It has been a while since we've posted, and though our blog has been silent, we have not been. These past few weeks have been filled with all kinds of challenges and difficulties, but all along the way God has reminded us that we are not abandoned, that He is always with us.
So much has been happening. It seems it is seldom that we don't have something going on. Nearly every night of the week we are busy doing things after work. For the past few weeks I have been going to work in the mornings and coming home and working on the house from mid afternoon until late evening. I have been busy laying flooring in the bedrooms, my parents were down two weeks ago and helped me lay tile in the kitchen (which I have been busy grouting), and we still lack finishing the bathrooms and office. There is still so much left to be done on the house and I'm afraid that we're running out of time. Our renter is moving in May 1st!!!
The construction zone aside, the biggest challenge has been this past week and a half. It all started last Monday when I was driving to work. My Jeep completely lost power! I mean it completely shut down as I was driving! It continued to give me problems so I got an engine read, did some research, and proceeded to repair my Jeep on my own. I finally managed to get the part I needed and repaired my Jeep last Friday. Everything seemed great and I was very proud of myself for "fixing" my vehicle. But after driving for a day it happened again: my Jeep quit on me. So, after trying to avoid driving it the last few days I managed to get it to a shop and have just received a call that my Jeep is ready for pick up! (I hope everything's good now.)
I wish I could say that was the worst of it, but it's not. In this midst of my Jeep quitting on me, I moved my water heater back into the laundry room after tiling and tried to hook it back up. Well, I didn't really heed the warnings and turned the breaker back on BEFORE filling the tank with water. (Just a little advice, never do that.) Well, needless to say, I blew one of the heating elements. So, we tried to remove both of the elements and replace them. I got the special wrench required to remove the elements, and after the first one came out without any issues, I thought we had it made. But of course, nothing really ever goes according to plan. The bottom element was probably welded in and it wasn't coming out. So, we were without hot water for a week (with no running water in the shower at all). Thus started the search for a new water heater. Do you have any idea how expensive those things are? They're not cheap! And right in the midst of fundraising and getting ready for the World Race. But God showed us that He was taking care of us in this trial. A loving family heard that we had been without water and that we were probably going to have to buy a new one. So what did they do? They went out and bought us a new water heater!!! No joke! To that family I say THANK YOU!!! Thank you for loving us and letting God use you in such wonderful ways in our lives. Words cannot express how grateful we are for you.
Things had begun looking up, but this week seems to have been the biggest challenge yet. This week we had to say goodbye to a beloved pet. Sophie, our first cat and very first pet as a couple, had to be put down. She has had complications for a while now and was losing weight very quickly. We took her to the vet and thought she was only having allergy issues, but it turned out to be much worse. After an emergency visit to the vet on Sunday, we were instructed to take her to a specialist who believed Sophie was suffering from congestive heart failure. It seemed like there was nothing more we could do for her, so rather than letting her suffer, we tearfully made the decision to let her go. That was on Monday, and this week has been a rather emotional journey since. (Sophie was very much my baby; we will miss her dearly.)
I say all of this not to complain about everything we're going through. I'm not trying to get people to feel sorry for us. I'm simply saying that even in the midst of these seemingly "small" things, God is still in control. I'm not trying to belittle the things that have happened to us, because they have been physically and emotionally trying and exhausting. But in the grand scheme of things, these are small compared to what God has called us to do. Again, not trying to belittle things, because in the midst of all of this God has shown us love and mercy and peace. People have been surrounding us, praying for us, providing for us, comforting us. Though things have been chaotic and trying, our house is coming together, we have hot water again (YAY!), we are busy doing fundraisers, we checked our account this week only to be surprised that our first financial deadline is almost met, and so many other things just seem to be lining up.
So, where to we go from here? We press on. We persevere. And we can do so because we know we're not alone. We may be hard pressed on all sides, the enemy my try to thwart our plans, but God has not abandoned us. We covet your continual prayers, encouragement, and of course support, both financially and spiritually. God is taking care of us, He is providing for us, and we are so grateful that He is using so many of YOU to do so. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you.
