No Greater Love

 There is no greater feeling than knowing you are right where you belong. I see it in my husband's eyes and it brings such joy to my heart. The past week has been one of the craziest weeks of our lives! We packed up our entire house and moved 4 states and 600 miles to begin the amazing journey of being missionaries in Charlotte! We have waited for this moment for over a year now and now that it's here we are just in awe of God's goodness and faithfulness. We had no idea what to expect when we joined Missionary Athletes International but so far it has exceeded our wildest dreams! Let me take you back to Wednesday...

Moving day, truck is packed save for our mattress, toothbrush, and oh, us. The plan-wake up at 6:30 and get an early start. Plan failed. Woke up at 7:30! Ok, take a deep breath and GET GOING! However, we can't just leave Anderson that easy, we still have to go to the church to drop off our keys and computer and then go to Budget rental to hook the dolly to the back of the truck. Our initial plan: head out of Anderson around 8...new plan: head out around 10 and still meet up with James for one last Arnold Palmer.



We finally leave James around 11 am and have 10 + hours ahead of us!What could have been the worst day of our lives turned into one of the best. Yes, the drive was extremely long and the truck was scary to maneuver and we didn't have a CD player (our own made up songs and old renditions of Alanis Morrisette had to suffice), HOWEVER, we felt so loved on that trip! We had people from all over the country texting and calling us letting us know that they are praying for us and excited for our new journey. We definitely felt the love of Christ and His Body fulfilling its purpose. Every time we received a text or call we'd look at one another and just laugh because that was the only thing we could do to keep us from crying tears of joy! What topped the day off was getting to unexpectedly see one of our best friend's, Lindsey Marler for lunch in Lexington! :)

The next several days were a whirlwind to say the least. We met a ton of new and awesome people, we reacquainted with old friends, we saw 3 Charlotte Eagles soccer games, and we experienced God's community at work yet again - from the Auyer's who graciously opened their home to us, to the people in the organization who couldn't be more excited for us to join MAI, to the Lady Eagles soccer team who gave us one of the loudest and exuberant cheers I have ever received! God only knows what the future will bring but whatever it holds we are ready and willing with eager anticipation!

Where do we go from here: the goal is for Travis to get trained in the 4 existing at-risk neighborhoods (learning about each neighborhood, learning how to partner with surrounding churches, and learning the needs of each community) and potentially, after much thought, prayer, and patience, move into one of the 4 neighborhoods or begin a 5th neighborhood. Please be praying with us as we move forward from here. Words can't express how grateful we are for our friends and family who are supporting us through prayer and gifts! We love you all!



Charlotte or bust!