From a Reader: "Why Columbia Falls?"

Aerial view of Columbia Falls in Summer

On my last post I received a comment from a reader, whose question may reflect many of your own: 

"Great post Ric! My heart has been leaning towards the life you describe for many years now; however, my wife is a bit more attached to the conveniences and created comforts of the big city suburb lifestyle. I am curious, what influenced your decision to select Columbia Falls, MT? There are so many different places in the US that offer what you have found in Columbia Falls and it would be interesting, and educational for me, to learn how you selected it. Thanks."   -- D. from California.

Our landing in "C-Falls" (as they call it around here) was a mixed bag of decision and God's providence.  Here's the short story:

After deciding that we wanted to leave California (early 2011), we compared states that were friendly to the 2nd Amendment (as a litmus test for freedom in each state's culture) with states that were friendly to Home Education (another passion of ours).  Of these overlapping states, Idaho and Montana most appealed to us: lots of precipitaion, definitive seasons, fertile land, plenty of varieties of wildlife, etc).  Concurrently, we had heard of both the concept of the American Redoubt and pastor Chuck Baldwin's move to the Flathead Valley, and were interested in how our "story" overlapped with theirs in many ways.  So my Bride and I took a "recon" trip to the Flathead, and really liked it.  A little while later, some friends of ours who had decided to move there too, found a house to rent, while we had not, yet.  We ended up living in a tent in their backyard for 3 months (July - October), while I looked for work (and found my current employer) and we looked for a place to buy or build.  Nothing turned up on the real estate front.  Finally, as it was beginning to get too cold to sleep outside, we knew we had to knuckle down and rent.  Some folks we had begun attending a home church with had a rental duplex unit open up in Columbia Falls (providential!).  It was a 25 minute drive to my work, and the price was right, so we jumped in and unpacked (most of) our stuff from storage.  Here's more of the Providencial part: Public Transportation in the Flathead could bring me pretty much from our new home to my work for about $2/day.  I started using that option, in order to free up our only vehicle for my wife and children to use.  Also, I was able to (necessarily) find a 2nd job in Martin City, 12 minutes from C-Falls.  Furthermore, we bought a 1.5 acre piece of land from my Uncle, who'd just moved to Whitefish (20 minutes NW of C-Falls), whereupon we would eventually build our own home.  Finally, we have landed into a wonderfully encouraging church family, who loves the Word of God and the fellowship of the believers as much as we do: Berean Bible Church, Kalispell.

So, we came up here by faith, with some planning, but the Lord has certainly ordered our steps!  I hope this answers your question, my friend.  Remember Joshua 1:9 --

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

SQUARE ONE

August 12, 2014:

Written over 3 years ago, a month before we moved to NW Montna, I had originally intended to make this my very first post on this blog.  It's a little late being published, but... Well, maybe someone will find it encouraging.

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June 20, 2011:

"You're going Where??  You're doing WHATT?!?!?"

This is the response I'm expecting to receive when I tell my friends and co-laborers in ministry that our little family is actually relocating to the Northwestern Montana region to build a homestead in the woods.

A home-what?  You mean like Little House on the Prairie?  Why in the world would anyone want to do that?

Well, most of you know us fairly well, and have already gathered that we are of a slightly different mindset than just "anyone".  For many years — even since the beginning of our marriage, 18 years ago — Jenna and I have longed for wide-open spaces.  Yet, since we were both raised in Southern California, it was hard to imagine actually pulling up stakes and doing life much differently.  So we stayed in the Golden State and proceeded to make some very counter-cultural decisions about how we were going to spend our time and energy:

• We've been a 1-car family since 1994
• We've been a 1-income family since 1996
• We passed the national birth rate 3 children ago
• We have been Home-Educating our children since 2002
• We don't have cable TV (but yes, we do own every season of LHotP  :-)

 However, after all of those "roads less-traveled", that calling toward even greater simplicity would not leave us alone.  Providentially, and as part of our home education — which has unbelievably strengthened and prioritized our family unity — we began consuming a bunch of material that began to fan into flame the possibility that we Calvi's might not be best suited for life in a large population.  In addition to taking the Scriptures to heart (Old and New Testaments), we started really digging into things like our government's history, leadership and economy, our rampant consumerism and globalism, how the public education system has "dumbed-down" the nation's children, etc.  The conclusion that we are coming to is this: we are being called to leave what we considered a "broad road" in favor of a "narrow one".

It has been recently brought to my attention that choosing this path will have a cathartic effect on our relationships with others, particularly other Christians.  By the time you read this, we will have begun the conversation with you, and we hope to be able to share more and more with you as the days turn into months turn into years.  As we have said before, we have more questions than answers, but we are ready to trust the leading of God's Spirit into the unknown, as Abram and Sarai did.  We have the promise from Jesus that our Heavenly Father will take good care of us.  He is, after all, already on the "other side" of this trial, and the outcome is firmly in His grasp.

Stay tuned for pictures, ponderings and prayers.  Also, please send your (encouraging) comments and support... it strengthens us for the journey.