Please pray for me

[Originalist]

I am officially now no longer licensed with the UPCI. I have hardly given it a second thought.

I have other concerns for which I truly need direction from the Lord.

As I've shared in the past, we underwent a significant financial change in 2009, taking about a 40% loss in income. At the same time my mother became suddenly ill and passed away unexpectedly. Having inherited her 30 year old mobile home (in pretty good shape) and 5 acres in rural western Marion County, Fl, we opted to sell our beautiful home in DeLeon Springs (Volusia County) and move into my mom's place. We were leaving our church of 17 years and the community I had lived in since my family moved here in 1966 when I was just 10 months old. It seemed to make perfect sense at the time living rent and mortgage free and being where we could maintain the property and home we had inherited (my parents divorced in 1987 and both moved back to the Ocala area where they were originally from). We were living to live simpler and the drop in income did not seem so bad with no mortgage or car payment. But in late 2011 our 40% loss in income turned into an EIGHTY percent loss in income!

I'm thankful that we live somewhere where I can't be evicted from, but it is like we have been frozen in time since late 2011. Except for the short time I was a child protective case worker (6 months) we have subsisted on about a thousand dollars a month. Even with no mortgage and car payment it's tough to support a wife and 2 kids on that. We have one car that is 12 years old. We live in a mobile home that constantly needs repair. I'm working 25-30 hours a week for 10 bucks an hour substitute teaching. I drive 13 miles one way to work. On the days I don't work I have to come home and do that 26 mile round trip twice in one day. If I happen to not work on a Wednesday, then I make that trip THREE times IF we go to church on Wednesday night. Gasoline is better, but it was killing me there for awhile.

The truth is I never would have dreamed of moving to Ocala ,Fl if my mom had not died. It was meant to be a temporary move strictly out of convenience. We were at one church for 3 years here where we worked hard the first two years. Our 3rd year there I was forced to get a second part time job at Walgreens. Between that and my sub teaching job I was working 40 hours a week, seven days a week. I only made it to church one service a week during that time and was kicked to the curb by the pastor. I went from being his main preacher to no preaching at all the last year I was there. Not one person in that church ever offered to help me get a job where they were working. The church we are at now is OK enough but has had an average attendance of 25-30 for 10 years and truthfully my heart is not in it.

With all my heart I want to leave Florida. I've had enough. I feel like our family needs a fresh start. We see others who are blessed to have a large support structure from their families, help watching kids, etc. We have none of that. My dad is 81 but looks and acts like a 65 year old man. He seems to have zero concern for our plight. He only pays attention to his grandkids when my sister makes him. I've never borrowed money from him in my life, yet he is more than willing to give money to neighbors who aren't exactly deserving. His priorities are messed up to say the least.

I just do not see the wisdom in continuing to live on property I can no longer afford to maintain. But if I got a better job and housing close to that job, my property taxes here will rise significantly due to the loss of the homestead exemption. This past week the inevitable happened. The county noticed there was no agricultural activity going on here and threatened to take away my agriculture exemption if I did not have animals placed here by March. To top it off huge branches are now constantly falling from the many oak trees here. These branches would kill an adult, much less a child. We tell the kids to play in the field but we cannot watch them every moment and often times they wind up playing under those trees. So in light of all this my two sisters and I have decided to sell out. I do have one company interested in me, but I feel so strongly about leaving Florida that I don't feel good about working for them.

For a long time I was very depressed. I felt like I had let God and my family down. My prayers seemed to be bouncing off the ceiling. I felt like a loser and a failure. About two weeks ago God reached down and delivered me from all of that and I am FREE!! I have no doubt that God is moving behind the scenes in my situation! But I really have to believe that all that I've mentioned above are indicators that God wants me out of here.

I have no clear direction, but hopefully by the time we have this place sold that direction will be here. We are trying to let my oldest daughter finish the 4th grade before we leave. The only place I have in mind to move to is the State of Louisiana. I lived there from 1984-1988 and have always regretted leaving there. But more than anything I want what God wants. Please pray that God will give us HIS heart, mind and desire in this situation. Also, I am more than willing to email anyone a copy of my resume to pass on to anyone you think might be interested.

Let me close by saying how appreciative I am to those on AFF who have offered encouragement and assistance during this difficult time. We are not looking for or asking for help, but it is incredible when total strangers are there for you!