Leaving the Neighborhood: Our Journey of Loss and New Beginnings (Part 3)

If you're just joining in the story, welcome! You might want to start with Parts one and two

first! I'll see you back here for the (hopefully temporary) conclusion.

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We were at last settling into a routine. We had set up our camper, David was working somewhat regular hours at his job - though it was still stressful and required a lot of driving with our own vehicle and gas, which we couldn't really afford.

Then it rained. And rained. And rained. I think our area got 7" in a few days. Our campsite was flooded, and there was no place to get cleaned off except inside the camper, which made the camper filthy! The builders couldn't finish the shell of our house because of tight quarters and mud. Our septic tank sprung a leak just under the camper. It was a nightmare.

Around that same time, David came home with news. He had met with his bosses, and through a mutual decision, it was evident that the job he'd held for 8 months was no longer viable. They were actually dissolving the position. David was offered other positions within the company, but was told they would require even more hours, which was not actually an option for our family. He would be finished with that job at the end of June.

Emotions were all over the place once reality sank in. Joy at the thought of having our family's "rock" back. Despair over the loss of yet another thing in our lives. Fear of what the future would hold ... but also excitement at that same unknown.

We picked up again and moved off the land. This time we took the camper back to our friend's house so David could work on the septic tank, and our family decided to stay at his parents' house. The Amish builders came back once the ground dried and our camper was out of their way and finished their work. We stayed in town for almost two weeks before moving back out for what we hope is the final time.

So that brings us to today. Here is where we find ourselves: back in our camper, which despite tight quarters, is still beginning to feel more like home. David is not worrying about finding a job during the month of July and has determined to dedicate his time to putting a working bathroom and laundry into the shed part of our house (currently we're still hauling everything to parents' houses for showers and laundry).

We got a loan for just over $200,000 which, if you've built or bought a house recently, you know that is not enough to finish! We're working on what we can, hiring what we must, and hoping to get the house to a somewhat livable point before the money runs out. For the rest, we are trusting God to provide. Or at least, we're trying! Some days are better than others. Some days I wish for that beautiful house on a quiet street in town, where I could run to Walmart in five minutes. I wish for the very generous income, where I didn't have to worry about finding the best deals or paying all the bills. But we believe that God has brought us here. And if He has brought us this far, He will take us the rest of the way.

I hope to bring you "Part 4" very soon, but for now, we'd love if you'd just join with us in prayer. Keep coming back here to follow our story, and I'll keep sharing what we learn along the way - the good, the hard, and everything in between. Maybe we'll all learn a little something as we grow together!