Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. Acts 14:17
In December 2022, Afa and I packed up our family and moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Southern California. I knew in my heart that God was calling us away, even though I loved it there. I often said that I would be completely happy if we never left the Bay. It’s such a beautiful city – the drive into downtown over the Bay Bridge is one of my favorite views in the world. It filled my heart with joy each time we drove over that bridge for the six years that we lived there. You can see the Bay almost anywhere that you drive, and it was orienting and peaceful. As someone who despises heat and loves to run in chilly rain, I thought the weather was perfect every day. Having moved there from Denver, the home of dystopian weather patterns, I had no comprehension of people who complained about weather in the Bay.
So deep was my love, that I had quite a bit of trepidation about moving to Southern California. I didn’t have extensive experience in Los Angeles, and my view of it was a hot, dry desert – none of which appear on my list above. I am also someone who loves trees, and the desert part of my imagination also erased all the trees in LA. I was willing to move but not thrilled about the destination.
We moved at the end of December 2022 and had a really rough first week. Even though we were staying with Uncle Jeff and Auntie Fatai, two of my favorite people, the kids and I were extremely sick. We all had high fevers, me included, and Fin was sleeping horribly. And on top of all of that, Afa was back in the Bay getting our house ready to rent out. It was a bit miserable.
As our bodies healed, I returned to work, and we got into a new school schedule with the kids, life evened out. And it rained. I love the rain, and I was basking in the glow of God’s joy falling to earth. Then it rained some more, and then it rained again. It rained 16 days over the next two months and was cloudy and cold an additional 21 days. It was San Francisco weather…and my heart was happy!
February 25 was a highlight of our Southern California weather adventure: it snowed! Ana Lia had seen snow before when we lived in Denver, but she wasn’t even two yet, and the boys never had. We didn’t have any proper snow gear, so they would run outside and play in the snow with their bare hands for 10-15 minutes, and immediately come inside to warm up. Upon warding off the frost bite, they headed right back outside. It snowed for a few hours, and the kids and I all found unending joy in it.
The mountains surrounding San Bernardino were blooming with vegetation near the bottom and snow-capped at the top. The beauty of these desert giants was astounding. As we made the regular drive from Los Angeles, I would stare in awe at the approach to the house. The undercurrent of anxiety that I had felt for months about being in a place with no trees had been completely alleviated by the blooming desert. It seemed like there was green everywhere, when the lack of green had been one of the reasons I hadn’t wanted to move.
Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12
While I understand that the rain was not for me personally, I was nevertheless blessed by the God’s love falling from the skies. The Scripture above in Hosea became so relevant to my heart during this time. Our move from San Francisco help break up some unplowed ground in my heart. As we embarked on a new adventure as a family, there were so many ways that I needed to grow. God brought new friends into my life that have guided me through some challenging emotional healing that has been decades in the making. The move stretched my ability to love people, change ministries, and love people again.
Through this move (and all the previous ones) God demonstrated His faithfulness in both big and small ways – one of the most obvious this time around was the rain that allowed to fall in the desert when there should have been no rain.