Obedience is a Hard Route

If “yes” was the first step, then this part - the in-between - is where the real stretching begins.

I don’t know what I expected after we said yes to Scotland. Maybe a smoother path? A divine to-do list? A peace that made every step feel easy?

But what I’ve learned is this: when God calls you to something big, He usually walks you through something hard to prepare you for it.

The yes wasn’t the finish line - it was the starting gate.

Wandering Before We Were Ready

When Calen retired from the Army in 2019, we left behind a beautiful church and community in North Carolina - people who felt more like family than friends. And while we knew retirement was the right next step, we had no idea how lost we’d feel after stepping away from the life and rhythm we’d known for so long.

In 2020, we moved to Calen’s hometown of Corsicana, Texas, hoping for a sense of belonging.  But instead of stability, we walked into one of the hardest chapters of our lives.

We experienced deep personal losses - my mom and Calen’s grandparents passed away. We spent much of that time caring for and supporting family members who had been knocked down and needed help getting back up, handling estate issues, and comforting those grieving. It was a season full of grief, exhaustion, and uncertainty. And while we were grateful to be close to loved ones, it just didn’t fit.  We experienced deep personal loss of relationships too, becoming estranged from part of Calen’s family and losing the link that was going to keep us there.

So in 2021, we packed up once again.  Searching. Waiting. Hoping.

From Wandering to Rooted

When we moved to Glen Rose in February 2023, something finally shifted.

This little town became more than a place to land—it became a place to belong.

Our kids quickly bonded with neighborhood and school friends. Bike rides, spontaneous games, laughter echoing through the cul-de-sac….it was the kind of joy we hadn’t heard in a long time.

Calen and I found deep, soul-level friendships. The kind of people who show up with casseroles and prayers, who see your broken places and love you anyway.  The kind of people we had been missing since we left North Carolina.

We found rhythm again - church, community, meaningful work.

I stepped into leadership roles I never dreamed possible, and Calen helped veterans all over the state of Texas, even going so far as to help stand up a nonprofit to serve the veteran community. Together, we’ve poured into the lives of other veterans and their families - people who, like us, were navigating life after service.

For the first time in a long time, we didn’t just feel useful—we felt alive.

The Weight of Leaving Well

So when God stirred our hearts for Scotland, it didn’t come easily.

This isn’t a restless “anywhere but here” moment. This is a “we finally found home” moment - and we’re being asked to leave it.  And that? That’s sacred and scary all at once.  We have made such wonderful connections here, and it is bittersweet to leave it, even if it’s only temporarily.

Because we’re not just leaving a town. We’re leaving our people. The ones who welcomed us, loved us, and walked with us through a tender season of rebuilding.

When the Packing Isn’t Just Physical

Yes, we’re packing up clothes, books, and keepsakes but what’s heavier is the internal packing:

Letting go of control.
Letting go of comfort.
Letting go of the version of life we worked so hard to rebuild.

God is making space for something new but it’s coming with holy discomfort and honest tears.

Preparing Our Kids—and Ourselves

Our kids have cried real tears. They’ve asked hard questions. They’ve clung tightly to the friendships they’ve made and the routines they’ve come to love.

But they’ve also shown so much courage. They’ve prayed with us, dreamed alongside us, and reminded us that faith isn’t about certainty - it’s about trust.

This isn’t just our call….it’s theirs, too.

We’re not dragging them behind us. We’re walking forward together.

Hope on the Horizon

Even in the letting go, God has made Himself known.

Passports came faster than expected. Our pets are being cared for by people who love them like their own. Our home will be stewarded by a couple who loves the Lord and feels called to be here.

He’s clearing the path in ways we could never orchestrate ourselves.

We’re not walking away from a life we didn’t love.
We’re walking deeper into the one God is still writing.

One yes at a time.

With Expectation and Gratitude,
Candice
—Wife, mom, veteran, missionary-in-motion… and now: full-time faith-walker.