Ducks in a Row

Hey there blog followers,
I feel guilty for not maintaining a regular blog, especially after the urgency of our last post. So, here is an update to let you all know what is happenin' with the Sewalds.

First, shortly after posting, our Pastor, Jake, contacted me about going with him to Duluth for a meeting of MBC (MN Baptist Conference) Pastors. I went, curious to see what it was about. This meeting was all about how their group wanted to change from a prayer group to an actually support group, helping out with each others needs. I had a moment to share Beth and my story and our hesitance about moving due to the cost. One Pastor took a special interest, and kept asking me for a number we'd need to be comfortable with the move. Shortly after getting back in the car, Jake looked at me and said, "You know he's going to try and help cover your expenses, right?" To be honest, the thought hadn't even occurred to me.

Next, we called the owner of the house in Portage, and managed to talk the cost of rent down. We decided it was time to make the move.

After finalizing some details with him, we had to contact our current landlord and see if it would be possible to break our lease early. He said it was fine as long as there was someone in place for when we moved. From or conversation on the phone, it sounded as if it were up to us. We brought it to our church in prayer, and went about trying to find a way to get the word out. The following Friday, we contacted our landlord again with a question, or something minor, and he informed us that we had three showings coming up over the weekend. I was closing at work, so, Beth, being the trooper she is, cleaned the entire house after a grueling day at work. Before the weekend was even over, we knew the house would be going to one of two families.

So, now, the next challenge becomes the actual move itself. We have a couple people willing to help, but not as much time as we like. We need to be out by the 15th, and our new lease begins January first. Ideally we would have liked to take a couple weekends and spread things out with the holiday rush being on. Neither one of us has had a lot of drive after work, and we leave tomorrow for a 4 day trip home. So, we will be spending the first day of the new year moving into a new house, starting a completely new chapter of our adventure up here. It's even coming with benefits. Health benefits that is. Beth's probation period at work is over and the reservation is providing full health coverage.

Pray that the move goes well and that the weather cooperates. Also pray that we have the energy over the next week to continue packing after long days at work, and that we can get settled in swiftly. Thank you again for your prayers and support, and Merry Christmas!