Submitted by: E.G. who migrated from Austin, TX to Chicago, IL in 2006 to serve full-time in a job-dropping way.
What is the spiritual highlight of your migration?
I suppose the highlight could be summed up in one word: learning. I have now been in Chicago for almost 6 years and I feel like it has been one year after another of learning. Learning to be one with the saints, learning when I’m not one with the saints. Learning to love the church. Learning who I am in the Lord and learning to trust that the Lord is still operating when I feel like nothing is going on. Learning to shepherd and learning to receive shepherding, especially from unexpected sources.
Is there anything else you would like to explain or share?
When I was considering whether I should move to Chicago to serve or return to my home locality of Austin after I graduated from the training, I had the distinct impression from the Lord that He was happy to bless me either way and that the decision was up to me. However, there was one additional quiet speaking from the Lord indicating that if I wanted to begin to learn what it means to follow Him in the way of migration, Chicago was the place to go. It was quiet, but I think something of that sentiment was in my spirit. So I received the grace to go. To be honest, there have been many, many times when I wondered why I had moved to a place where I had few connections. But I have never felt like it was a mistake or that the Lord had removed His blessing. He has always been here, but it has definitely been a challenging experience at times. I can certainly see the benefit of vital-group migration. Moving with a group of saints with whom you’re already built would make a tremendous difference in terms of the transition and the ability to “jump into” the church life in another place.