what a week....

We thought this week was going to be like any other, and it so was not! Kevin had already taken this Saturday off from Applebees in order to work St. Joes picnic (he does this every year as all the money goes to the orphanage) when about two weeks ago we got a call from his dad to let us know his uncle who was planning to get married in October had decided to move it up to this coming weekend! We are thrilled and excited for his uncle and wouldn't miss it for the world so Kev stepped down from doing St. Joes and we planned a quick trip to Tn (leave Saturday come back Sunday).. unplanned trips always make your week busy...
BUT this made our week even crazier! Two of my good friends Sarah and Lauren (Lauren just so happens to be dating my brother) lived in different apartments but in the same building... well on Tuesday during all the storm craziness their apartment got struck by lightening and burned down. Lauren was home and THANK GOD got out with her dog, both unharmed, she lost almost everything but has renters insurance so she should be OK. Sarah was not home and had literally just moved her stuff in the night before, she had not called for insurance yet and she too lost almost everything!
Lauren has been staying with us, which means my brother has been here a lot and Sarah has been here just for the company! It has been fun in a way because it feels as if we are in college again and hanging out til all hours like it is perfectly acceptable... of course at 730 when miss Av wakes up I am regretting the night before! Our house is a wreck as we try to sort through the few things (mostly clothes) Lauren could keep and as we've added extra bodies and one extra dog! It is a lot crazy but a blessing to be able to help someone else. We wouldn't want Lauren, my brother or Sarah anywhere else, we want to help... even if all we can offer is food, one shower and a couch!
This whole tragedy has reminded me and Kev both how unbelievably blessed we are to have a home, each other and our possessions... but more then that how quickly our home and possessions could be taken from us! We are blessed to have a maker who loves and cares for us, Sarah and Lauren are blessed to have this same relationship with God, altho that doesn't take all the pain they feel in the wake of a tragedy! Join us in praying for them both... and for the families that lived in the other 14 units that are now destroyed, the apartment complex only had one empty apartment to offer and it was given to Sarah as she had just signed a lease... so all the other tenants are out of their leases but are stuck trying to find a new home!
In the midst of all of this we have been trying to sell our van. This was an unbelievably hard decision as we both REALLY love our van, but we have made a strong commitment to become debt free and are therefore making sacrifices to become that way. We wish we could sell our car but unfortunately we are still making payments on it so as the van is paid for it is the one that has to go! We have had several people interested and one that seems particularly interested, please pray that our van sells for a good price and in good timing so we can be in a better spot when miss Sof comes! We are dedicated to living debt free and dedicated to glorifying God with our money even when that means going without!