3 weeks and waiting on the Lord…

3 boondocking locations in Idaho and we still didn’t have clarity on what God had for us here.  The sights were beautiful where we had been; Island Park, Tetonia, and Kelly Canyon, but I really wanted an answer.  I remember sitting on my bed one morning while in Tetonia asking God, “Lord, why are we here, what do you have for us, what do you want us to do?”  No answer that day, or the next, or the next, so we continued to press in, explore, and wait to hear.  

In the meantime we planned on connecting with our iron friends, the Gates, in Idaho Falls.  A few days before meeting up with them, we needed to receive some packages in Pocatello, so we decided to stay ONE night at a Harvest Hosts location, The Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot, Idaho.  We were so excited to take the girls since they experienced the UTZ Potato Chip Factory back in July…nothing like an unplanned, full circle, homeschool lesson 😉 Little did we know that we’d receive our assignment at this one night stopover in a little town. Before I go any further, let me make it really clear that WE ONLY STAYED IN BLACKFOOT, IDAHO FOR ONE NIGHT!

The morning we wake up in Blackfoot, Idaho I receive a message from my sweet friend, Tracy, (check them out here) who is across the globe doing missions in Japan.  She was letting me know she had just read our newsletter update because it was in her spam folder, (I had sent it a week earlier).  She says, “Where in Idaho are you?” I reply, “This little town called Blackfoot.”  She proceeds to tell me that her sister and family live in Blackfoot. I literally reply with, “WHAT!?!?!?” I knew right away that we were supposed to connect with her sister’s family somehow, but as our conversation continued on, we were absolutely sure this is why God sent us to Idaho!!! 

Tracy proceeds to share that her sister, Stacy and husband, Josh moved to Idaho earlier in the year.  They purchased 5 acres with a mobile home.  Their plan was to purchase a camper, live in it while they build a house, and sell the mobile home that came on the property.  Well, with the housing crisis in Idaho and increased building material prices there was no way they would get a house done and ready for winter and there was no way they could winter in the camper, so they decided to strip and remodel the mobile home. It was crunch time since winter weather comes on fast and this family was discouraged and tired. Tim and I remodeled a home when we lived in South Carolina so we both knew this was a divine assignment from the Lord.  We discussed and confirmed that we felt the Lord leading us there so I connected with Stacy and made plans to head to their property after our visit with the Gates.  

We didn’t know anything about them aside from them being related to our friend Tracy and they knew nothing about us. We had no timeline and didn’t know what tasks needed done, we just knew we were supposed to go and God would guide the rest. What we experienced with this family is hard to put in words… much more than we could have ever conjured up in our own minds.  To God be the glory!

Josh, Stacy, 3 kiddos, and Papi too, have now become part of our “family”.  Doing life with this family was such a blessing. We now know first-hand what it means to meet daily, break bread, eat together, fellowship, and encourage each other in the Lord.  We shared in life’s trials and joys, supporting one another in our physical needs, but also speaking the Word and encouraging and building one another up.  We knew we were there to be hands for them, but had no idea how the Lord intended to connect us.  The girls had great fellowship with the kids and before long we were like true brothers and sisters.  There was no effort necessary for building a relationship with this family, it came naturally and quickly by the power of the Holy Spirit!  It is true evidence that the body of Christ is a body… that when we are adopted, grafted into His family, it is a TRUE family… no man could create the deep relationships we experienced here… only by the blood of Jesus! 

Here’s a side note that will blow your mind… at least it blew mine and Stacy’s.  We were on the way to Walmart to pick up our groceries, one of the many times, and she simply asks, “I wonder when I posted that prayer request on Facebook and when you were told about Idaho…it would be interesting to see how close those dates may be.”  I replied, “I know the exact evening that lady said Idaho to me, let me search your FB page and see if I can find it.”  Y’ALL, you can’t make this stuff up… IT WAS THE EXACT SAME DAY!!!!! God is faithful to hear and answer when we call upon Him! Most often it’s not in our timing, His timing is perfect and it takes faith to continue on and believe He’s heard our cries.  He was working almost 2400 miles from where Stacy lifted her requests to Him and the answer came when He connected us almost 7 months later through someone who is across the globe in Japan! God is so good!

When we arrived the mobile home had been gutted and on its way to new plywood on the floors, new drywall, and the plumbing and electrical were being worked on. This project was much like our house in SC because every time they turned around another issue came about. For example, we had just finished doing the drywall in the kitchen and after a storm, two leaks in the kitchen ceiling arose, so this led to conversation about the roof.  Before long, Tim and Josh had a plan for installing a new roof on the entire house.  During our time there we were able to help with drywall, electrical, insulation, roofing, exterior skirting, cabinet installation, front door installation, new OSB flooring, and more.  

We weren’t just there to work on the house, God blessed us with a place to get our truck back in order (read the Truck Saga testimony), and these physical blessings don’t compare to the spiritual blessings we shared.  We were able to pray and worship together, be real with each other, and often challenge and spur each other on.  We were able to share the first m

eal in their house with them on Thanksgiving Day!  I could share so many more amazing moments and stories from doing life together with this amazing family! After 7 weeks, there was still some work to be done, but we knew God confirmed it was time to move. We all experienced an emotional “see ya later” the day we left and are truly thankful for the eternal friendship that was established.