About nine years ago, I was a pastor serving a long-term ministry in Wisconsin but believed God was calling me to leave there and serve another church of His choosing. May 30, 2008, I was moving -- along with my wife and our son who would just be starting high school -- to Bella Vista, Ark.
Our family and friends said many times, "Arkansas?"
You see, we didn't know anybody here, and nobody we knew had ever lived in Arkansas or knew anything about Arkansas. Oh, we had our perceptions about Arkansas, which were mostly misconceptions. You know the jokes.
But we came to Bella Vista because we believed this is where God wanted us. We would "grow where we were planted," or so we prayed. And we would pray that this decision be confirmed somehow.
Upon moving here and starting to meet people, we found some very loving, friendly people. We met lots of folks from Wisconsin and all over the country who'd moved here for a variety of reasons. God was making the distance we'd moved feel less and less with every Green Bay Packer fan we met here.
God blessed our move and ministry in unexpected ways. Our son made a friend his first few days at Bentonville High School who, eight years later, is his wife! After spending a year helping us settle our family and home here, my wife was hired as the director of Cooper Chapel. Imagine that place as your part-time work place.
Not only is the ministry at Village Bible Church fruitful for me and the congregation, I've been blessed to make new friends and discover new interests and hobbies -- including hiking and day trips to the hidden treasures of northwest Arkansas, southwest Missouri and northeast Oklahoma. We miss our families up north, but they've enjoyed their visits to Bella Vista and can see why we love it here.
I write this to encourage everyone in Bella Vista to look for the blessings of God right here. Maybe you came here to work or retire here and you're still hoping to settle in and feel good about your move. We found that feeling settled in and feeling good about our move was in direct relationship to feeling blessed by God in the today and now because our eyes and hearts were and are looking for His presence, His power, His provision and His purpose for our lives.
When you're where God wants you to be, it's always the best place to be! It might take some pretty big faith to make the move and patience as He confirms it was the right move, but relax -- meet people, explore Bella Vista, connect with people who also seek after God, and you'll know you're in the center of His will for your life.
And there's no better place on earth to be.
• • •
Mark Voll is pastor of the Village Bible Evangelical Free Church. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Religion on 02/22/2017