A Story of Faithfulness in Very Difficult Times

Two weeks ago we were just arriving home after spending a week in Virginia with Brian's dad during his final days. He passed peacefully and we were very thankful for all the extra time we had with him (click here for previous post on preparations). We came home to a very sad, empty house, it was like coming home to another funeral. There were just blank walls where our smiling family pictures used to be, empty closets where all our clothes used to be and an empty fridge when once it fed a family of 7. We had packed everything we owned in the RV before we left. Anything left in the house after packing the RV was donated or sold. And our property was not RV ready yet, which has made a very strange living situation. Living in an empty house walking back and forth to our RV outside to get eating utensils or underwear or shampoo. I was really putting off fully unpacking knowing that I would inevitably be re-packing the RV this month.

  

It was back to school, work and our usual season of busyness. But it was September and we haven't even given a thought to school, I had groaned and worried and prayed all summer not knowing what on earth I would do for curriculum. We had so much to keep us busy just with the move that I let time get away from me, my teacher planning summer was over and I had nothing. This is where God reaches His mighty hand into my little world and bombarded me with grace and faithfulness. I was contacted by a woman I had never met and read an amazing message:

"Shannon, I don't know if you have plans for this school year yet but the Holy Spirit prompted me to gift you 3 spots in the local Classical Conversations (CC) program. It's really pretty all encompassing for school - it makes schooling with a large family really organic (little ones and big kids learn together). I would love if you would consider joining."

We have our homeschooling for this year figured out, not based on my amazing planning and teaching ways but, PURELY by God's amazing grace and loving faithfulness to our family!

                          

The kids have loved the past 2 weeks at CC and it has kept me organized and structured while so much of our life is chaotic right now. We have continued working on the property after school so life is busy, busy now. More good news, when we got back the goats had completely eaten all the greenery from their penned area and were ready for more clearing ground. We started "operation move goat pen" and pulled up the 100'x50' area worth of fencing. Now we had to get it up around their new very green, ready to be eaten area. As we were just getting started on the fifth post the unexpected happened......
 As Brian was pounding the top of the green t-post with the 25lb fence post driver (red tool pictured) he must have pulled it just high enough to clip the top of the post and his sweaty hands slid to the bottom of the handles making the pure steel tool top heavy and it dropped on his head.
                    

He stepped back momentarily holding his head, he was answering us saying he was fine but as he pulled his hands away blood began spilling down his face and shirt. We rushed to the van, my heart pounding and screaming directions to the kids. It took too long to figure out how to call 911, I couldn't tell the operator where we were, what had happened or what was wrong. I couldn't think, I was freaking out, I was driving but I didn't know where. I just know that while I was being told to "calm down ma'am, I can't help if you don't calm down" Brian started to pass out.

This had to be the most traumatic thing I have ever been through. All I could do was beg the Lord not to take him, I wasn't ready! This is my husband, my best friend, the father of my children! I am so in love with him I still get excited butterflies when he comes home from work. This is the man that texts me without fail everyday that he loves and misses me. This man completes me, our love lets me know how two can really become one flesh.

The operator had me pull over, remove my shirt to press against the wound and wait for the ambulance, Brian was drifting in and out of consciousness and every time he came to he would whisper, "we'll be fine, the Lord is good." What would I do without him, I pleaded that the Lord wouldn't bring me down the path that I would have to find that out. After some oxygen and the paramedics checking his vitals Brian was back with us and asked if I could drive him to the ER. He knew we don't have insurance and ambulance rides cost a fortune. The EMTs were worried about me as I was shrinking next to the car in a tear-filled panic. "Sir your wife can't drive you like this." My sweet Brian just said, "it's okay, I will keep her calm." We made it safely to the ER and he is just fine. We even recognized our ER doctor as he lives in our neighborhood and I had babysat and dogsat for him on several occasions years back when we were gung-ho paying off debt before we had kids! Brian got a CT scan and 10 staples and I recovered from the shock of it all after many more bouts of tears and prayer. 

                        

Since we didn't have any insurance or a way to pay that moment they sent in a lady from billing for us to talk to. She was very helpful and told us not to worry. As she was taking our information she realized she had met us at a co-worker's wedding in May this year. We were one of the only couples with kids at the wedding (let alone five kids of different color) and she definitely remembered us! (Here are some flashback pics from the wedding 5/18/13!)
                           

She kept going on and on about how well behaved and sweet and cute our kids were and how she talked about our family for weeks after the wedding because she was astounded by just how well our kids listened and behaved while still fully enjoying all the events of the wedding! I love the paths God crosses and the people we meet as He weaves the story of our lives!

Brian turned out to be just fine and healing well, not based on my amazing emergency crisis handling ways but, PURELY by God's amazing grace and loving faithfulness to our family!

 

We did have to finish the goat pen fencing the next day but this time Brian couldn't help (doctor's orders) and we bought a hard hat based on Wikipedia's recommendation! :)

 "Single-person post pounders tend to be around 20 pounds (9 kg), but weight varies with model types. The diameter depends on the size of the post to be pounded. They can be dangerous to handle, especially if the lower edge of the pounder catches on the top of the post, when it can pivot towards the user and strike them on the head. Hearing protection and a hard hat are often recommended." - Wikipedia

                           

We couldn't even imagine what was going to happen next...

  

Just yesterday an army appeared. An army of strangers and friends. They all came to help get our property cleared.

  

They came with backhoes, trucks, chainsaws, shovels, wheelbarrows, rakes, trashbags, gloves, water and hotdogs. They came because the Holy Spirit prodded them to help us, a neighbor in need.

  
 
They came and worked so hard! They got two over full truck loads of trash picked up and hauled away. They got pile after pile of trees knocked down and burned.

 

  

They cleared almost 2 full acres of land and we have a perfect leveled out spot just right for our RV!

 

  

We have our property cleared and ready for our move, not based on my amazingly skilled land clearing ways but, PURELY by God's amazing grace and loving faithfulness to our family!

Do you know!?! Our God is SO big and SO good!


Posted by Shannon
Soli Deo gloria - Glory to God alone

Are we there yet!?!

We are quickly approaching home after our sudden trip to visit Brian's father, grandpa, in the ICU and be with him as he passed away. Although a sad time we had a fun time with family and a a lot of driving time to think and plan what our next life steps are. Our house is no longer home since we have sold all our stuff and packed up all our pictures. It is just a sad reminder of where home used to be. Home is now in the RV with no where to park. We are in crunch time with the house under contract and potential closing less than 60 days out, we need to get our 7 acre raw property livable QUICK! (Click here for our recent update to our upcoming move)

For all those following our raw land, debt-free journey here is just a plain old "need" list of what is required and the cost involved:

Trash pick-up by hand: free but TONS of work,

Rent construction dumpster for trash (we could fill up 2-6): first dump $400 then $150 per dump,

Rent Backhoe for land clearing and trash pick-up: $1700/week,

Land clearing by hand: free but need an army of chainsaws and workers,

Two trailers and 2 wooden house structures needing demolition: $?,

County Electric hook-up: $55,

Electrician to install power pole: $900-1200,

County Water Meter set-up at road: $800-1200,

Plumber to install water line to home site: $?,

Septic tank and installation: $?,

Perimeter fencing, cheapest wire farm fence: $3000,

Then there is the dream "want" list:

Sod so we have a field of grass instead of dirt: $?,

A small insulated, air-conditioned storage shed/cottage to house our washer, dryer deep freezer and a shelf for storage or craft and homeschool supplies: $3000-$10000,

Garden bed, flower pots, flowering plants to beautify property: $?,

A picnic or outside table to have room to seat or whole family during meals: $?,

A swing set or tree house or an outdoor play place for kids: $?,

Then a full-fledged farm, cows, chickens, goats, pigs, geese, a horse and maybe a llama or an emu :)


God is teaching us to live within our means with contentment. We have been and are tempted to borrow money at every turn so we can have it all quick but that is what got us up to our ears in debt in the first place :). God will provide faithfully as we faithfully learn, more fully, what it means to wait on the Lord!


Posted by Shannon
Soli Deo gloria - Glory to God alone

Do you ever slow down!?!

UPDATE TO OUR PLAN TO BE DEBT FREE!
So "Plan Move" is underway and sweeping us off our feet! Click here for our previous blog post. We are moving through our goals quickly:
Sell everything (most everything we have has sold, the little left is listed for sale)
Sell house (we have a contracted buyer for house)
Buy or rent small piece of land (or pay rent at RV park) (we have land!)
Move into RV 
Save up every dime of Brian's income for 2-3 years
Pay CASH for whatever house we want
Pray for a new plan (kids say adopt 20 more kids...hope that isn't God inspired)

In late June we went public about this plan and began operation get debt free, it is early August and all is happening so quickly! We don't even have our house on the market yet, the Realtor just put a sign out front and we have already had 4 showings, which by the way cleaning your house in a way that it looks so enticing that someone else wants to live there is very difficult with 5 kids and 2 dogs. We found out today we officially have a contracted buyer! If God wants our house to sell, sell it He will!

 

It is strange to think of life anywhere but our cozy little 3 bedroom 2 bath home in our perfect little city door to door neighborhood. It was our dream home, it has murals on the walls that remind me of my time spent waiting, waiting on children to come. It was here that we prayed for children, that we cried, that we rejoiced. It was here that the kids first knew what it was like to have a real home, one with running water, electric, food, and a family. This is our first home, but one that came with a heavy price tag and financial strain. Although we will miss our life here we are learning that stuff and walls don't make a home, family does.

We have sorted through stuff and more stuff and more stuff! This is different than most moves as we don't have any space for stuff, we need clothes and schooling materials and only very little of either can fit. We have sorted through our clothes and now each of us only have 14 outfits each plus 4 church outfits, which is still more clothes than we can fit in the RV. The kids have chosen their favorite toys and filled a shoebox full, all the rest had to leave. We have all had our material possession idols torn down as we part with every item that provides memories or comfort.

Even with all our losses we are excited about the future to come! We had decided to look for cheap plots of land to park our RV on while we save money to build or buy a house. We know that the RV park in town is $600/month and we know it would take us at least 2 years to save up enough for a reasonable house. So in looking for land we wanted something that would cost less than what we would pay in rent to an RV park for 24 months. We were looking for an acre maybe two in our price range. God had plans for sure! The very first property we looked at was 7 acres, but out of our price range. We tinkered with the idea, what if we could get that land, what if we could have the farm we always wanted! God was weaving our steps as we day dreamed and not only did this property get negotiated into our price range but it is also being owner financed over the next 6 months. But this is 7 acres with a history, a story, 7 acres that is not pretty and looks like it has just plain given up on life. 7 acres of trash and filth that is screaming for salvation, wishing to be cleansed, wanting to be pure!

  

The yarn God uses to weave our tapestry is always worn out and beat up. To the world it is ugly and tattered, but when He is done and says "See what I have created!?!" the world takes a second glance and can only give glory to Him alone who can make the most stunningly beautiful tapestries from worn and tattered yarn! Our life has been one jumbled mess of tattered yarn, we don't buy pedigree puppies, we don't birth perfect newborn babies and we don't buy gorgeous, pristine property, for if you see any beauty in us you see our Father's amazing talent alone, He is the creator of beauty!

  

I love thrift store shopping! I actually NEVER shop retail, it is too perfect, with it's too perfect high price tag. We frequent every thrift store in town and we are recognized by all the workers and owners. We are always buying used and broken toys and turning them into what they were created to be or better. Often with just a new coat of paint, some elbow grease and love they turn into amazing treasures that the kids love playing with (and often can be turned around for a good profit!). This land we got is like the thrift store of land, but with a little elbow grease and labor of love it will one day be the gorgeous green pasture with scattered pine trees for shade with a swing set and clothes line behind a huge light blue country farm house!

  

Before                                                                       After

The path from here won't be easy. It is raw land. No water, electric, or septic. It looks like the forest and we have enough bug bites and poison ivy to show you that the wildlife there is thriving! It will take time and we are working hard every chance we get, we have cleared about .20 of an acre by hand, just clippers, an ax and a rake (we can't afford to rent machine help!). We even had the brilliant idea of getting some free labor out there so we got goats to chow down on brush so we can clear enough of an area to get our RV parked in there. We have had the blessing of some amazing people jumping in with the task of putting up a fence and even brought us a gate and we look so legit! 

  

At this rate we will be moved in no time! This next step of the journey is so exciting and scary all at once. It is at the same time freeing and overwhelming as we lose our financial weight of a mortgage but gain tons of work as we pretty up our new home!

               


Posted by Shannon
Soli Deo gloria - Glory to God alone