God is in This!

Bakersfield, California has been our new home town for one week now. And what a week it has been! God has shown us (although we already knew) that He was in this move, that He was the One who had this planned for our lives, and that He always provides. A family member commented on Facebook about how she was looking forward to hearing about "settling-in miracles," so here you go:

So the family we stayed with on our visit here a couple weeks ago (The Kellys) are hosting us again until we move into our rental house (that's another God story, keep reading!), and they "just so happen" to be good friends with neighbors of their's who have two young children that they homeschool. Lori, our "hostess" introduced us last weekend and the neighbor was telling me all about a charter school in the area that is specifically designed to partner with homeschooling families. I was very intrigued with all the possibilities the school offers and she told me she'd find out more when she took her son to History Camp there the next day.

Monday morning she knocks on the door around 9 am to tell me she'd been kind of in a rush to leave the school but something told her to ask how I could get the boys signed up. It "just so happened" that the last day to go to the orientation was THAT DAY and if I didn't go that afternoon, there was no chance the boys could be enrolled this school year. I called immediately, got my name on the list, gathered the appropriate documentation, and that afternoon went to the meeting. I was thoroughly impressed, but the chances of us getting in were very slim; there were only 12 available spots and there were 30 parents at the meeting.

I went home gushing about the possibility of this opportunity and we prayed that night that the boys would get in somehow. At the meeting I had asked when we'd hear back and they said most likely next week. Well, God did His work on our behalf and I got the call the very next day saying the boys had been accepted!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am for this. Being enrolled at Valley Oaks Charter School means I don't have to worry about any of the "legal" issues since the boys will technically be registered in the public school system. I will regularly consult with a resource teacher assigned to us who will help me with lesson plans if I need it, she'll gather all the curriculum and extra supplies, manipulatives, etc. we'll need, she'll collect work samples from the boys to track their learning, and help with any teaching ideas I might need.

Now, being that I am a certified teacher, I don't struggle with much of those things as I have much experience doing them. However, as a homeschooling mom with two other children not yet in school, having someone else do some of the planning sounds fabulous! Also, being that we've always been on a tight budget, my curriculum has always been a mix of what I could buy super cheap at a yard sale, what I already had from my teaching days, or what I'd been given. This will give me access to many more materials than we could afford on our own AND they'll all be free! The boys will still be home every day, me being their primary teacher, but on Wednesdays they'll go to school for enrichment classes. They'll also be able to take other classes like swim lessons, gymnastics, karate, etc. at much reduced prices or for free. I am seriously amazed by this blessing!!!

Now on to the next God story...our house! So after returning from Bakersfield for the final interview, we felt we could more intelligently look into finding a home to rent, since we'd been given a very good tour of the area. The difficult thing, however, was finding a house in the $900's range that was also in an area we felt comfortable living. Most houses we were interested in were around $1100, which was going to be quite a stretch for us. We saw one pop up on Craigslist one morning that was listed at $999 a month, Aron called on it and spoke with the property manager and she was excited about it for our family. Well, long story short, by the time we sent back the application the next morning, someone else had already claimed it. She sent a very apologetic email, saying he'd paid the full amount of rent and deposit and she couldn't turn that down. We were disappointed but trusted that if God had wanted us to live in that home, it would've worked out.

We daily searched online, but were not finding anything suitable in our price range. We figured God would have something in store for us once we got to Bakersfield. So we began the move on Tuesday with nowhere to call "home" when we got there. We pulled into town on Saturday evening, tired but glad to have a house, not a hotel, to stay in with The Kellys who'd hosted us two weeks before. The next day, we got an email from the same property manager Aron had spoken to asking if we wanted the house as it "just so happened" to be back on the market! We were able to see the house and meet the property manager who was completely in shock that the guy who'd already paid to live in the house and who'd signed the contract had changed his mind. She said nothing like this had ever happened before. We knew though, that when God is in it, He will make it happen!! We will be moving in on Wednesday!!

Another cool God story about the house is how we are now only going to be paying $950 a month instead of the original $999. Because the house came with no refrigerator (we've learned this is a West Coast thing) and no washer and dryer, the property manager had some on order that she was still planning on putting in the house (she'd ordered them for the guy who was "supposed" to be moving in). On a whim, I asked if she'd discount the rent if we chose to get our own appliances, and she said she'd drop it down to $975. Great! And just that afternoon, we were offered a free refrigerator from a member at the church! Then the issue of the carpet came up. She said she was deciding whether to have it cleaned or just go ahead and replace it. Now there's only carpet in the bedrooms (laminate everywhere else) so again, we asked if she had them cleaned instead of replaced, would she drop the rent? Sure, down to $950!!! Seriously?!?! God, You are so good!!!!

Many of the staff members at church are giving items of furniture to fill our new home, which is such a blessing. All we still need are two dressers and a washer and dryer. Are we worried about it? Absolutely not! God WILL provide!!!