Vacation turned Vision Trip

 In March of 2017, Tommy and I decided to do a kid-free getaway in the Fall… we considered lots of places: Branson, California, even Mexico. Finally settled on a nice resort in New Hampshire largely because Southwest Airlines had insanely good rates in & out of nearby Boston for the dates of the proposed vacation. Needless to say, we were very excited for our upcoming trip... not knowing that God was going to throw us a curve ball.


A few months later, in June, we were sitting in a Vision meeting hearing about the overwhelming spiritual need in MetroWest Boston. Our friends Bryan and Jodi Shippey had been called to plant a church in Framingham, MA. We went to this Vision meeting as a show of support and to possibly offer a financial contribution to their ministry. Again, God had something else entirely in mind. At the end of the meeting, Tommy turned to me and I knew that he had the same thoughts that I did. We needed to move to Framingham and help Bryan and Jodi plant their church. It wasn't until later that night that it hit us... Our so-called vacation was taking us within miles of Framingham. Ok God, you can stop showing off now.

We decided to continue our vacation as originally planned, except now, we were in Vision mode. In addition to hiking, shopping, sleeping in, eating wonderful food, and enjoying the exquisite scenery, we spent time with Bryan and Jodi. We talked about where we fit into the framework of Banner Hill Church. (On another note, Banner Hill Church has already outgrown their first facility! The need is THAT great!) We took a day to drive around the town and prayed for the people of Framingham. Then exactly 16 weeks after we had attended that Vision meeting about Banner Hill, Tommy and I were sitting IN a meeting of Banner Hill Church of Framingham as part of this “vacation” that God had orchestrated long before we understood it’s greater purpose.


God is good in so many ways. He knew that Tommy and I would need time away from our normal daily activities in order to gain clarity as to what exactly He had planned for us! He loves us enough to allow us to "plan" this vacation to cultivate our marriage, but also uses our plans to help us get a greater understanding of the spiritual need in Framingham.