Chasing Warmth in Midwest Winters

We discovered Milestone Church in 2010 after moving to Keller from Austin. After trying a lot of really great churches, we knew Milestone was home as soon as we walked through the door. From the warm greeting in the parking lot, to the kindness and hospitality of everyone we met—this was home. We quickly worked through the Growth Track, got involved in small groups, discovered a passion for hospitality and greeting, and eventually joined the Growth Track volunteer team. My husband Justin and I both loved being involved, but it was the relationships and true spiritual family that we were building that really made the difference!

“It was the relationships and true spiritual family that we were building that really made the difference!”

In 2014, a new career opportunity moved us away from Texas and up to the Midwest. We knew we’d have to leave the close relationships that had formed at Milestone, but at the time the opportunity was attractive and we figured we would be able to build new relationships anywhere. We were wrong. The opportunity was great financially, but the voids that formed in some of the most important areas of our lives and relationships became a real struggle for us both. Two full years went by as we tried to find life-giving relationships, asking God to help us recreate that same genuine connection we had felt before, but we were coming up empty. Not to mention, Midwest winters are so cold…and grey…and snowy. To put it in perspective—you don’t have to shovel heat, so bring it on Texas summers!

God’s answer to prayer came in an unexpected chain of events that only He could have put in place. I was offered a new job that would bring us back to Dallas/Fort Worth, but would mean Justin leaving his job without having a new one lined up.  Out of the blue, he was called by the company he used to work for in Texas and asked if he’d be interested in a new position they had available. We put the house up for sale, and it sold on the first showing! God clearly was paving the way back to our relationships—and they welcomed us back as if we’d never left.

“They welcomed us back as if we’d never left.”

After returning, we wanted to find a way to help new visitors feel the same connection and relationships that had become so important to us. We joined the 301 volunteer team and started leading a 301 group, and after three semesters we feel truly humbled by the opportunity to have been used by God to impact the lives of others. Our true relationships have grown so much through 301, and it just reinforced the lesson we learned through this whole experience, that God absolutely places us in spiritual family. Getting to watch so many people grow in their lives, marriages, careers, and relationships with Christ—it has been an unbelievable experience, and we can’t wait for each class to start!

—Angela and Justin Spooner