Big News over here—we’re Moving!
When David turned 18 in 2020, we had to go through the process of getting a conservatorship for him. We thought it would just be formalizing the reality that we will keep doing what we’ve always done—acting on his behalf as his parents. But the process opened our eyes to the realities of caring for an adult with severe special needs. Where will he live? Who will care for him as we age? Will we put him in a home? It was way more emotional than we thought it would be. The social worker was fantastic and presented us with a lot of information and food for thought.
We’ve never wanted to put David in an institutional home. It’s not wrong and I support anyone for whom that’s the best choice for their situation. But I know if we do that, we’ll see him a lot at first and less over time—that’s the way real life works. Based on our social workers suggestions, we began dreaming we might be able to find a house with a little property and a back house that can be David’s one day.
We’re blessed to have an amazing team of caregivers for David, who take him on his own adventures, help with his daily needs, and become part of the family over time. That combined with his own space on our property one day, seemed like the best of all worlds.
A few months ago a friend told us about a mutual friend selling their beloved family home and their desire to sell to someone they know. We know the family well from my days serving as a pastor—I prayed at their son’s wedding in the backyard, we’ve attended events there and have seen the ways this home has been a place of service and love embodying the Lord’s reconciling work in the world. We couldn’t believe it had exactly the features we were looking for! We all thought, crunched numbers and prayed.
The Lord opened one door after another and we just closed escrow. Now we’re preparing to move into our new place!
Lisa and I love collaborating to make a space ours, so we’re deep into our little reno project. We’re updating counters, doing a fresh coat of paint and a few other small changes. We pulled out a closet from the room that will be my office to study and work in—I’m stoked on the extra space and anxiously awaiting the bookshelves we ordered to unpack my library. (Putting my books into boxes is one of the emotionally hardest parts of moving for me!)
As we dream about this space we feel blessed to get in before Christmas so Matthias will have some Christmas and family memories in this house before heading off to college next year. We already have friends and family lined up to stay with us, help out, and celebrate Christmas together at our new place. This house has a history of hospitality and ministry we intend to build on going forward!
Look for more to come about our project here on the blog and in my social feed!
I follow your family for many reasons, but mostly because I can relate and there are very few people who understand. My husband and I were blessed with a child who has a chromosome abnormality that has left an uncertain future. Gavin is 15 and our miracle. I appreciate your and Lisa’s perspective and I appreciate your truth. It makes me feel “normal” and heard. THANK YOU!
Keep up the great work!
What a blessing to come full circle; to see God working on David’s behalf, even before the need arose! Praising God with y’all!!
I did not realize you had a blog too, I’m so happy to hear about your move! I’ll be praying for y’all since your days will be super busy ❤️ My son has cdls and I appreciate you sharing this!