The Vision

Somewhere Else
Since Dusty and I got married 14 years ago, we have always had the desire to go somewhere else.  To live somewhere else. 

Why? 
Why move to another country when you live in the safe and comfortable state of South Dakota surrounded by family and friends, a church we love, and not to mention access to anything we want or need? And to that I probably won’t give you an answer that will satisfy.  Ok.  Here goes.  Because we want to.  Pretty deep, huh?
But where?
Honestly, we are so intrigued by all kinds of places and cultures.  Its like going wedding dress shopping. The sales lady takes you into the store and your eyes gaze upon racks and racks full of dresses.  So you try on as many as you want.  And the more you try on, the more you like.  And eventually you just have to stop and pick one.  I feel like that’s how Dusty and I are.  We have many a times turned on Rick Steves and imagined we were right along with him as he toured France, Germany, Iran – you name it. Each place had our complete attention sometimes based on its beauty; sometimes solely due to it being unique.  So we just had to pick a part of the world. We chose South America. Dusty says its “more exotic” than Europe.  Our first choice was the country of Chile, but after monitoring them during COVID, we decided there was too much risk of quarantines and mask requirements.  So we now have our sights on Argentina.
How long?
To that question, I can only give the vaguest of answers – anywhere from six months to two years.  We have never lived long term in another country so we don’t know how long it will suit us and we are bravely doing it with a three and six year old so that is an element you cannot plan for. 
Our first stop will be Santiago, Chile.  We will spend about a week there and then head to the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires.  That’s all you need to know for now.   

I want to leave you with this quote.  Its my motivation for stepping out and pushing myself to commit to this move that is marked with so much uncertainty.  A decision that has been attacked by fear. 

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
-John A. Shedd

Since becoming a Christian, God has never failed to give me purpose.  And no where in the bible have I found that his purpose is to keep me comfortable.  He pushes me and challenges me because his plan is way better than mine.  I’m doing this because I believe that with my whole heart.