Time to Move?

Midwest to New England USA – June 1991

For some time now I have felt stuck in a rut, and I have asked the Lord if He would have me move to a new location. I have lived in Ohio since I was two years old. One wonderful thing about being a nurse is that I can get a job anywhere in the world. I attended an excellent weekend Bible conference last fall in upstate New York. After the conference, I had the privilege of taking the Bible teacher and his wife to the airport and requested their counsel. When they heard I was the only single lady in a small Bible church, they suggested I move.

I investigated teaching women and children the Bible in eastern Europe, but the Lord did not give me peace about it nor did He put the pieces together.

By faith, I put my house up for sale in January. People told me this was not a good time to sell a house, because it was the middle of winter, the Gulf War, and a recession. But I knew that if God wanted me to move, He would sell my house. If not, I would stay in Ohio.

Several people in New England invited me to visit the church they attended, so I took a survey trip in February. I fondly remembered a  childhood family vacation, thrilled with the beautiful mountains and ocean, and fascinating American history sites. With more snow, I could cross-country ski often.

God blessed me at one church in particular. The choir sang a beautiful hymn about the Lord’s coming that moved me to tears. It has been so long since I heard a choir sing. Their guest speaker and the pastor gave messages about the rapture. (I Thess. 4:13-18) The people gave me such a warm welcome. The kind assistant pastor’s wife drove me around the city and showed me neighborhoods where I could live. With the high cost of living, I probably could never buy a house again.

On Monday morning, the head nurse of the dialysis unit at the local hospital seemed excited to meet me during my interview. The hospital just bought new Cobe dialysis machines identical to the ones I use in Ohio, so I would not need much orientation. She offered me a job at the end of the interview. I told her I would pray about it. I was also offered dialysis jobs in two other cities I visited, but I did not feel at home in the churches.

I returned home and received a full-price offer for my house forty days after I listed it. This confirmed that the Lord was opening the door for me to move. The buyers and I set a closing date for the end of April. They asked if I could rent back from them for one month since they had to complete their rental lease. I agreed since June 1 would be a nice time of year to move to New England. I gave my notice at the dialysis unit for the end of May.

I called various moving companies and chose the one with the best price per pound of goods and reserved one-fourth of a huge moving van. I was shocked at how much stuff I had accumulated in the eight years since I built my house. I hated to say goodbye to all my family, friends, and coworkers. Many thought I was crazy to leave everything familiar behind. My financial planner was especially concerned and said I would never retire at age 57 as we planned.

Three weeks before the move, the phone rang. The Director of Nursing at the hospital where my dialysis job awaited me said, “Pam, I’m sorry but we had to close one of our units and we had to place all the nurses in empty positions in the hospital. One of the nurses chose the dialysis position so we can no longer offer you a job.” I thanked her for calling and hung up. My heart sank as I thought about moving across the country without any friends or a job. I had already paid the deposit to rent a one-bedroom condo for a year and sold my house here, so I could only go forward.

Dear Father, Thank You for closing the door to this job and that You have something better. You have promised to provide for me, so I’m trusting You to give me a job when I get to New England. Thank You that You go before me and prepare the way. Thank You for the peace that passes understanding. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus….But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7, 19 KJV

Next post I will tell how God wonderfully provided a new job and about my culture shock in New England. By the way, I was able to buy four houses in New England over the next 25 years and retire at age 61. Truly, the Lord is so faithful.