My season ends at Genoa...

“Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.”
All At Once
The Fray

If you’re reading this, it means you’ve been close to Christi or myself on some level in my past. I’ve come to a fork in the road, and the sign pointing to Genoa is not the road God is pointing toward.

God has been orchestrating this for a short while now, and we have felt the calling elsewhere. God’s plan is always better, but no doubt, sometimes it comes with pain: especially, the pain of leaving friends behind.

This weekend, the weekend of April 20-22, 2007, has been one of the hardest few days of my life. I’m reminded of the feeling welling up in me months prior to the date of Christi’s and my engagement, and how every time I thought about it, the feeling of butterflies would come over me. This is what it feels like; except, this time, it’s bittersweet.

The lyric mentioned above rang true the very first time I heard it. The song was playing as background music, but my attention was focused as I heard that line.

“Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.”

I think the song is in the context of a relationship. In this case, it’s a bit different, but much the same. Christi and I know with full assurance that God has been moving in our hearts the past few months, and we’re thankful for His direction and guidance. However, the melancholy feeling that comes over me when I think of leaving my friends behind is almost too much to bear. (I’m thankful that God is carrying me through).

I want to make it known that I am not bailing, nor am I fed up, or bored with the students of Genoa. I have more love for them every day that I live. I can’t explain in words, how much it hurts to leave, but please know that it is due to a moving of God. I promised the students at Genoa one Sunday morning that if I didn’t feel that God was behind my being at Genoa, then I’d step down. That day has come.

To all who read this, I hope this serves as a reminder that we crave your prayers. Christi and I began our relationship around Christ. It has been our mission to continue on with Christ as the center of our ministry. We don’t know what’s next, but we know that God is in the middle of our decision. For this, we need your prayer.

We are leaving, but this isn’t goodbye. The relationships we’ve made are matchless, to say the least, and we will always love to hear from you.

Most of all, we want to see the students of Genoa grow up to be the leaders of tomorrow. The fact that Christi and I are not around does not change the fact that God is going to do amazing things through those we’ve been with for the last 2 years. Continue in the faith. Grow. Learn. Love. Enjoy the life God has given you to the full!

We will pray for you. We miss you. We love you. May God do great things through you!