Following conference on Sunday evening, BJ and I were talking about our future. He had been looking for a job for nearly a year with virtually no success (except for that Chase job that did not pay enough money to provide for our family…and it was horrible! Basically, he was a telemarketer collecting on people’s mortgages. But, he did it. I think he worked there for an entire month until the September fast Sunday. We fasted and we prayed. It was so clear to both of us that it would be okay in the sight of the Lord if he quit that job. BJ and I both pride ourselves on being financially responsible. We had never been late on a payment and certainly never planned to walk away from our house, but after he quit at Chase, we prayerfully decided that he would look for a job full time and if he didn’t find a job by October 1st, that we would re-evaluate and consider not paying our October mortgage. We just knew that we could not afford to keep dumping our remaining savings/student loans into this house knowing that with no income, there would be no way to keep paying on it long term. It was so bizzare. Here was a guy…with a bachelors degree, strong work history and references, working on his masters degree… In all aspects, he should have been in the strongest situation he has ever been in to get a job. Yet, nothing. At first (January-June, before his job actually ended) he was looking for good jobs. But, as July came, the need became more urgent. He began applying everywhere. Everywhere you can imagine. Target, Circuit City, stocking shelves, etc. Jobs he was clearly overqualified for. Nothing. No response at all. From anyone. All he wanted to do was provide for his family. Then Chase, who likely hired almost anyone to compensate for the high turaround. I think this step was necessary to show the Lord that he was willing to do whatever was required…even though no one can imagine how much he dreaded going to work. The two hour round trip commute and the required one hour lunch break (in a building with no internet access) left him with hardly any time to look for a different job or to work on his homework and thesis. It was so bad. First, the position he was offered/applied for, was better than the position they actually placed him in. Then, when he got his schedule, he saw that he was scheduled to work on Sundays, even though his offer paperwork clearly stated that his hours were Monday-Friday with occasional Saturdays. When he approached the HR person over this matter, she said that if he was going to be picky about that, they would have to demote him to a team that did not work on Sunday. So, he agreed. After a month, it was made clear to us that BJ’s sacrifice was acceptable. That he did not need to continue working in that environment. You cannot imagine the relief he felt when we received the confirmation of the Spirit that he could leave. After Chase, he devoted himself full time to finding a new job, with no success. Finally, one day, out of frustration we said, “Maybe we are just not supposed to be here anymore.” Wow. As that calm feeling that we were not expecting settled in, it surprised us. We had never really considered it before.
So, BJ expanded his job search to include the entire nation…as opposed to restricting his search to the Phoenix metro. We discussed where we would like to live. In fact, when Sarah and David were planning to move to Colorado Springs, we considered just going with them. But, for some reason, that just didn’t feel right. So, we just kept applying for jobs and praying to be guided. One night after we put the younger girls and Jase to bed, Kennady (who had taken a nap that day) was quietly laying in our bed while BJ and I were talking about where we should go/what we should do. Suddenly, she sat up with tears in her eyes and said, “I have prayed to Heavenly Father to know what we should do, but I can’t hear His answer.” It broke my heart. We had asked the girls to remember Daddy in their prayers, that he could find a job, that our family could be guided, that we would know where the Lord would want us. Sweet little Kennady. We explained to her that even though we can’t hear an answer right away, that the Lord is still aware of our family. He loves us and cares for us.
Okay, back to general conference weekend… We spent the weekend listening to the words of the prophets, feeling uplifted, encouraged and motivated. It really was an amazing conference. Sunday evening, after all the kids were asleep, we talked. This time it was different. We both felt motivated to choose a place to relocate to. We knew that most employers would hire locally before they would consider an out of state applicant, so we decided to choose a place with good potential and go there. October 1st was the first payment we simply didn’t pay and we didn’t feel comfortable living in a home that we were not paying for… So, it seemed the right time to move on. After discussing all of our options, we settled on Portland, which was strange considering neither of us had ever even been to Portland before. But, there is a strong technology base there and the landscape is beautiful. So, before going to bed, we decided on Portland, prayed and decided to sleep on it. When we woke up in the morning, we prayed again and felt peaceful again. So, we gathered the girls and Jase around us. We each took turns praying and then talked about how we felt. All agreed that we should move. So, without delay, we began packing our house. From that point on, the next week was a whirlwind as we went from nothing packed to everything we could fit in a rental truck and on the road in exactly one week. The interesting thing about it all is that there really was no actual urgency to move. When we first decided on Portland, there was a beautiful home for rent in our price range. The catch: It was only available until December 15th. So, initally that house was the urgency. We wanted to get to Portland, put our hearts and souls into getting a job and getting settled and needed the full two months to do that. We spoke with the rental agency who seemed surprised to actually find a renter. BJ told them he would determine the exact date we would be arriving and get back in touch with them. When BJ called back a couple of hours later, they had rented the house! What?!? So, we started looking for other homes. Finally, it came down to two options. There were only two options because not many renters would consider a short term lease. However, we could only do a short term lease because with no verifiable income, nobody would rent to us. But, we had the money in savings to pay for three months worth of rent upfront. So, there were two short term lease options available. First: an apartment. Second, a cute home. Obviously, our first choice was the cute home. But, the owner was taking a lot of time deciding which potential renters to rent her house out to. As of Monday morning when we pulled out of town, she had still not decided. So, because we were waiting on her decision, we didn’t commit to the apartment. So, other than the fact that we were scheduled to drop the rental truck off in Portland, there was still actually nothing tying us to Portland.
{I WILL ADD DETAILS ABOUT MY FATHER’S BLESSING HERE}
Meanwhile, Tressa and Eric had been in touch with Eric’s dad (Ray), who BJ and I had worked for on the boat in Alaska almost 10 years ago. Ray recently started a new business in Oakley, Idaho. He mentioned that he just got a ton of work and was needing to hire some people to work for him. Well, it just so happens that Oakley is right on the way to Portland. We would be driving right past Oakley on our way. So, BJ talked to Ray and he asked us to stop by and see the workshop and talk to him…just in case. He is wanting someone to help with fabrication and product development, eventually taking over the business management role. Considering BJ’s undergraduate degree and work history, he is actually a good candidate for the position. Plus, he is mechanically minded and has a good working relationship with Ray. So, we stopped in Oakley and had a job offer and a place to stay overnight. Ray and Jane own a beautiful historic home in the center of Oakley.
Previously, the home functioned as a bed and breakfast. So, their 7 bedroom, 3 kitchen, 3 bathroom home has been partitioned off into several “apartments.” So, we are renting half of the second floor, which contains one bedroom, a small living area, a balcony, a kitchen and a bathroom, as well as the third floor bedroom for the girls.
Here is Brighton enjoying a treat on the balcony:
We are hoping to be able to find a place of our own soon to be able to start settling in. This home is so beautiful and Ray and Jane are very hospitable, but in order for us to feel like this area is home, I will need to be able to create my own space, with my own furniture and belongings. However, real estate transactions don’t happen the same way around here that they would happen in a large city. Here, everything is done by word of mouth. BJ reminds me often that things happen at a slower pace around here and that I might need to be more patient…which is hard for me! So, keep praying for us that we will be able to find a nice place to live soon 
BJ got the flu and was out sick for the first few days we were here, but he is recovering now and has started work. They work in another historic building in the center of Oakley. The workshop is about a three minute walk from the house. The building used to be known as Rainbow Hall and was the social center of the town. All church dances, basketball games, etc. were played in that hall. When Ray found and bought the building, it was in really bad condition. The roof was about to cave in. But, they saved the building and have set up shop.
Oh, and I have to mention…the old church. The second I saw it, I fell in love with it. Before I knew that my parents were going to be coming up to visit us, I took the kids on a walk down to the old church to take some pictures. I wanted my Dad’s opinion on how difficult it would be to rennovate the old church. On the way there, I stopped and took a few pictures of Jase in front of some other old building in town:
There are a lot of really fun picture places around here Anyways…the old church. Currently, the church grounds store rock. Oakley is known worldwide for the beautiful stone that comes from the local quaries. Well, one of the owners of a stone company owns this old church. They use the grounds to store stone on and the interior of the building has just a few odds and ends stored inside. I went down to the town hall and found out who owned the old church. So, I had a lead. Well, when my parents and grandparents unexpectedly came to visit, I took them down to the old church. The owner was there! So, we stopped and asked him if he might consider selling the old church. He laughed and said that I was probably the 100th person who had asked him that question. But, up until this point, he needed the space to store the stone. But, just recently, he secured a 10 acre parcel of land in town that he can store his stone on. So, at this point, it would be more practical to build an industrial building on that property that he could get a fork-lift in and out of than to keep the little church. So, he is going to be getting back with me if he and his partner might consider selling us the old church. Then, we could change the old church into our home. Wouldn’t that be a dream?!?
I am clinging to the hope of the little old church because otherwise, the housing prospects are pretty depressing. I am willing to go where the Lord directs us. (I just hope He directs us to a cute home…is that too much to ask?)
Well, thanks again to everyone for your love, prayers and support in our behalf.
