Rachelle D. Alspaugh's Blog, page 12

One of the hardest goodbyes

 

This is the year of never-ending goodbyes, it seems. Moving forward always means leaving something or someone behind. 

This amazing kid spent his entire summer helping us move forward in SO MANY WAYS, while working hard toward a goal of his own--to buy his aunt and uncle's old Mustang and drive it back home to DBU. He'd been saving for quite a while, but then he worked with his Uncle Matt every day for the last five weeks helping out with the business and earning enough money to purchase the car. 
David was able to be part of so many parts of this huge transition in our lives, between helping us find our future home and land, helping his dad find a new truck for work, helping us find a church that felt like home, being an actual part of the business that Mike is joining Matt in, and finishing the job of moving his grandma out of her house and into a new one. He stayed just long enough to be able to do that last thing, and then he packed up his new car last night after getting back from Warsaw.

And this morning he drove out to New Song to say goodbye to me and the cats (he said goodbye to his dad when Mike got to Matt's ready for work this morning) before he drove away. 
I think I got all my tears out ahead of time yesterday just thinking about it, because so far I've been holding up okay. (Perhaps because I started teaching today and have been quite preoccupied.) I sure am going to miss him, though. He stayed 20 minutes away from New Song all summer living up in the Man Cave above the garage at his aunt and uncle's house. I think that separation was helpful in preparing me, making it feel more like his first two years of college when I only saw him on the weekends, sometimes not for weeks at a time. Now those weeks at a time are going to be for much longer stretches, more like months and months at a time. But I wouldn't want him anywhere else than where he is working on his degree at Dallas Baptist University. And I'm happy to know that he will be close to Juan and the rest of my family that lives in Texas. 
The hardest part is knowing that we took away his home. But I am super thankful for his summer involvement here in all the big things so that this has somewhat of a homelike feel now, too. 
At the time I'm writing this, he's well over half-way home. I think he's got about 4-5 hours of driving left, that is, if he doesn't decide to take a break for the night early and stay overnight somewhere. 
Sure do love that kid and am so proud of his independence, his maturity, and his mechanical knowlege and experience that give us more confidence in his ability to make a long trip on his own. Praying for God to keep him surrounded by his guardian angel until he's back at DBU, safe and sound. 

A Sweet Surprise

 Remember how I said I pray for God to surprise me some way each day? Yesterday His surprise completely warmed my heart.

After church, Mike and David and I went out to grab a bite to eat before getting some groceries. Several times during the morning, I found myself really missing Juan, realizing that I'd let several days slip by without connecting with him. I knew I needed to reach out to him sometime later that day.

As we sat waiting for our food, I scrolled through Facebook on my phone. I started to scroll right past Stepping Stones Church's video from their morning sermon when a quick glimpse of Juan caught my eye! He was standing near the front talking to someone, then looked toward the back of the church for a second, before walking to his seat. For that split second, I not only got to see him, but I got to see his face. :) Mike and David thought I was crazy waving at my phone and getting all excited. Guess it's a mom thing. Such a sweet surprise. 

Soaking in the present

My "present" is constantly changing right now, so it's hard not to live holding on to the past or stretching out toward the future. Because when I stop in my tracks, breathe, and look around, I realize that these limbo days hold treasure. Treasure that I will look back at, possibly very soon, and wish I had savored. 

Of course I want to feel settled. To not be the new girl who hasn't yet had a chance to warm up to everyone. To not be living on just the essentials in a little RV, without access to all my "stuff" and with a little space to spread out inside when you come in for the night. To have all my financials sorted and figured out, with a clear budget made on what's coming in and what's going out all month. To already have my community set up and know my people. To have a consistent schedule and diet and exercise routine that might settle my nerves and my stomach. 

In reading up on dealing with kids who come from hard places, I was recently reminded at how normal rhythms and routines make us feel safe and secure. That's why it's so important to establish clear expectations and routines in a classroom during the first few days of school. They help everyone to know what to expect at every hour of the day so everyone can settle down, settle in, and start learning. I guess moving can fall into one of those "hard places" for an adult. No matter how exciting the move is and how promising it makes the future look, all the transition and change can pull that security right out from under us. 

So then I stretch myself into the future, and I think: "Well, once we close on and then fix up the new house, I'll have a place to settle in to and call home. I can spread out, organize my things, and have all my stuff within reach." And then I just tell myself to hold on a little bit longer. Or I think: "Once we get through all the changes of starting accounts at a new bank, switching phone and internet providers, pay all the final utility bills from the last house, change our address for every piece of mail that comes through, etc., then my evenings will be free to really relax and enjoy myself." And I can even possibly think that once it stops raining every other day (don't shoot me for saying that, Texas friends!), I can get into a good exercise routine of walking a certain distance each day, which will make me feel more energized. 

But if I'm constantly looking back at my security and looking forward to being able to settle in, I am not fully living in God's beautiful provisions each day since I've been here.

I've wanted to go camping with Mike for so long, and now here we are, literally camping every day for what will end up being two to three full months. Out in nature, where it couldn't be any more peaceful and quiet. With deer running around and visiting every day or so. With a campfire going every night that it's not raining. With a view of the stars that takes your breath away. Less than a ten minute walk down the gravel road to where I work five days a week. I literally don't have to leave the campus at all during the week if I don't want to. I'm free to go early to shower, and to use the laundry facilities in the evenings or on the weekends. Just a quick two minutes in the car. Sometimes when I'm out walking to and from work (when it's not raining), I stop dead in my tracks, take it all in, and remind myself that I really am living here. I may not have a home right now, but that school building/house sure does feel like home, like I was always meant to be there. 

I've been gone for four weeks now, and every week has brought a new adventure and a new person into my life that God has very clearly and divinely arranged for me to know. Week one brought a week with Chrissy, whose friendship and deep connection touches my life in a way I never knew how much I needed. Week 2 brought a week of silence so I could get to know my surroundings without anyone around, take some time to read and relax and take in all of my natural surroundings. It also brought a house closing and a house showing and brought an accepted offer on my husband's dream. Week 3 brought a 21-year-old camp counselor that I connected with in an amazing way, showing me why God wanted me to be here in the middle of July. It also brought a quick meeting with my soon to be assistant teacher. Week 4 brought my first 40 hour work-week where I worked completely alone for the first four days researching leadership ideas and developing my very own curriculum to teach Spanish this year to our students in a fun, engaging way.  I say I worked alone, except for the few times I connected with the office manager and found out we have so much in common and are both really looking forward to working together. By Friday afternoon, we talked about meeting up at her church (which sounds very much like LakePointe, though on a smaller scale, of course) and going out for coffee sometime soon. Week 5 brings my new assistant, Julia, who starts on Monday morning, and I get the privilege of showing her around because I'm the only one who will be there! We've already met briefly one morning at camp, and we're already texting each other. We will be in training together for most of this week, while also working on how we will set up the room, decorate, etc. (Watching everyone at Bullock Elementary post all their team and staff pics was a bit emotional at first for me this week, but I really do think God is putting me on the dream team here. 

With a whole new staff coming on and the need to officially roll out the New Song Leadership Academy, we're not starting with students here for the first nine weeks. We're going to be doing extensive training and planning, as well as team building, so that New Song Leadership Academy can have an even greater impact than before. We want to start out strong and united. That means that the students will be starting out their first nine weeks at home and in public schools, and then those who really need New Song will withdraw at the second nine weeks in order to come on here. It's not ideal, but it was a decision made with a lot of prayer and with the support of the New Song board. However, we have one returning student who will not enroll in public school, but he will start with New Song's normal virtual curriculum at home for the first nine weeks, and I will be working with him as a virtual student so that I can learn the programs that they use. It's a homeschool program called Time4Learning, and I will be adding some of the virtual ideas that I used back during the COVID shutdown that were successful with my students. I will meet him this coming Friday, and then he'll start his virtual learning on Monday morning. I think we will also do a virtual "meeting" on a daily basis, if possible. I think it's a good plan, and I'm really thankful for the way we're taking this extra time to start strong. 

So, I'm working hard right now on savoring the present. No matter how inconvenienced I am, how much I miss my old rhythms and routines (and friends and family) or how much I long for the future that looks so promising. Today is yesterday's future, and it holds promise. God was there yesterday, He is here today, and He will be there tomorrow. Every morning I ask Him to surprise me in some way, and He never fails. 

Here's a few pics of the last week:

Mike and I took an evening to explore one of the trails here at New Song. Next time I'll have to track it by recording it on Strava. 
Getting all my stuff somewhat organized. Feels good to at least have some of my things out of storage and easily accessible. 
Feels good to be in a classroom again.
Got my 3 rules up. Be Respectful. Be Responsible. Work Rigorously. 
My handy magnets. 
Sitting outside to enjoy my egg chair.
My temporary desk set up
My lunch view the other day. 
Brainstorming what makes a good leader. We're going to hone in on what makes a godly leader. 


Campfires whenever we can. I have marshmallows on the grocery list now. :)
Evening movie/TV nights with Mike. 
This week I will try to get some pics of the "Dream Team".

Waymaker

Today I worked on setting up my teacher desk and making the room more my own, so most of my stuff is pretty much put away. I am amazed at how little I brought after 19 years of teaching, but I guess that's why I sold it, purged it, or gave it away. I really and truly only brought the essentials or the things that I just couldn't think of teaching again without.
I spent the rest of the day working on my computer researching curriculums and leadership programs, while also figuring out how to wire funds from one bank to another. Moving sure is confusing and complicated! I suppose I'd rather deal with all the complexities of managing different accounts than with the zero funds I moved to Texas with 19 years ago. God has been good to us.
Before I forget, I wanted to take some time to leave my thoughts on this amazing book that I finished reading a few days ago.


To be honest, I'm not really sure the subtitle really matches or captures the heart of the book. It reverts the focus back on self and our own dreams, when that's not what the book really says. When I read it, I could feel the author's raw honesty and vulnerability, starting from her first date with her husband as a young teen, to her wedding night, to the birth of her six biological children, to the moment she so awkwardly and surprisingly felt God tug on her heart to adopt a very specific child she didn't even know, to the physical, emotional, and mental demands that that call took on her life, to the intense spiritual warfare she and her family faced for following God's call in obedience, no matter the cost, to her absolute humility and transparency about finding her way back. No matter the mountain in front of them and the impossibility of the task ahead, God continued to make a way, though it wasn't without a sacrificial cost to the entire family. 
I so appreciate Ann's transparency. Through other books and studies, she inspired me to count my gifts daily, to a thousand and beyond, to live a life of gratitude even in the face of extreme difficulty and heartache. But now I get her urgency to do so and to lead others to do the same. Her life's been hard and excruciatingly painful. Gratitude is a conscious choice she makes every day. And her gratitude has ushered in so many miraculous blessings over the years, things she can't explain other than to give all the credit to the Waymaker. 
I had no idea how much I would relate to her stories in this book. I am so thankful God led me to buy it on my last full day in Texas (also because I ran in to one of my closest friends in the bookstore that day that I didn't think I was going to be able to see that one last time before leaving). See? There he was, making a way for that meeting when my own schedule couldn't fit it in. 
If you haven't read the book, go get it now. Read it slowly and chew on every chapter. It might just change your life and remind you of how God works together every tiny detail of our lives in an incredibly intimate way. 
Shalom awaits you. 

Touring Nashville, IN

Yesterday we got up early and picked up both David and my nephew Dane to go try out a new church we hadn't been to before. It's called Athens Church, and it's the church where Bob and Lisa, the founders of New Song mission, have attended for the last six years since it started. It's a small church with mostly all young people (I'd say in their 30's probably), but it has a very LakePointe feel. We may check them out again after we've visited a few more churches. 

After that, we all went to SAM's Club to get some groceries since we have to take advantage of when we go into town. (When it takes 30 minutes to get to town from New Song, you have to make each trip worthwhile). Then we grabbed a quick lunch, took Dane back home, took our groceries back home, and then headed to Chrissy's mom's house to get my school boxes out of storage.

Once we got back to unload the school boxes into the classroom, we made a spur of the moment decision to make a little trip into historic Nashville (about another 20 minutes away) to see what all the hype was all about. David will be heading back to DBU before long, so I really wanted for him to go with us. Even though we got there shortly before everything closed, we actually enjoyed just looking around when all the people cleared out. Nashville has some really cute little shops, restaurants, and scenery. We didn't make it to the coffee shop before it closed, but we did get to experience Brozinni's Pizza, which I'm told is as close to New York style pizza as I'm going to find around here. 

Nashville is definitely a place I'll take my friends and family to when they come to visit. And I'm so thankful David got to go with us for our first experience there. He's such an adventurous kid and so fun to hang around with. Sure am going to miss him when he goes back to DBU, though I wouldn't want him anywhere else. Plus knowing Juan will have his brother close by brings me comfort. 

Sure am looking forward to seeing the beautiful colors this fall, especially knowing how much wooded land is surrounding my new home. 












The Wise Woman Shoppe. Intriguing. Too bad it was closed. Don't worry. I'll be back. 
When we got home, we decided we needed to take advantage of the beautiful weather, so we enjoyed a nice campfire together. Sure wish I would stop forgetting to get marshmallows!



With Boot's new harness and leash, even he got to enjoy some time by the fire. And let me tell you, the stars out here are absolutely amazing on a clear night. This picture does NOT do them justice at all. 

I'm official

As of today, I am officially employed by New Song Mission. I got my key, my new e-mail address (RAlspaugh@newsongmission.org). And I unpacked what I didn't sell or give away from my nineteen years of teaching at Bullock Elementary.
I may have more school-related things tucked into other boxes, but I brought over five boxes/bins from storage and did what I could to start to organize it. Here I have a box of bilingual resources to use for teaching Spanish. I found a few posters for teaching about leadership and character traits of a good leader. 
I only kept a few book sets to bring here and donate, mostly books that teach character.  I got everything else out of the boxes and organized it into Science materials, Social Studies materials/artifacts, hands-on manipulatives, puzzles (lots and lots of puzzles), posters, and a few miscellaneous things.
I stuffed the empty boxes under the table, and there it will wait until we come up with a system together for the classroom.
I organized this little rolling cart, left a bunch of files in the big box, and quit unpacking for the day. 
Then I spent the rest of the day taking down all the old decorations (Super Mario) so that when my new teaching partner starts next week, we can come up with ideas together on how to redecorate. Personally, I'm leaning toward finding a lot of posters that teach/remind the kids about good leadership traits since the school is transitioning to it's new name, New Song Leadership Academy. But my new partner, Julie, may have some great (or better) ideas. I am really looking forward to working with her.

My new friend, Sonya, who led New Song Adventure Camp this summer, stopped by to pick up some things she left on Saturday, and she ended up staying and helping me tear down a bunch of the Mario decorations. What a nice surprise. :) She and I really connected last week, and I firmly believe that God purposed for me to be at New Song for the last week of camp specifically for us to meet. So thankful she's only about 20 minutes away so we can stay in touch and continue to get to know each other. :)



 

New adventures every day

Every day brings a new adventure around here. I'm learning and experiencing new things every time I turn around. 

Saturday we had to go into town to try to switch to a new cell-phone provider because our last one just didn't give us enough signal out at New Song or anywhere outside of town, for that matter. It made me nervous about driving on all these long country roads with no way to get a hold of anyone. First we had lunch out at good old Bob Evans, then we went to Verizon. We also got a device to provide internet in the RV, so now I don't have to go in to the school to work on the computer. It took pretty much the whole afternoon to get everything switched over to the new phones, and then we still had a bunch of issues getting the providers completely switched over. 

Sunday we went to church with Matt and Chrissy, then spent the afternoon hanging out with David, going back to Verizon to help with the glitches we were having and dealing with issues in waiting for everything to transfer fully. We are all happy with our new phones now, finally, and we are in a much better situation with getting signal. 

Sunday night we joined Matt and Chrissy and the boys at Chrissy's dad's house for a rib fest/potluck. We had some amazing food, enjoyed good company, hung out on a BEAUTIFUL deck and waited out a pretty big rain storm. His desk would make an amazing writer's retreat, and Chrissy told me he would literally let me come any time I ever wanted! But honestly, I think New Song is an amazing writer's retreat, as well. And I think I'll be here nearly every day for a while. 

Monday I popped in to meet the incoming campers around three in the afternoon, hung around for a couple get-to-know-you games, and then walked back to the camper to relax with Mike for the evening. I also met my new little friend, Abi, the granddaughter of the girls' houseparents. I had given her grandma a copy of my first book just a day or two before that because she said she really wanted to read it and know our story (didn't know they had a similar story of their own!), and little Abi saw it and read through it first! So when I met her, she felt like she already knew me, and she just kept saying how much she loved my book. We found her a copy of the second book, and she's already devouring that one, too. Love her. :)

Later that night, Mike and I walked back up to the campus to join the campers in their first campfire. 

Yesterday I helped with camp, made some new little friends, we opened a bank account with the option period money we got out of the first contract on our house that didn't go through, I found a new place to get my hair cut, and I drove around town a little to get more comfortable and find the best routes to one of the cutest coffee shops I've ever been to. 

Today I went to the school house to take a nice hot shower and do some laundry, and I ended up being there just in time to help out with craft time. Then the girls' houseparents invited me to join them all for lunch before the girls headed out on an outting. It always takes me a bit to warm up and take in my surroundings before I feel comfortable somewhere, so being here alone last week and then being able to help out with camp this week is really just what I needed so I can start the school year more confidently. And who knows--maybe some of this week's campers will return as students for the year. 

A week ago yesterday, I sold my house. Just a few hours later, I found a house and rather large property at a good price just ten minutes from New Song, but it definitely needed a face-lift and then some. More than anything, Mike wanted a house with a lot of land. Where he can build things, fabricate things, fix things, play with his "big boy toys", use for recreation, etc. Matt drove by it on his way to see us that night and was just giddy with excitement over all the possibilities. That night, Mike called about it and set up an appointment to go see it the next morning. A week ago today, we showed up with the whole remodeling crew from Tipton Home Services (Matt, David, and Matt's father-in-law) to not only see the house but also to do our own "inspection" of what kind of repairs it might need. 

I left feeling quite overwhelmed. It's not at all the home I envisioned. They left optimistic and excited. I saw lots of work and a longer time before I could unpack and settle down. They saw amazing potential with never-ending fun. That's where I realized just how different we see the world and how much I completely underestimated their talent, expertise, and experience in this area. Mike was ready to make an offer that day. I wanted to walk away and keep looking. David warned me that I'd really regret not jumping on the location, knowing the odds of finding something that close to New Song in our price range were very slim. I was torn. I had envisioned myself finding a house ready to settle in to and make my home. Mike saw the potential to take the shell of this house and transform it into whatever we want. With a whole crew working together, we could turn this little old house into a cozy haven for many years to come--at a fraction of the price that someone else would have to pay someone to do. With even just a few of the more major repairs and a minimal face lift, we can increase the value of the home by a ton. 

I slept on it, and after a very prayerful day the day before, I woke up in the morning with enough peace to send Mike a text saying I trusted him with whatever he decided to do. God's really been working on me lately to get out of the way so Mike can rise up to be the leader God designed him to be. To look up to him and respect him and stand by him. He didn't want to move here so we could just find a cute little house and settle. He wanted to move here to pursue the things he's always wanted to do but couldn't while we lived in a large suburban community outside of Dallas. He doesn't want to be like his dad, who waited so long to build the huge garage he wanted and then never got the chance to use it. He sees all the cool projects his brother has been able to have fun with while living on a good chunk of land, and he wants to be able to do the same. Not only is this chunk of land a dream haven to him, but also the ability to work with his brother to, in essence, flip this little house. I'm sure it can only help give even more credibility to Matt's business, too, because they can experiment and have fun with it and then advertise their success each step of the way. And, hey, there's plenty of room to build whatever else we want on the property in the future. 

He calculated a lower offer based on the quotes Matt gave us for materials, and they accepted it! Now here we are under contract again, in the middle of e-signing documents for a new mortgage, driving by the property every chance we get to envision how we can make it our own. 

My new job at New Song is literally out in the middle of nowhere, a good 30 minutes from town, at least 20 minutes from the nearest store or gas station. It's also about 20 minutes from Matt and Chrissy. And I'm not looking forward to driving in any kind of ice and snow. So our goal was to find a house as close to here as possible. But everything we found in our price range was either too far from New Song (meaning a longer drive for me) or way too expensive. This property is a super easy ten minute drive from here, ten minutes from the nearest store or gas station, and only 20 minutes into town where Mike will be working at least a couple days each week. And the land is amazing. We'll be closing in early September, just in time for the leaves to start to change and we'll see spectacular displays of color all around us. I heard that people come from all over the world, literally, to take pictures of the trees here in the fall. I can't wait to experience that. 

I'm purposefully not showing any before pictures right now because it's OUR project, no one else's. It will be OUR haven, and it will be done on OUR timeline. I don't want other people's opinions about what we should and shouldn't do and when we should and shouldn't do it. It's all going to depend on time, money, resources that become available through Matt's business, and how the repairs go. Plus, Mike is not a big planner. He starts a project and just goes with it, sometimes letting the project lead itself. He may say he's going to do one thing, and then end up doing something completely different. Just like when I start a poem, I have no idea where it's going to go or how it's going to turn out. I just follow the rhyme of the words. So I will show before and after pics together as each step is completed. But like I said, we've still got about five to six weeks of living here at New Song in the RV, which yes, is cramped, but super convenient, affordable, and comfortable enough for now. Then once we close on the house, we will probably just take the RV there to continue living in until we remodel enough of the house to start living in it. 

Here's the only sneak peak I'm going to give, a quick pic I snapped yesterday as I drove by. Yes, I literally stopped driving and sat parked in the road to take pictures. Not much traffic passes through that way. That's just the front of the property, where they currently have a couple horses. The land goes WAY back from there. 

Stillness

One thing I have struggled to find over the last few months, or even the last two years, is stillness.I think that's what my soul craved in my short six week summer last year as I got on my bike and rode to the nature trail every day, taking time to stop and sit by the small pond with a fountain at the middle. 
Different bodies of water cause the water to act in different ways. In the oceans, it rolls in waves. In the streams, it flows. In the rivers, it rushes. But in a pond or lake, it just sits there still, occasionally showing a trace of movement with the wind. 


There's something about sitting out here on a deck right above the New Song classroom, overlooking a quiet pond, that brings a natural sense of peace and tranquility. 
It's much easier to be still while sitting out here. I'm making it a point to try out all the different picnic tables and spots to sit, whether it be in my egg chair in front of the camper in the morning, at the picnic table right in front of the pond, the one on the deck on the other side of the pond that looks over toward the school house, or the one on the deck just outside the kitchen upstairs. 
There's a reason the Psalms say our Shepherd leads us beside still waters. They truly do have the power to restore your soul when needed.
There's also something about a campfire that just beckons you to sit down and rest for awhile. To sit and stare at the crackling flames and give your body and mind a break from the constant movement and need to be productive. A campfire is automatic permission to just be still.

Mike has been working non-stop since before Christmas. First in trying to get ahead enough at work to be able to take 3 weeks off to help his mom. Then in dealing with his dad's funeral, his mom's surgery, and cleaning out a house that had not been tended to in a long, long while. After that, it was all he could do to keep his head above water trying to catch up after being gone from work for three weeks, plus trying to sort through all of his dad's tools and belongings he brought back with him, and reconnect with me after a long absence, with no bit of free time or down time.
Then when we agreed that God was calling us to move back to Indiana, it was non-stop cleaning out , purging, and sorting through our own belongings of the last 19 years in Texas. With his hobby being an outdoor, mechanical one, he had a lot of tools, parts, and things I couldn't even recognize strewn all out over the driveway and shoved onto trailers, shelves, corners in the yard, and all over the garage floor and driveway. It was not a light task to go through it all and prepare to move.
He worked non-stop until the very day we proposed to move, into the next day and all the way till that evening. Then here he jumped right in to all things camping related (things I'm so thankful he knows how to do because I'm completely helpless) while also working full-time between two different jobs. Needless to say, he's been busy. 
But last night we finally had a quiet evening back at the camper, so we were able to rig up a fire ring to start our first little campfire.
And once it got going, we both had a chance to just sit in the stillness and tranquility, stare at the flames, talk about life, and just "be" together. For as long as we're here in the RV until we move into a house, I look forward to the evenings we can just sit in front of the fire. Almost a forced rest, a given permission to be still. A great way to have a chance to connect. 

 

Taking it all in

I left Texas on the evening of July 8, thirteen long days ago. It hasn't even been two weeks, though it feels like it's been at least three or four. We slept in a Motel 6 that night that a blown trailer tire led us to in Hope, Arkansas.

We pulled into my brother-in-law's driveway (well, actually, he was the one that pulled US in, literally) around 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, July 10th. 11 days ago.  I slept on a cot in his basement to finish out that night. They started to show our house in Texas again that day, with three showings scheduled.

The next night, I started to move a few of my things into my mother-in-law's motorhome, parked right outside the basement of my brother-in-law's house. That's where I slept for the next five days, but I still went inside the house for any bathroom/bathing needs. Mike went to work with Matt, and I went driving around with Chrissy and the boys to several places. A cash offer for our home came in that day, and before we got home for dinner, Mike and I had already electronically signed a contract accepting the offer. They did not request an option period, and we set to close on July 29th.

Both Mike and David went to work with Matt all week long, while Chrissy let me hang out with her and the boys, doing fun activities every day, like riding bike, hanging out with the horse and goats, going swimming at the neighbor's house and also at the community pool, getting donuts for Matt's birthday, etc. She's an incredible mom and a great hostess. I'm super thankful for her and for how easily we connect. She loves animals and nature and works hard to take care of any living creature in her care. 

Saturday morning we got up and drove the motorhome to New Song to set up camp. It took a few nights to get adjusted and make it our own, but I think we've got some kind of a rhythm going. I'm so glad that I didn't wait till later in July to move. I really needed this quiet week with nothing going on here to just relax, breathe, have some down time, explore, and take it all in. Evenings are still pretty rushed and unpredictable, as we've still spent every evening either at Matt and Chrissy's or with them visiting us. I'm hoping tonight we can finally make a bonfire and enjoy a more relaxed evening "at home".  

I've found that I can get my mile walk in just by walking from the camper all the way up to the playground and back. It's a bit more hilly than I'm used to, so that should make it count for a little more, right? Walking from the camper to the classroom is about 8 tenths of a mile. The first few days I drove here (especially when I had laundry to bring with me), but today I decided to grab my backpack and walk here. My leg is finally feeling and looking like it's healing enough for me to get some exercise again. (The move really aggravated it, at least the swelling around my ankle, so I made it a point to take it easy this week).

Everyone has been gone this week except for the new office manager, who happens to also work at Matt and Chrissy's church, so Chrissy was able to introduce me to her. She's been super nice, friendly, and helpful, and I really look forward to working with her. Yesterday she helped me out with printing some things I need to start working on my Indiana teaching license, and she took some mail into town for me. 

At the end of last week, we found out that the buyers of our house had interest in closing earlier, either on Tuesday the 19th or the 26th. We all agreed on the 19th, so Tuesday morning Mike and I went to a local bakery to meet the mobile notary to sign the papers for closing. An hour and a half later, they signed theirs in Texas, and the funding appeared in our bank the next afternoon after they got our papers fed-exed to them. Between the day the house showed and the day we received the funds, it all went through in a total of ten days. Not bad. Not without a headache the night before when we found out we left too many things behind and had to get them out immediately. Mike tried contacting a few people who normally would have done that for us, but they were out of town. Thankfully Juan came to the rescue for us! It's not like we weren't warned--the realtor specifically told us we needed to leave the house absolutely empty when we moved out. And in talking to a realtor here, I found that their request at the last minute is a very common and legit thing, even when the house is listed AS IS. We knew we should have gotten it all out, we just literally ran out of time. It all ended well, though, and the closing went smoothly. With the money in the bank, it will be one less headache now in looking for our new home. So far, we've seen a few that have caught our eye, either for the house or for the land, but I know God will make it clear when it's the right one. And hey, it sure is nice to have a whole crew of hard-working, experienced home remodelers ready to work together to get us into the right place. Seeing Mike and Matt (and David) work together so selflessly is pretty amazing.

I knew before I got here to New Song that the girls' houseparents were leaving at the end of July. They saw me pull in yesterday afternoon and followed me to the camper to say hi. They're super nice (and even lived in Texas for awhile), so I'm a little sad I won't get to work with them--though I know God is drawing together a new team for me to work with, one I have been praying for faithfully since I accepted this job. Anyway, I asked them where they were headed, and they said, "Warsaw, a little town up in northern Indiana." LOL. They were pretty surprised to find out this Texas girl used to live there and that my husband's family all still lives there. They're headed up there for the same reason we left Texas, to be closer to a widowed mom. Anyway, they'll be around for another week for the last week of camp this summer, so I will probably see more of them next week before they leave. We exchanged cell phone numbers, and they told me to holler if I need anything at all. 

Today I didn't have a thing planned, so I've been taking time to just sit and be still and realize all I have to be thankful for. I remember my first days in Texas, standing outside by my portable classroom, breathing in the warm Texas air, so in awe of how God got me there. I can honestly say I feel the same way now each day as I walk around this campus. I'm really here, I feel so at home, and I'm truly in awe of how God led me here. I can't believe all I left behind and the peace that I still feel despite that. I know it's not all going to be fun and games, that a lot of new challenges await me that are different than I've experienced in public schools, plus challenges with being so far away from my boys, challenges with finding a house, moving, remodeling when needed, figuring out a new financial rhythm, finding our church home and community, driving on country roads without getting lost, going through a not-so-Texas winter, dealing with cold temperatures for longer than a day or two, etc. There's a lot of challenge ahead. But I have this incredible peace that I am right where I was always meant to be in this moment. 

The sign hanging in the kitchen above the classroom, in the main building. The verse that gave them the name for this campus. 
My view yesterday while I was reading, right in front of the pond.

Two little tiny toads that my nephews found near the gravel road.


The dry-for-now creek that I cross over every day right by the classroom.
The bridge I cross over every day on the campus. It's called Bridge of Hope.

My morning visitor today while I sat outside on my egg chair to read and pray. 

Well, it's really nice outside, so I think I'm going to go sit and continue reading Waymaker, by Ann Voscamp. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. With campers coming in a few days, I better take advantage of the tranquility around here while I still can. 

New Song Leadership Academy

Last night when Mike went to take David back to Matt's house, I decided to stay back at the camper and just sit outside to read. It was still light out, and the temperature was very pleasing. I think it may have started to rain very softly while I sat outside, but I was under the awning, so it was like sitting outside on my covered front porch.  

As I sat there, a car pulled onto New Song Drive and slowly passed by my campsite. It was Bob, my new boss, and when he saw me sitting outside, he pulled in to say hello. He gave me the keyless entry information to get into the house where the classroom is, and he gave me the wifi information so I can work on my computer any time I need to. He also gave me some contacts to help in our house search. I was thankful that I stayed back so I could get all that needed information before today.

So this morning, I slept in till Mike left, showered, did some more organizing in the camper, took care of a leak that I found from the rain (our own fault), read some, worked on an online Bible study, had my prayer time, made some lunch, and then drove the rest of the way down New Song Road to get into my classroom. Sure is nice to have wifi again and to not have to wait long for my pictures to download! I took some pics of the classroom so I can start envisioning ways I might want to decorate or set things up. I've never taught in this style before, so I'm just trying to take it all in for now. Lisa told me to be thinking about what I want to do and that there will be a budget to cover that. Now that's a first! 

Last year they all pitched in (houseparents included) to decorate it all like a castle with a Super Mario theme. They want to completely redo it all, though. I can't do anything until after NEXT week because there is another week of camp here that week, and they've got things all set up for camp right now. This week Bob and Lisa are taking some of the previous students on a trip to Michigan, so it will be quiet around here--a perfect opportunity for me to just get comfortable with my surroundings and start making myself at home. Interestingly, it already feels like home. Here are some pics of the classroom as it is right now.

When you walk down the stairs and turn to the left. This is the boys' side. The kids will each have their own personal cubicle to work at.
Still on the boys' side.
One door (on the right) closes off the stairway, and the other door opens to a utility/storage room. 
The door here goes to the garage, where I will be entering and exiting. Then there are eight storage lockers that I am assuming will be for each student.
This is the girls' side, and also where they have a small section of books. I brought several personal books from my old classroom that I plan to donate to this library if needed/wanted. And how cool to have a fireplace in the classroom! No more need to find a digital one to display on screen.



My view outside the classroom windows, also where the kids will go outside to play for breaks/recess. 
The current library. I immediately noticed the Left Behind books. I'm sure they will like the Left Behind for kids series that I brought from David's old library. I read every single one of those books with David when he was younger. 


The storage closet for all the supplies. Nice.
Back on the boys' side, looks like a little reading nook turned into a castle. Very cute. 
My view right now as I write this blog. :)
I'm still in awe that I'm really here and that God chose me, prepared me, and equipped me for this. He really is a Waymaker.