A family from England who risked everything to follow God's calling by moving to Winnipeg is settling into their new home.

One of the biggest challenges that Chris Vale says he and his family have encountered since moving to Canada is driving.

"Driving on the other side of the road has been completely fine, which we thought would be a bit more of a challenge," Vale shared. "The main challenge has been the whole road sign system, and things are just completely different.

"We're having to learn that stop signs are quite important."

It's a difference that might seem trivial compared to the massive endeavour that the Vales recently undertook, uprooting their family and moving across the ocean to Winnipeg, Manitoba to pursue a role in ministry Vale says God called him to.

The new associate pastor at Gateway Church in Winnipeg said it all began with a feeling shared between himself and his wife while they were back in England that it was time for them to consider a change.

The Vales had spent the last dozen-or-so years in Teesside, England, where Chris worked as the associate pastor at a local church.

"I'd felt a stirring from the Lord for quite a while that there was some change coming and that there would be change in my role, but I'd assumed that was within the church in the north east of England," Vale laughed.

Then came November, and a visit from Ron and Mary MacLean, who lead Winnipeg's Gateway Church.

What came next was a series of very clear signs from God, Vale explained.

One came during a meeting at the church, where an individual mentioned that he felt as if someone in the room was being called to move to Canada.

"Right in that very moment I just felt this stirring, thinking that might be for me," said Vale.

The very next day, another individual, who had also been present in the meeting where Vale had felt a push from God, approached Vale to share with him that he believed God was indeed calling Vale to move overseas.

"'I feel that God's saying that was specifically for you,'" Vale remembers being told.

"I was like, 'oh man, what is God up to now?'"

But God wasn't done with Vale yet. Next came an inquiry from Ron MacLean himself, asking Vale if he had ever considered moving to Canada. The church, he said, was looking for someone with Vale's credentials.

It was at this point, Vale says, that he realized how clearly God was communicating with him. But "to really finish it off," the original church member who had voiced the call for someone to move to Canada approached Vale to share with him that he felt it was indeed Vale who was being called.

"At that point, our minds were blown," Vale said of himself and his wife. "It was just like this prophetic sound coming through."

 After that, things moved very quickly for Vale and his family, who arrived in Winnipeg officially only five months after accepting God's call. Despite a visit to Winnipeg prior to their move during a particularly bad patch of winter, the Vales say they loved the city, and particularly the people.

"There was just a connection that happened very very quickly."

Vale and his wife, along with their three children, an eight-year-old boy and two girls, ages 10 and 12, were grateful for the fast alignment of their moving plans, from easy work transfers to quickly sell their house. The whole process served as further confirmation that God's plan for the Vales centered around moving to Winnipeg.

Difficulty emerged for the family only once the big day of the move arrived, in the form of a toothache and issues with customs.

"Our kids were incredible, they were so patient," Vale said, gratefully.

Finally, upon their official arrival at the Winnipeg airport, "there was just this crowd from Gateway Church."

Vale describes the scene as incredible, filled with smiling faces and signs welcoming the family to the city. A furnished apartment awaited the family, who only had a fraction of their luggage with them at the time.

"I got quite emotional," Vale shared, "the friendliness... I mean, [it's] friendly Manitoba, we were on the receiving end of that."

The family has been here for just over two weeks to-date and says they've been overwhelmed with the friendliness and outpouring of support shown to them by not only their church community but Manitoba as a whole. They'res still settling into their new lives here in Canada, but look forward to becoming even more familiar with their new home.

"It's just been incredible," Vale says.