we are MOVING!!!

big big BIG CHANGES for the Wallace family!

Our days are moving along FAST and our worlds have been spinning these past few weeks as we’ve begun to piece all of the details together…we have been holding this in for a few weeks, but the time has finally come to share it!

What?!

Not only are we expecting our 6th child (as if that wasn’t enough crazy, right?!), but we are now….get this…….are you sitting down……MOVING…to TEXAS!

Yup you read that right! We are actually moving to Texas! Even typing that feels soooo weird, but this is for sure happening! We’re going to be Texans now! 🙂 Yeehaw!!!! My new little baby girl is probably going to have an accent….which is going to be absolutely adorable right?! Lol.

Where: 

We’ll be moving to the area North of San Antonio and South of Austin to where we’ve learned to call “hill country.” When I first heard that term I honestly thought that was what the locals referred to as “hill billie country” and I have to admit I was a little bit intimidated! 😉 But I was wrong! It simply means there are rolling hills there! 🙂 It’s a beautiful area and I have to say there! For those of you who have known me well this really might be my chance to finally have a chicken coop! 😉

Why:

We do not doubt that these are the next steps for our family and one that we prayed for so long about. The decision in the end, although one that took awhile to get to, came easily.

Some of you may remember us considering other positions and praying through a decision last fall about whether or not to stay in California. At the time it was very clear that we were to stay here in Cali, and for many reasons we celebrated that! We absolutely love living in California, and we love our church family here, and had hoped that would remain a permanent decision.

But as time went on (and with the news of another new little one on the way!) it became more and more clear that the Lord was directing us elsewhere. What’s really exciting is that it’s not just clear that it’s time to leave CA, but it’s equally clear where He is calling our family to!

We are really excited at the work God has in store for Matt in particular and believe that this new church family in Spring Branch, TX will be one we will remain in for many years to come.

That part is crystal clear! And we are so excited to have a trajectory with a long term stable plan in mind. But we are also simultaneously praying the remaining 14 million decisions will begin to fall into place as well!

How: 

We are learning every single day more and more of what the term “bittersweet” means. There are moments I am so excited about this new plan I can hardly contain the joy. There is so much to celebrate and so many answered prayers already!

But there are other days it’s all I can do to keep the tears in. In fact, I’ll be honest, I just can’t and it’s really useless to try. Granted, I’m pregnant and hormonal which I’m sure isn’t helping with my emotions, but just the smallest things will make me cry lately. The memories we’ve made here, the ways our family has grown, the places we love, the people we love…and yes, of course, the beach and Disney. I have to admit there is a great deal of grief in leaving where we are at. And I’d be lying if I told you this was going to only be easy.

But…we have full confidence that we can trust the Father in this and although this will be a tough transition I know His leading is worth following. “Thy will be done…” keeps my heart steady when my heart wants to flip out.

I’m attaching below the letter that was sent out this week to our current church from Matt as well as the lead pastor where we currently serve. There will always be a special place in our hearts for Pastor Jeff Ludington and the people at Generations Church. To say we love them dearly would be a total understatement. They have walked by our side through some of the most difficult circumstances of our lives and we will always cherish our time with them.

When: 

This is happening fast.

I am currently writing this post on a plane as all seven of us travel from LA to TX to house hunt.

(I have all of the boys dressed the same today and to see the faces of all of us walking through the airport is priceless!)

We’ll also get to meet the our new church family at all three services on Sunday and we are excited for the kids to get to see where we’ll soon create our new life.

The plan is for us to have packers come May 7 while the kids take an end of year test. Then we’ll take 2 weeks of “vacation” time and visit a couple of spots like Catalina Island and the Grand Canyon along the way. We’ll also be staying a few days for a wedding I’ll be in in ABQ. Ultimately we’ll be in TX by the third week of May.

I’ll leave this as the update for now and will certainly be sharing more of the journey with all of you as this continues to unfold. Thank you all for your love and support!!! And most of all your prayers!!!

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As you all know, last year was both a fruitful time of seeing many come to faith and get baptized, as well as sending out church plant teams into new areas. In the midst of celebrating church planting, there were also many challenges. It was during that time that I was able to bring on Pastor Matt Wallace.

We quickly found that his main role was to “keep me sane” as we built a different style of team, one where more voices from the church could speak into leadership and more focused ministry could be done. Additionally his very pastoral heart has caused us to think and act differently. For this I will be forever grateful.

Pastor Matt and I knew that we were bringing him on far under what he needed to be paid. He was able to come on for a season while he sought to offset his income. We kept all options on the table, and clear communication between he and I, as well as the elders. Through that season the Wallaces were able to seek  God and listen for His leadership. It was during that time that they were able to add baby number 6 … so we as a church can take some credit for that, right??

Time at Generations has provided them the opportunity to see where God is leading them, and with a bit of heavy heart we gladly send them on their next step of the journey. Here is what they are headed towards, and a word from Pastor Matt and Meg, and then an invitation from me at the end of it.

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Hey, Generations community!

Here’s an update on our family I wanted to share with you. Your prayers are greatly appreciated in the coming weeks and months.

First, let me express our sincere gratitude for Generations Church. Thank you for your love and support of me and my family. Pastor Jeff, the elders, and so many you have played an instrumental role in the growth of our family during the past 3+ years. There is so much we have loved about Orange County, Los Al, and especially Generations. More recently, after joining the staff team at Generations, your warmth, encouragement and care truly ministered to us.

Second, as many of you already know, in accepting the Executive Pastor position we have sought to supplement our income in order to create a long term plan to stay in the area. We have explored numerous ideas to create a sustainable workload for a family of 7…soon to be 8! Pastor Jeff has been an unbelievable support, brainstorming and seeking God’s provision with us. Unfortunately and in God’s providence, we have not yet seen a plan come together.

Third, we want to share that God has provided clear direction for us to serve a church community near San Antonio, TX. Admittedly, it’s a bit out of left field for us! Yet we are confident of God’s leading to join the work he is doing there and we also believe, God willing, an opportunity for a sustained stretch of ministry is before us. We preferred and aimed to stay local…God has another plan in store, and we know him to be a good father who takes joy in caring for his people.

We could not possibly articulate our thankfulness and affection for the Generations Church family. By God’s grace and through your care, we are not the family who stumbled into a service in January of 2015. You supported us through some of the most difficult seasons of our lives. You consistently go above and beyond to love and serve our family. Leaving Generations & SoCal is certainly bittersweet, yet we look forward to this new adventure. Please join us in praying for a fruitful season of gospel work in the months to come for Generations and for us. -Pastor Matt

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I (Pastor Jeff) want to invite all of us to be here on May 6th for their last service. Put this in your calendars and come ready to joyfully send off the Wallaces as they begin their move towards San Antonio.

Pastor Matt, Meg, and all the Wallace kids, I want to personally say I love you guys, and I am a better pastor because of our time together. We have had a great amount of fun, and served a church together. I know I speak for this church when I say that you always have a home with us.

Pastor Jeff

 

Pray we find a house this weekend!!!! Fingers crossed!!! And thank you all again for your love and support of our family!