Trusting God's Plan: Our Move to Manitoba

Sisters Unscripted
Apr 7, 2025
7 min read

Updated: Oct 1, 2025

Kim J-

Four years ago, God called us from our 800 square foot, 2 bedroom home in Southern Ontario to move here, to Southern Manitoba. It seemed crazy to leave an area we loved and people we loved. However, my husband was sure, one Christmas day, 4 years ago that God was calling us to go. On Christmas Day 2021, my husband announced that we should move to Manitoba. I remember doing dishes in my tiny little kitchen on Christmas morning while the kids were playing with their toys. My husband came in from outside and said, “we should move to Manitoba”. I was skeptical at first. My husband never would have wanted to move to Manitoba. He hates the cold, he loved Ontario, and the majority of his family lived in Ontario. And yet, he was sure he was being led to go. Of course, this was exciting news to me as the majority of my family had migrated back to Manitoba after having lived in Ontario for 18 years.

Preparing our Home

Less than two months later, two of my brothers were at our place from Manitoba to help us finish two big projects in our fixer upper: the bathroom and the kitchen. It was such a blessing that they were able to come help us complete something in 10 days rather than the months it would have taken us to do it ourselves. By February 21st, we had the house ready to list and 2 weeks later it had sold. We had bought that home for under $70,000 7 years before and here we were selling it for about 5 times what we had paid for it. In 2015, when we were itching to get a little home with a big back yard for our little boy, we had found this affordable fixer upper in a small little town in Southern Ontario. God had blessed us with a very profitable investment.

Empty kitchen with white cabinets, cluttered counter, and single window. Tiled floor and neutral walls create a simple, serene atmosphere.

Two people work on wall insulation near a window in a room with exposed brick walls. A child watches by an old stove with pots.

Two people installing white paneling in a room. One uses a drill while the other stands on a ladder. Tools are visible in tool belts.

Worker in a toolbelt installs kitchen countertop in a white, modern kitchen with shiplap walls and recessed lighting. Bright, tidy space.

Modern kitchen with white cabinets, dark countertops, and open shelves. Gray flooring, wood accents, and a white stove with towels. Cozy ambiance.

Searching for a new home

When we went online looking for homes in Manitoba, we found that we would be able to buy twice the size of a home for a little less than we sold our home for in Ontario. Before our home was listed, there was a home that we found online that caught our attention. One of the brothers who had come to help us in Ontario knew a real estate agent that could do a video walk through of the home for us. It seemed like a great place and we got excited about it. Thankfully, my husband has a reasonable head on his shoulders and felt we should have our home listed first before looking into buying this home. Well lo and behold, the home sold before we were able to get our home listed and so we had to continue looking. Not long after listing our home, we came across another home. This time my brothers were back in Manitoba and were able to go look at the place for us. They gave us a video tour and because of their knowledge of homes, were able to do sort of a home inspection. All was well and even though we had only seen the home over a screen, it felt like the right place. So we put a lower-than-asking offer in and it was accepted!

The Move

By the middle of March we were all packed up and we left our home early one Tuesday morning. The roads were icy but we took it slow. We had sold a lot and packed everything else into a trailer which we pulled with our new-to-us van.

Just a couple months before deciding to sell our home, my oldest brother, who lives in the States, had asked if he could try selling his van at our place since it was a Canadian vehicle. It would be simpler to sell the vehicle in Canada than going through all the work of changing it over to sell in the US. We agreed and then it sat on our lawn for weeks with very little interest. When we decided to move, it seemed like the perfect option to buy the van and use it to tow a U-Haul trailer. So that’s exactly what we did. We sold our SUV to my youngest brother who had come out to help us renovate. We packed the SUV up with some of our belongings and they towed it back with them when they went home after finishing the work at our place in Ontario.

A U-Haul trailer travels on a road beside trees and a frozen lake under a cloudy blue sky, evoking a calm, cold atmosphere.

We left on a Tuesday and had a good day of traveling. We had to take the Canadian route because of the COVID restrictions so it added on quite a few more hours. We made it to a little town where we found a cottage to rent for the night. It was pretty warm and things were melting. After a very good sleep, we woke up early, ready for another day on the road. For some reason, God had other plans. When we went to leave, we found that our tires had been frozen into the slush overnight. We had to call a tow truck and it wasn’t until several hours later that we were back on the road. We didn’t make it as far as we had planned the second night because of the delay but it all worked out.

Experiencing Family

On Thursday afternoon, we pulled into my parent’s driveway where all of my family was waiting. It felt so different to us to have a whole group of people waiting there on the driveway. It was the first time we would be living in the same town as our family in a very long time. We backed in the trailer and everyone, even my sister-in-laws Kim who had just had a baby and Courtney who was due with her first any day, helped unload the trailer. In probably under 20 minutes, with all the different people, our trailer was unpacked into my parent’s garage.

We stayed with my parents for almost 2 months. We did our best to be good long-term guests. My mom worked most days so I would always have supper ready for her and my dad when they got home from work. We had also brought our cat along and my parents were very gracious with letting us have him in their home with us as well. He also tried to be on his best behaviour.

A tabby cat on a floral-patterned chair gazes out a window, with trees and light visible outside. The setting is cozy and calm.

On April 10th, we got possession of our home. That was another surprising day. All of my siblings showed up like it was their home. We didn’t ask anyone to be there and yet there they were. Everyone got to work immediately. One of my brothers got a bin on the driveway and the house started getting stripped. My nephews and my own kids started ripping out the landscaping that we decided needed to go. We weren’t used to family being there. We had been mostly alone for years and now all of a sudden there were people right alongside us without us even asking. I remember us feeling blessed and humbled.

People removing floor tiles in a kitchen with white cabinets. A child wearing a blue hat helps. Bright windows and a broom visible.

Five people working on a kitchen floor renovation, kneeling and using tools. White cabinets and a large pendant light are visible.

Child playing with toy car in messy basement with scattered Lego bricks and blue cables. Gray carpet, cardboard boxes, and black sofa.

The home had been a rental home and needed a little facelift. Over the next few weeks we hired my brothers to re-do some things in the house. They put in new flooring, doors, trim, and rearranged a few things as well.

On May 5th, we finally got to move into our home. As much as we were thankful for having a home in the basement of my parent’s house, it was so nice having our own space again. We had already moved a few things in and our garage was full of everything else that used to be at my parents.

Minimalist living room with two gray sofas, wicker stools, and a potted plant. Sheer white curtains cover large windows, creating a serene vibe.

Bright room with large windows and sheer white curtains. A wicker chair and cat tree are on wooden floor with a gray rug. Greenery outside.

Open kitchen and dining area with wooden furniture. Person cooking at counter, cozy atmosphere, light wood floors, and modern lighting.

Carpeted room with two open doors; one shows a crib in a dimly lit nursery, the other leads to a laundry basket. Neutral tones and a pillow stack.

Seeing God’s Blessings Unfold

Within a couple of days, I saw our neighbors in their front yard. They had kids and the mom was out with them. As intimidated as I was to go up to a complete stranger, I thought to myself “you might as well say hi, they’re going to be your neighbors for a long time”. So I went up to her and introduced myself. She seemed nice and we quickly found out that we were actually related. She was my mom’s cousin! She was close to my age and within a few weeks we had hit it off. God had moved us to a home where my next door neighbor wasn’t only my cousin, but turned out she would become my best friend! I never in a million years would have thought that a neighbor could be such a valuable person in my life. Her girls were my boys’ ages and they also became the best of friends very quickly. And here we are 4 years later.

Children sit at a wooden picnic table eating cereal with milk in a sunny, leafy outdoor setting. Bright clothing and relaxed mood.

If we would have pushed to get that first house we saw, we would have completely missed out on invaluable relationships. Those lovely neighbours have moved into the country now, but we still see them very frequently. Is Manitoba all we hoped it would be? No. But God had a plan for bringing us here. If it was solely for us to meet the people we’ve made deep connections with over the 4 years of being here or getting to know my sister-in-laws for real for the first time, then it was worth it. The relationships God has given me here have been invaluable. We often struggle with not having The Great Lakes just a drive down the road. We struggle having to see snow for half the year. But we know this is where God wants us right now and we are thankful for that direction. We haven’t ventured far from the Pembina Valley much over the years.

This year, one of my goals is to bring my kids on many more adventures. I want to explore The Whiteshell. I want to take my kids tent-camping again. I want to go explore–even if it takes hours to get there. This is life for us now and I’m looking forward to finding the very hidden gems of Manitoba. If you have any recommendations of places to see please drop them below.

I hope this story of trusting God’s plan and direction speaks to even one person. If we listen to God, if we use His Holy Spirit as our guide, great things will happen. Trust Him to guide you and you will be surprised how amazing His plan is. His plan is the best plan, every time!