THE PLAN THAT CAME TOGETHER
A lot has happened over the past couple months. It seemed like we had one thing after another continuously going on, but nothing concrete enough to write an entire post about. We’ve covered most on social media, but not all, and not in any detail. So, here it is in all of it’s messiness.
The Houseboat
It was a long, emotional process, but we sold it. In our last post, we talked about the family that we felt God brought to us to buy the boat. It looked like things weren’t going to work out, but we felt called to be obedient and follow His plan. This wonderful family did end up buying the boat. They sold their home, downsized their possessions, and as I type, are prepping the boat to go back in the water. I am certain the process has been as long, stressful, and emotional for them as it has for us, but I know that they will experience the same peace and joy that we did on the lake.
Part of the sale of any large boat is the survey. It consists of a full inspection, report, and valuation. Part of the inspection on this boat included hauling it out of the water, and inspecting the pontoons. We knew that we had a couple of thin spots on one of the pontoons, but had no idea what was going to unfold once it was out. We initially were on track to have it pulled out and repaired the week after Memorial Day, but due to the large size and weight, we had to wait for the right trailer to be available. The day finally came three months later, but the trailer brought was not nearly large enough. One more delay.
A week later, the trailer had been re-fabricated, and the boat was inched, ever so carefully, out of the lake. It was pulled up to the dirt lot, and detached from the truck. Our welder began to walk around and look at the hulls. They appeared to be in better shape than even he expected. And then he started hammer tapping and drilling. Four out of eighteen chambers had water in them, and one was full up to the waterline of the boat. Many small holes began to appear as the grinding was done to prep it for the new bottom paint. I have no doubt that God had his hand under us keeping us afloat these past three years!
Six and a half days of welding, and thousands of dollars later, the pontoons are put back together. There were some tense days, not knowing if everything would be able to be repaired. However, we were fortunate to have a very skilled welder, and we were able to hand over a boat to the new owners that we now have great confidence in. After negotiations, haul out, and welding, we aren’t quite where we were hoping to be financially for our next boat, but we’re faithful that God has the right boat, for the right price chosen for us. It never escapes us how blessed we are to have this opportunity in front of us.
Cars and Responsibilities
Both of our cars are gone. My dad bought my Montero Sport, and Lisa’s sister has the Volkswagen. We looked for a used minivan before letting go of our cars, and that was a complete disaster. Some people apparently have a different definition of “like new” than I do. After a long day of looking at underwhelming minivans, I posted my frustrations, along with some gratitude, on our Instagram feed. I intended to cross post it to Sailing By Faith’s Facebook page, but mistakenly posted to my personal page. It sparked a conversation amongst friends that eventually led to some dear friends of ours offering their minivan to us if we’d drop it off in Clearwater, FL when we were done. An unbelievable blessing!
We stepped down from the board of directors of Christ’s Family Homeschool Ministries, a homeschool support group in northwest Phoenix, after attending this year’s Open House in August. What awesome people we have served with over the years. I have never felt as appreciated as I have over the past weeks. The things these friends have done for us have been nothing short of amazing! We had a great Bon Voyage party put on by dear friends, and had the opportunity to say goodbye to many families we’ve become close to.
Remember the family that loaned us their van? Well, they also loaned us their house for almost two weeks. They were going out of town, and handed over the keys with the instructions to make ourselves at home. With everything else going on over the past ten days, it was so comforting to have a place to stay that we were familiar with, and felt at home in.
Retirement and Employment
I retired from the City of Phoenix a week ago today. I served for a little over twenty years, and loved every minute of it. The men and women who I’ve worked for, and along side of, have been absolutely outstanding. It was more difficult than I thought it would be to leave. I’ve worked with one of my best friends for fifteen of those years, and the squad I left behind was nothing short of awesome. I have been truly blessed in my career, and will enjoy reflecting on all the crazy and outlandish things I saw. Unemployed, and loving it! My pension checks will begin at the end of October, and Lisa will continue instructing online at Capella University. I don't doubt I'll get the itch at some point to do something else, but in the interim, my job title on Linkedin will read: Homeschooling Dad, Blogger.
Goodbyes
The goodbyes were the hardest part of all. Many tears have been shed. I know that we have a lot of friends and family that can't help but be a little angry, hurt, or worried
that we are leaving. What we're doing is far from normal, and seems so irrational for such a rational family. But, we know that this is what we are being called to do.
Thankfully, we had some opportunities to meet with friends one last time before leaving. We were also able to spend some time with both sides of our family. We got extra time for the kids with cousins and Lisa's brother and sister, we visited with my grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousins, spent some more time with my mom, and celebrated my dad's birthday with him. We both have awesome families who love us very much, and will miss them all dearly until we get back for a visit.
If it was half as hard for our friends and family to say goodby to us as it was for us to say goodby to them, I know it stung a bit.
The Adventure Begins
So here we are, homeless, carless, unemployed, and trying to make to the Grand Canyon before sunset in a van we don’t own, with all of our material belongings in it. It’s going to be a wild ride, but we’re ready, ever faithful that God is guiding us along our path.
Edit: We made it to the Grand Canyon just in time for sunset, and the hotel in the park had a last minute pet friendly room cancellation. We enjoyed KFC by water-bottle-cell-phone-flashlight-lantern under an amazingly starry sky. God is good!
