Goodbye, No See Ya Later
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About this time we are pulling away from what was our home in Michigan for almost 8 years. My wife and I have lived in Michigan our whole lives, and both of our parents still live in Michigan, so moving away is a hard thing for us to do. What would make us move away from our hometown? It isn’t because we don’t love the great state of 
Michigan or really even the horrible economic downturn it is experiencing. We are moving away because God called me to be a youth pastor when I was a young boy and I am finally being able to see the fulfillment of that calling now.
We are moving down to Ohio because I have accepted the role as youth pastor at The River Church in Liberty Township, OH (near Cincinnati). I have been a youth pastor before, but this is the first time when this will be my full-time occupation. It has been over 15 years since I graduated from Elim Bible Institute, so it has been a long journey. However, every step of the way has been worth it.
The hardest part about this move is leaving all of our friends and family back here in Michigan. We love everyone so much and are so very grateful for all of your love. I do not believe that this will be a goodbye, but more of a “see you later”. We are not moving that far away and will be back to visit. Plus, we are not too far away for people to come visit and we live really close to Kings Island and you are welcome to come visit. 
Or if you are heading south on I-75 make sure you let us know, because we live right off of it and would love to have you stop by for a visit.
There are so many people that I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to for all that you have invested in my life, but I know I will forget someone so I won’t go into it. There are some who have invested in my life and never even realized it.
I am very grateful for the opportunities I have had to invest in the lives of teens while here in Michigan and look forward to being able to do the same thing in Ohio. So to all of you who have been in a youth group that I had the privilege of working with I do want to thank you for letting me invest in your life and for you investing in my life. I probably have learned as much or more from you then you have from me.
My wife and I are now following God where He is calling us. I want to share this video from the Muppets with you as we go.
I know the feelings you are feeling all too well. Kevin and I moved from Ohio to Colorado in 1998. We both grew up in OH, so moving away was like leaving our friends and family behind. I’m not going to say it was easy, there were moments that both Kevin and I thought we did the wrong thing, but God sustained us. We were in CO for 2 years before Kevin got transferred to Minnesota. It was a lot closer to our family, and we enjoyed their visits so much…but again, it’s starting all over! 4 years and a lot of prayers later, we ended up back in Ohio. We love being 1 1/2 hours from family, but we have found that being so far away from friends and family that our marriage has grown so much stronger! I think the worst part (and you already have this part covered) was finding a new church in each area, so at least you are a step ahead of the game!
Anyway, Welcome to Ohio! And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to contact us!