCO, and really encouraged us to check it out. We were hesitant at first because of our search parameters of Ventura, but went anyway.
[Side Note: The first Sunday we went to CCO, as we walked in the foyer and down the hall, we realized we had been there before! Several years prior, while in college, we were in Oxnard for a Fall Retreat with Campus Crusade for Christ. One evening during the retreat, we met at CCO for our time of worship and teaching.]
The first Sunday we attended, we knew that was to be our home church, and Lance wasn't even teaching that week! What really stood out to us was the time of worship, that people were really engaged. That was something we hadn't seen at the other churches we visited. It was obvious that God's presence was there in His people, through their worship and desire to give Him glory and learn from His word. 
And what I love about the way we were introduced to the church, is that it wasn't the pastor that was the draw (not to knock on Lance, we love his teaching!), but it was the body of Christ being a representation of Jesus. Just like Chris spoke about yesterday, every person at CCO is the church, it's not the building or the staff. 
From that time on we have been welcomed in to CCO. We have spent most of our married life there, dedicated our two kids there in front of you all, laughed, cried, prayed and served with so many of you. We have learned so much from you and grown in our own walks by learning from your examples. You have celebrated in seasons of rejoicing with us, and many of you prayed with us through our struggle to conceive a second child. 
When we bought our first home, the condo we will be moving out of in two weeks, many of our friends from the worship team and our home group showed up early on a Saturday morning to help us move. So many, that a coworker of mine who came to help was floored by amount of people who were there. You were a tangible example of Jesus to him by your service to us. 
We are overwhelmed by your love, your prayers, your generosity, and your support to our family through this journey. As Chris said yesterday, this is the hardest thing we have done, to step out in faith like this. And it feels like the hardest time has been the last few weeks. God is providing and has opened some doors for us, like Chris' new job at Calvary Shoreline. But our future housing still remains a mystery. I have struggled and worried over this, the exact thing I am not to do ("Do not worry," Matt. 6:33). And then Chris found this quote from A.W. Tozer as he was cleaning out his office last week:

How completely satisfying to turn from our limitations to a God who has none.  Eternal years lie in His heart.  For Him time does not pass, it remains; and those who are in Christ share with Him all the riches of limitless time and endless years.  God never hurries.  There are no deadlines against which he must work.  Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves.
 
So I am hanging on to the promise that God is faithful, and since He called us in to this journey, He will get us there. Please continue to pray for us, and we look forward to sharing with you how God provides!
To CCO, we love you and will continue to pray for you. God has big, new things in store for you and we are excited to watch them unfold. Thank you for letting us journey with you.

God's Faithfulness

To keep you all up to speed on the happenings with our move and this crazy adventure...
We closed escrow on August 8! We are currently renting back our home until the end of September. I am packing up what I can, but it can be challenging when you have a toddler who wants to "help."
In August, Chris was encouraged by a pastor friend to contact the local Calvary Chapel pastors in the  Central Coast area to touch base and share our story of God's call to move. So Chris contacted both Bryan Stupar (Calvary Chapel SLO) and Jack Arnold (Shoreline Calvary Chapel in Morro Bay).
Chris emailed Jack on a Wednesday evening. That same evening, Jack was meeting with the elders of his church and they collectively decided they needed to actively start looking for a Worship Pastor. When Jack got in to his office on Thursday morning, there was Chris' email. Chris and Jack talked on the phone that Friday and Chris led worship at Shoreline the following Sunday when we were in the area to attend a family wedding and look for a place to live.
After some more conversations and prayer, Chris accepted a part-time position as worship pastor at Shoreline beginning mid October! We are excited to have some more direction and to join the Shoreline fellowship. Funny side note, Shoreline is the church we both attended in college. 
We are still frantically searching for a new home. With the help of some family, we are looking to purchase instead of rent because it will be significantly less expensive. Rental prices in the area are very high, and there are not a lot of rental options. Twice we have driven up to Atascadero to look at homes, and have put in two offers that did not pan out. Last week we thought we had an awesome, inexpensive short term rental option, but found out yesterday that it is not going to happen. So, tomorrow we make the 2 1/2 hour drive again to look at some more homes. 
I look at the calendar and to me it seems that time is running out. We are moving at the end of the month and don't know where we are moving too. But, we are holding fast to what we know - that God has called us to Atascadero - and He will make a way. 
This morning I read Galatians 6:9 as part of my Bible study, and then received it in an email from a friend later in the morning:

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Sometimes I feel so weary. Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed by all the unknowns. It is hard when it seems like God is silent when you think He should be speaking. But the more impossible it seems to me, the more of a miracle it will be when He does provide.

So please continue to pray for us, that God would show us a place to live and that we will not be shaken through this continued faith journey. God is faithful, and He will provide!