Assumptions and the Unexpected!!!

It's amazing to me how Kenny and I  become comfortable and "at home" in Jarabacoa. Yes, there have been tons of difficulties and many obstacles but at the end of the day when we walk into our home we sigh that same sigh of relief that we sighed when entering our home in the states.  I think we assumed that we would continue to settle in and serve there and that life back in the states would go smoothly, we would spend August with our grandchildren, our children and our parents. But unexpectedly, Kenny's stepdad, Marvin, had a fall and here we are - back in Washington for a month as we care for Marvin and do our best to make sure he is well cared for.

Before leaving to come back to the states, we had just said good-bye to a wonderful mix of adults and college students from James Madison, Indiana Weslyn, Wintonbury and the Humphrey family. We were busy preparing along with our interns, Martha and Sarah, for the next two one week outreaches.

Marvin went into the hospital and within a couple of days he was near death due to a serious infection. Our children faithfully stayed by his side until we could get there. Against all the doctors expectations, Marvin healed from his infection but still remained weak. He transferred to a skilled nursing facility and we are currently navigating and learning about Medicare and Medicaid. 

Among many other things, we have been cleaning up Marvin's properties to prepare them for sale. Marvin was a mechanic in his younger years and he loves machines and thinking about how things work. Just the other day he was talking about modifying his walker to better serve him! :-)

This is Marvin's garage after 8 days of us cleaning and clearing. Our children have pitched in to help! We have all been reminded of the many times we worked together as a family. Paul Klacson, our neighbor in North Bend, came out to help us as we navigated the new world of scrap metal! We had no idea there were so many different categories of metals! We were sitting in the Lowe's parking lot the other day and I found myself wondering if the carts in front of me were aluminum. Crazy!

Aside from clearing out the house and garage, Marvin had a few trucks and cars, a couple trailers, a skid loader, a Bobcat, and this awesome 1941 Chrystler that we still haven't sold!

There were 25 brand new boxes of these along with 150 brand new Toyota master cylinders for 1972 Toyotas. One man's junk is another man's treasure!

When we first arrived, it was impossible to walk into the carport or the garage. They were so full!

Paul discovering a new treasure!

We are committing to prepare for our later years by making sure our will is in order and our possessions are few! This whole situation would have been incredibly more difficult if Grandpa had not named Kenny as his Durable Power of Attorney.

Hazardous waste removal has been complicated! We are so grateful for King County's recycle and waste disposal station only 10 blocks away from Grandpa's.

This morning in our devotional it says "In me you have everything. In Me you are complete. Your capacity to experience Me is increasing, through My removal of debris and clutter from your heart. As your yearning for Me increases other desires are gradually lessening." Lord, please help us to desire only you as we sort through all of this clutter. Let this be a reminder for us that we are not store up treasures in this world, so that we can focus more on you! Please draw the two of us and our family closer to each other through this experience. We pray that Marvin   will know how much you love him and that he will grow in relationship with you, that he will spend eternity with you!