Experience the miraculous journey of Kristy Janzen with her family who move forward in the fog, discovering God’s ordained path along the way.
“We know that there’s more than this…. when people say ‘we would love to do that’ or ‘that’s amazing’ but then you also see in their eyes, ‘you’re crazy’ it’s just like ‘I feel crazy, I feel crazy, why are we doing this?'”
Kristy Janzen
Kristy Janzen: About This Episode
Kristy Janzen is a homeschooling mother of three and wife of a firefighter who sold it all and now living a nomadic life as a family.
The Janzen family decided to shake up their lives and go on an adventure in January of 2020. During the trip, the kids begged to homeschool again and that’s when Kristy realized that the family was meant to live intentionally. When things started to shut down, her husband, a firefighter, wanted to pursue something more and so they decided to travel in an RV.
Through divine connections and answered prayers, they ended up in Tennessee where Kristy’s oldest daughter declared it home. A chance encounter with a kind stranger affirmed their decision to stay in Tennessee and it’s been a beautiful journey of confirmation as they navigate where life will take them next.
In this episode, you will learn the following:
1. How a family of five left the grind of working to pay the bills and moved into an RV to travel around.
2. The unexpected challenges of traveling in an RV during a pandemic and the incredible connections made with strangers along the way.
3. How a daughter’s desire to go “home” turned out to be a divine confirmation that the family was on the right path.
From Mistakes & Grace Website:
This is the journey I’m on.
It’s the discoveries that I’m making.
It’s the story of making mistakes and simultaneously living in God’s grace.
It’s the story of abundant joy and grief, at the same time.
It’s the story of growth and death, together.
My story. Jesus in me. Jesus AND me.
May I love him more because of what I write. May my faith be stronger because I’m learning to let Him lead. May you see how good He is because of how He shows up.
Kristy Janzen
Connect with Kristy Janzen:
https://www.instagram.com/kristyjanzen
https://www.mistakesandgrace.com
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Chapter Summaries – Ep 08 with Kristy Janzen:
[00:00:00]
Welcome to the More Sunsets Please podcast. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live debt free, sell it all and live small. These are just some of the stories of those who have jumped outside the box and living life on their terms.
[00:00:50]
Kristy and her family have been home schooling their three girls for years. In January 2020, they decided to pull the girls out of school and go on an adventure. The trip brought the family closer together and allowed them to focus on their interests. Now the family is in southwestern Ontario.
[00:09:13]
Kristy and her family moved from Canada to Tennessee in 2021. They had to fly over on a private plane and drive their RV across the border. There were some “wild, miraculous connections” that led them to Tennessee. It was one of those many answer to prayers.
[00:13:26]
Kristy says her daughter wanted to go “home” to Tennessee. She sat on a park bench and a man stopped and prayed for her. Now, the family was looking to buy a house in Tennessee.
[00:20:56]
We felt like we were supposed to put the house on the market. That day we got an offer. We traded the house for a family with three boys. It was so emotional, such an emotional journey, but excited to be moving forward with whatever was next.
[00:28:42]
Kristy and her family spent three months in Nicaragua. The experience brought up a fight spirit in Kristy. The family returned to Canada to wait for a new visa. After six months, they should allowed back into the States.
[00:37:27]
Kristy: Sometimes I have a little temper tantrum with the Lord. If I had known it would be this hard, would I have done it? Probably. But the growth in this has been what’s So worth it.
[00:43:32]
The right thing is often so hard and that’s because you grow through it. If Darren hadn’t quit his job, if we hadn’t purchased an RV, nothing would have changed. In order to grow, you have to go through the hard.
[00:48:30]
When you decided that you were going to take the leap, what were some of the big fears that stood out to you? How have you worked through those now that you have been gone?
[00:57:27]
Kristy: Were you fearful to start a podcast? Kate: 100%, yes. But on the same token, it just feels so right. Just being the platform to get, like, you out sharing your story. If it just helps one person, that’s what keeps me going.
[01:00:34]
Kristy: There are so many good people in the world. When you start rebuking those lies, your world just blows up. The point of being Christian is to change people and change causes…
[01:06:40]
Last man standing race in Tennessee was a life changing moment for the Janzen family. There’s nothing like community and pushing limits and challenging and being around people who push you and challenge you. How has this journey changed your family as a whole?
[01:13:01]
Every journey has highs and lows. What has been your highest high and your lowest low? There’s definitely been some low points. But thankfully, I forget a lot of them, because they’ve all turned out okay.
[01:19:05]
I’ve been walking through with a lot of women and helping people find their voice. Our dream and our prayer is for a home or at least somewhere to call home. The future is the future is unknown, but I know God’s gone before us.
[01:22:42]
The whole purpose of this podcast is to inspire others who could be listening or watching to take that step and not sure how. How would you inspire them to just get out there and do this? Gosh take a step, sometimes take a leap!
[01:29:14]
Moresundsetsplease. com wants to hear from you. If you’re enjoying these stories, please leave us a review as it helps our podcast reach more listeners. Until next time, keep taking time to enjoy more sunsets.
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