First Day Adventures

Well, it is official. We are no longer the owners of a house. We signed the closing papers yesterday afternoon. The new owners will be signing their part of the papers this afternoon and then it legally will no longer be our house. It is a very scary thought but also one that is exciting. It really hit home yesterday as I was going through the house and making sure that everything was clean. I looked out the window into the backyard and realized that I would never wake up to seeing the frost on the trees and yard. I would never see the sun setting through the trees in the backyard. The sun would never greet me again in the morning as I lay in my bed. I would never again get to see my kids playing in that back yard and have my heart overflow with joy at how blessed I truly am. I just went from room to room remembering all the memories that we had in the 9 years we have lived in that house. I brought 4 babies home to that home. Tirzah and Caleb slept in my master bedroom closet. I watched my children grow into young adulthood in that home. We have so many memories of that home both good and bad. I lost our dear Asa in that home. In that master bedroom I grieved and cried when the blood came. I pleaded with God in that bedroom. I fell prostrate on that bedroom floor many times in prayer. Never again. I truly believe that God has called us to this new journey. I have seen the Lord open the doors to this journey. I have also seen Satan attack our family in this and try to discourage us. My heart is sure that this is the Lord’s will for us now. It still causes me sadness to be leaving what was a true blessing. As I went through the house yesterday I prayed for the new family that they would love this house and make many memories in it. I prayed that they would let the love of Christ shine through the house. That is one of my regrets about the house. I did not let the love of Christ shine through me and into my neighborhood. I confessed that yesterday and prayed that this new family would not make the same mistake. That is what I prayed most of all.

The first full day of this journey to joy has been fraught with trials already. We got the house all packed up, returned the utility trailer (thank you Troy Cardin), and got ready to hook up the camper to go to my mom’s for the night. We backed up the van and used the electric tongue jack to lower the camper onto the ball. We realized too late that the hitch was adjusted too late and that the camper would scrape the driveway. We went to lift the camper and …nothing. The electric tongue jack would not work. So here we are with the van halfway blocking the road and no way to raise or lower the trailer. We were stuck. I immediately began praying. For a solution. After a few hours of trying to figure out what to do (in 30 degree weather) we all gathered in the garage to regroup and pray. Tempers were flaring and we were not being very kind to one another. We discovered that you can manually lift the camper but we did not have the manual crank handle that was supposed to come with the camper. Carl called a family from church who live nearby whom he thought he leant our floor jack. The plan was to lift the camper enough to move the van and then go fix the hitch. They came right over (thank you Irishes). They could not find our floor jack but they leant us theirs. It is such a blessing to have such a wondefful church family. We were able to get the camper off the van. After a dinner break of “victory “ pizza and a run to Home Depot for hitch wrenches we were finally able to get the camper all hooked up and on the road. Praise the LORD!!!!

We are currently on the way back to the dealer where we bought the camper. We found some problems that were not disclosed to us when we bought the camper. Please pray that all goes well and we are able to get everything fixed without too much hassle. It involves a slide out and a tree that previously fell on it. We were not told about it at the time of purchase. The tree punctured the roof of the main slide out and it is not sitting level. We only found it after I looked out the window of our bedroom and saw the patch. We called the dealer and got the run around of the service guy saying he told the salesperson to tell us. The salesperson is saying he never knew about it. Either way, that would have affected our purchase so we are hoping that the problem can be resolved amicably. Pray that I do not stress over this issue and leave it in the hands of the Lord where it belongs. I am having to do that a lot lately. Pray for traveling mercies as Carl is getting used to driving a 36 foot long camper attached to the van. It is definitely something to get used to.

 Speaking of Carl, let me brag on that man of mine. Sunday morning was a trial to get ready. We got back from my mom’s after midnight. Everyone just piled in the camper and fell asleep. In the morning Carl and I got up and dressed and then proceeded to get all the kids up and fed. When I went in the bathroom I noticed that the septic tank was 2/3 full. It was starting to smell. As soon as I said something to Carl he turned right away and said that he would fix it. Carl proceeds to empty the tank in his church clothes no less. Now that is true love. It makes me proud to be his wife and love the fact that he is always trying to take care of me. And yes, emptying a sewage tank is something I consider an act of love. I am truly blessed to be serving the Lord with that man beside me. I love you sweetie.

As we begin this journey there are many thanks that I need to express to the many people who have gotten us this far. God has truly blessed us with sending his servants in our path. To all those who have been praying for us, we cannot express our gratitude enough. You all have been such an encouragement. There are some people I would like to mention by name. The Irishes – thank you so much for coming to clean when we had the house on the market. Sarah, thank you for dealing with my finicky sewing machine to sew my curtains. Kent, thanks for helping us out with the move and for rescuing us last night. The Parks, thank you for helping us clean and for the repair work that was done. Pam, your prayer when you left my house was such an encouragement to me. The William’s – even though I was not there when you came over to clean you let one thing on my list be marked off. You saved me so much time. Laura, thank you for being my texting prayer buddy. The Jensen’s – thank you Chris for all your house repairs and painting. Staying until 2 in the morning was above and beyond the call of an elder and friend. April, thank you for letting is have your husband for a little while especially while you and the girls were sick. The Coutu’s- thanks for being willing to watch our kids and for the painting Christ did. Liza, your prayers and encouragement were exactly what I needed to keep going. The Gudzinas’- my dear friends, thank you for coming and taking a lot of the stuff we had to give away. Blessing you all was a blessing for us. You all are such dear friends. Angie, thanks for coming over and talking with me while I cleaned. Most of all, thanks for being so sensitive to the loss of our Asa. Crying with you was good for my soul and your hugs helped too. I am so happy for you and your family. Your sweet little girl will be a reminder of my dear Asa in heaven and I will rejoice. The Slaton’s – thanks for letting us store our pop up at your house and for the use of the hand truck.  The Cardin’s – thank you for the use of the utility trailer many times and for letting us drop donations off at With Love From Jesus. To all the women who have asked me for specific prayers, I truly appreciate your encouragement. To all those in Maryland, Virginia, Colorado, and any others thank you.

This journey has already taught us so much. It has not been without trial but that is when we have learned the most. Pray with us as we begin in earnest to travel and work on relationships. We have already seen growth in the children and with Carl and I. We want the Lord to be glorified in all of this. He has led us to this and he will lead us in it. Please know that this all is not in our power but only through the power of Christ working in us. May He get all the glory and honor. May Carl and I always be willing to be vessels that He can use to praise His almighty name. I pray for all of you to being a journey of joy on your own. It will change your life.