Left on my Own

I traveled back from Venezuela to Bolivia with an invitation to come work in Miami on developing new Sunday school curriculum. It was very exciting for me but that didn’t mean things were going to be a smooth ride.

The first thing I had to deal with was a deep depression that had overtaken my husband. He was a very caring soul and had what we called a “pastor’s heart,” but his problem was that he took on people’s concerns and got overwhelmed. The worst part was that he would wonder off and we didn’t know where he was. One day our neighbor returned him home, with the words, “I found your husband!”

My parents were staying in Northern Florida at that time and they offered to take him in. Two months before the move he traveled to Miami. That left me on my own to sell off our things, pack some bags, and get myself and the girls on the way.

My friends at the publishing house I headed were sad to hear the news but at the same time they were happy for me. I was working on a series of lessons on Jesus, the Son of God—the lessons that at the present I’m republishing, but now on the web. I promised to continue working on them in Miami, which I did.

One of the big tasks was to sell our things. I prayed every step of the way. We advertised in the newspaper and my girls took care of the customers when I was at the office working hard on getting as much done as possible before the move. The biggest items were the car, a waterbed, an electrical organ, beds, the refrigerator and the stove, living room furniture… One thing after another got a buyer, even the car!

Scrapbook page about the sale.

The water bed was the most difficult part. We had bought it from some missionaries. Who would buy it from us? A neighbor did, and some young people helped me empty the water and carry the bed to the next owner. What a relief!

I’ve made many moves in my life. This one was probably the hardest. It’s one thing to move in the same country. For this move I had to do very thorough planning. I had some trunks that would go as flight cargo and then we would take the rest in our suitcases and hand baggage.

The last night before boarding the plane was a nightmare. We were staying at a hotel so we could deliver the beds to their new owners. I had odds and ends here and there that I didn’t have a clue what to do with. My girls were at the hotel and I was alone at the then almost empty house. My nerves were on edge from all the stress. I just wanted to sit down on the floor and cry!

Then some “angels” knocked on the door! My neighbors (the husband was the manager at our publishing house) saw the light on in the living room and wondered if they could help. When I saw them at the door, I could have kissed their feet! They started gathering up all the “left-overs” from room to room. All the little odds and ends that didn’t fit in the suitcases.

The next day my friend Amalia, who had been helping me with house cleaning, came to do a last haul-over. Whatever my “angel” friend from the night before hadn’t taken with them, she took care of. I could hand over a clean and empty house to my landlady.

Did I say that I had been left on my own? That’s wrong! The Lord, my Savior, was with me. I might have been without my husband, but on my own? No, with the Lord on our side we are never alone!

I was ready to take on the great adventure!