By Barb Bergman

At the end of 2017, my husband and I had just become empty nesters after spending nearly a decade in Kennewick, Washington. Scott was offered a new position at a rural hospital in Idaho, so we downsized, packed up our lives, and moved to Soda Springs. We landed in a tiny, very 80s-style three-bedroom rental and put the rest of our belongings into storage.

Life in a small town brought a slower pace and a very different routine. We began settling in and even made plans to build a home just outside of town. But building in Soda Springs is no small feat—most contractors and crews are already tied up with jobs in Pocatello or Logan. We purchased a small one-acre lot about ten minutes from town, drew up our house plans, and even got a well dug. But with winter approaching and constant roadblocks popping up, it became clear we wouldn’t be building in 2018. We decided to wait for spring.

We genuinely felt like we were where we were supposed to be. We made friends through our church, I joined the local book group, and I started volunteering regularly at the family history center. A few mornings a week, I’d join some ladies for workouts at the church gym and occasionally at the local fitness center, which had just started offering group classes (my jam!). I also started quilting—one for our first grandchild, and not long after, another one when my daughter announced she was expecting again. I had time on my hands, but I’ve always been someone who stays busy and keeps moving.

Back in Kennewick, I had been selling and sharing Doterra oils part-time. But in Soda Springs, there wasn’t much interest. Then out of the blue, a friend and former neighbor from 17 years earlier reconnected with me on Facebook. We had lived near each other in West Jordan, Utah when our kids were little, but we lost touch after she moved to Montana and I moved to Tennessee. She started telling me about “juicing in a pouch” and other bioavailable supplements, plus a potential opportunity. I was skeptical—but curious.

When I was visiting my daughter in Sandy, Utah, I met up with this friend—who, coincidentally, had moved back to West Jordan, where we first met. She invited me to learn more about the products, the opportunity, and the community. I dove in and started working with a large group of women. I loved everything about it—what I was learning, what I was teaching, and most of all, the lives that were being changed. Personal development was a big part of it, and it felt like a natural continuation of a journey I had already begun—first through Doterra mentorship, and then through several of Kirk Duncan’s events over the past five years.

Eventually, Scott came to the conclusion that the hospital in Soda Springs wasn’t the right fit. We talked through the next steps and decided he would create an LLC and work as a traveling CRNA—an independent contractor. There are agencies that match providers with short-term contracts in different states, sometimes two weeks on, two weeks off, or even a month at a time.

I told him, “If you're going to be traveling, I want to live closer to our kids in Utah.” When we left Utah back in 2004, he swore he never wanted to live there again. But now, we both felt like it was the right move. He even said, “I think everything had to unfold this way for me to be willing to go back.” God really does have a sense of humor.

Thankfully, by the time COVID hit, he had a long-term contract in place. We had just moved into our new home in Utah only weeks before the world started shutting down in March and April of 2020—but we were financially okay. Sometimes I’d fly out and stay with him for a week or two during his assignments, but most of the time, I stayed home, growing my business, spending time with the grandkids, and staying involved in my church calling.

There have been so many lessons, challenges, joys, and meaningful growth over the past five years. And most recently, I’ve found even more joy and purpose through the Rare Faith community.

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