Into the Great Unknown

“So, let me get this straight. You are both quitting your jobs without anything else lined up, and moving half way across the world?!”

This is what a friend said to me a couple months ago when I told them of Kyle and I’s (well-thought-out) plan to move to Alaska. And when they put it so bluntly, I thought, “Yep, it’s confirmed. We have totally and completely lost it. We are absolutely out of our minds. Why would we leave everything we have created for ourselves and make such a rash decision?!” But then I remember why we are doing it. And I have to quiet the loud, doubtful thoughts in my head that so easily take over.

Kyle and I have talked about living in a rural community since we were dating. In our relationship, I am the ‘head-always-in-the-clouds Dreamer’ type and Kyle is the ‘give-me-a-reason Practical’ type. This actually works out quite well for us because I will come up with some crazy left-field idea, and Kyle will very gently bring me back to earth (sometimes shattering all my hopes and dreams, but usually just being practical 😉 ).

This crazy idea started in my Community Health rotation when I learned what being a nurse in rural communities looked like. I remember texting Kyle with a link to this video and saying, “Babe. This. This is what I want to do.” I’m sure he thought, “Oh no, not another wild dreaming tangent,” but he kindly helped me pursue it. Unlike some of my other crazy ideas, this one never died. And this one seemed to tug at both of our heart strings. There were seasons where it became dormant, and it has morphed and changed over the years, but that initial tug we both felt towards working in a rural community has never left.

Here we are, almost 4 years later, and we are actually doing it.

If I were to come up with a list of reasons we are moving to Alaska, it would look something like this:

• To work in a rural community and to learn from people who are different from us
• To step out of our comfort zone and take a leap of faith
• To make a little more money to pay off some student loans
• To do something adventurous before we have kids
• To learn more about each other, ourselves, and the world

But ultimately, we are moving to Alaska because we feel called to do this. “Feeling called” is a term that we throw around a lot in the Christian community. I am no expert, but a wise man told me this: “God always resources what He calls us to do, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be pain and struggle in the calling. ‘In the darkness, don’t forget what you knew to be true in the light.'” I like to think of it as a horse and a carriage. We, as the horses, know what we want to do and where we want to go, but without God holding the reigns and leading us, we would become lost, never making it to our ultimate destination or calling.

If I am being honest, Kyle and I are both terrified of this move. BUT we are trying to hold on through the doubt and cling to that ‘tug’ we both feel to do this.

Also, to the people thinking, “I am so jealous… I wish I could just pick up everything and do that.” I would like to say, “No, I don’t think you do.” This move might seem super glamorous and trendy, but I’ll be the first to tell you, saying goodbye to everyone you know and everything you own is anything but Vogue.

We will have each other, our sweet animals, a comfy place in the bed of our truck, and a really great God to come along with us on this 70hr journey into The Great Unknown. I know that it will be really, really hard in ways I haven’t even thought of yet, but I am so excited to see how God uses us in Homer, Alaska. I can’t wait to grow through the discomfort to become closer to myself, my wonderful husband, and the world.

Thanks for following along on this journey, friends! We need you and we couldn’t do it without your encouragement, love, and support. Keep us in your prayers as we head into The Great Unknown.