Bittersweet.   That's how I would describe it.   "Bitter" because saying goodbye is always so very difficult. It doesn't come without many tears. Over the past 5 years we have called this place home. We have grown to love so many people.  We have placed down roots. We have seen God do some amazing things. We've seen God miraculously heal our daughter when we didn’t know if each day wouldn’t be her last.
We've seen the birth of a new son. We've seen God get me through an illness when it was at it's most serious and spare the life of our sweet baby boy. We've seen God's faithfulness time and time again.
So many wonderful memories. So many precious moments.   Saying "farewell" will be so hard.

"Sweet" because despite any other emotions that may come and go, there's always a certain "sweetness" to following where God is leading. It's not always easy, in fact, its often very difficult, but it is sweet.
Over the past several years, we have had to do some very difficult things. Several years ago, God led us to make a very difficult decision that we knew would have many trials accompany it. But when God says to do something, you do it, no matter what. In that decision, we have seen God do some miraculous things. We've seen God provide, we've seen God heal, we've seen God comfort.   We've seen God say "I am here" on a daily basis.   We've seen all the promises of God remain true, over and over again. We are so thankful for the many friends God has sent our way. Friends that stood beside us and supported us. God has used an army of people to surround us with not only prayers but encouragement through some of the most difficult times our family has faced. We're so thankful for that.   God has been so very good.   We've grown to see the character of God on a level we've never experienced before. It is in some of our most difficult moments that God is the most near, just as he promised He would be.    Psalm 34:18 "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."    God has grown our faith through it all and allowed us to experience His goodness daily in the midst of the fires we have walked through.  Despite the trials, we wouldn't trade it. We wouldn't trade all the glimpses of God's glory for an easier path. That's what God's grace does to you. There's nothing within us that would humanly make us be able to feel this way. And yet we do. It's all because of God's amazing grace.

Over the last several months, my husband Brett has been talking back and forth with a church in the Charleston, South Carolina area. Just recently, he officially accepted the position of Senior Pastor. This isn't a decision we have taken lightly. At all. We have bathed it in prayer and have had plenty of time to do so.   Although so very saddened to be leaving the place we call home, we're excited by the mission God has called us to. And what a mission it is. God has spent these last years preparing us for what he has in store. Stretching us---many days we thought there was no way we could be stretched any further. But we were. And it has been so sweet to look back on and see the faithfulness of God to our family.

Farewell, Roanoke. It is with many, many tears and after many sleepless nights I say this, but with a supernatural peace that God is calling us to go.   So we go. The harvest is plenty and there is so much to do. Eternity is real and our time here on earth, fleeting.

To all my wonderful clients, thank you. Thank you for letting me capture those special moments between you and your families. I hope you will treasure them forever.
To all of our wonderful friends, we will miss you more than you could ever know. Words can’t even begin to express how thankful we are for each and every one of you. Tears have flown so often lately when I think about all that you all mean to us. Just know our home will always be open for when you want to take that beach vacation. :) You’ll have no excuses to come for a visit. Let’s not say “goodbye” when we leave, let’s just say “see you soon!”
We’ll definitely be back to Roanoke…I already have several trips planned. These gorgeous mountains won’t keep us away for long. I’ll still be scheduling photo sessions in Roanoke because I’ll always love a reason to come back to the place that will forever hold a piece of my heart.

Roanoke, we’ll miss your mountains and the constant beauty that has surrounded us. We’ve had the awesome blessing to live in one of the most beautiful places in the country. For the past 5 years all we had to do was step outside, or look out the window at our beautiful backyard, and immediately be enveloped in amazing mountain beauty. We’ve hiked up and down, and all around these mountains as a family, seeking all the adventure that was there to be found. We’ll miss the mountains we’ve grown to love so much more than we could ever express. But. We’re so very excited about the mission God has called us to in Charleston. Following God is always an adventure. Here’s to our next one!

Farewell.

--Hope

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