Help us Move Home to Oklahoma
Roger and I (JoAnn) seriously need financial help to move back to OK, at the end of June 2016. This is so we can be near our son, Mike, and his lovely wife, Grace. They've kindly offered to help us find a new home and whatever else they can do, so we can move. They area able to help out mostly after we get moved, but have limited resources to help financially.
Illness and multiple factors necessitates this. Since 2010, Roger and I have been through a great time of testing, job loss, and upheaval. It adversely affected our health and drained us financially.
In 2012 we moved to Pittsburgh, PA for Roger's then new job. He'd searched for work for 18 months after being laid off from his job as a CICS Systems Programmer in the massive downsizing by Hewlett-Packard in the U.S. He even had to train his replacements from Brazil and India. An insult to injury.
We did all we knew to get bills paid, to find work any way we could. We even sold treasured items to pay bills. We cut out frills like Satellite TV and other things. We even did without health insurance because we could not afford to pay for it. I'm a freelance writer, which is often feast or famine. That was a famine time.
Roger started that job in Pittsburgh about six months before we moved there. He commuted back to our Broken Arrow, OK home only twice his first six months on that job. Both times were to help pack things so we could move and be together. It was so horrible being far apart.
We've been married 47 years on July 6, 2016. Roger is my favorite husband. I'm his favorite wife. That 2012
separation for a job was back then only the second time we'd been apart our entire marriage.
I can still hear what he told me when he asked me to marry him back in 1969. "The word divorce will never be in our vocabulary. I love you now. I'll love you through good times and bad. I will always be here for you."
God willing, we'll fly upwards together in the Rapture when Jesus blows the trumpet!
It was beyond difficult moving away from OK, from so many dear friends,from our church family, and from our son, Mike, his wife, Grace, and grandson Seth. Now Seth is in his second year at the Naval Academy not far from us now. We're so proud of him! However, his schooling takes up most of his time, so sadly, we've rarely been able to see him.
Our daughter, Amie, her husband Joe, and our four other grandkids, Savannah, Jonah, Isaac, and Olivia live in Minnesota. It is over 1200 miles one way from us, so hard to visit. Still they came a couple of times and even helped us move again later. Now Amie is fighting health issues of her own and it would be very hard for them to come this time.
In November 2013, after we moved from OK to PA to be closer to his job, Roger was laid off again due to downsizing. Being older, but wanting to keep working in the field one knows and loves is very difficult these days. Like many others, we went through most of our retirment savings just trying to stay afloat.
After another six months of only unemployment income, Roger landed a job in Baltimore, MD starting in June 2014. He co mmuted from our rental home near Pittsburgh, PA to that job (4+ hours one way) from the second week of June 2014 through March 30, 2015. He'd leave on Tuesdays about 2:00 a.m. and drive straight to work because his shift started at 7:00 a.m. He stayed in a hotel for the week, checking out on Saturdays after his work day. Then, he drove straight home.
It was exhausting and stressful being apart, no family or friends near us. We only own one car and Roger needed it. So, while he was in Baltimore, I was stuck in our home, in a duplex community high atop a hill with no bus service. Taxis were beyond our means. I couldn't even walk to the community mailboxes to collect our mail. That was behond my ability. The bus stop was over 2 miles distant at the bottom of a very curvy, steep hill! When we moved there, we were told bus service would be available soon. Never happened during the two years we lived there.
During an ice storm that big when Roger was on his way to work in Baltimore on January 13, 2015, Roger hit a patch of black ice, and spun out of control. The van hit a guard rail and kept going almost plummeting off the road down the steep moutain. That accident totaled the car, but by the grace of God, Roger walked away unscathed! Truly a miracle!
Some how, he was able to get the completely busted radiator fixed, then drove on to work that day. Thank god for AAA! We still are amazed and very grateful that he managed to drive back to our PA home. We still don't know how except for the prayers of the saints and the mercy and grace of God Almighty thorugh Jesus Christ!
After taking the car to get a repair estimate, it was clear that wasn't going to happen. The cost, over $6500, was more than the car was worth. We had to rent cars for weeks before finding a replacement car.
I normally pay the bills especially since with Roger commuting to work hundreds of miles away. However, I was extremely ill with a six week long bout of Shingles when the insurance payment came due that January. I didn't get it paid until 5 days after the last possible day to pay. The accident happened two days after the premium was due. Therefore, the insurance company rightfully refused to cover the accident. Total loss and another attack on our fiances.
During this trying time, we also had to give our home in OK back to the bank since we were unable to keep up payments. We'd rented it out through a property management company, but the tenants stoppped paying then snuck out in the dead of night. They trashed the house, too. So much for having a "reliable rental company" handle the rental of our beloved home. It was heartbreaking because that was our dream home. We built in 2004 after a life time of believing God for it and saving up.
Now we have chosen to give it all to Jesus and look at at that house as we should: just a thing. We still have each other and that's more valuable than rubies, pearls, gold, silver, lands, or houses. Jeus is always MORE than enough.
Being 1200 miles from friends and family, plus being unable to pay for medical insurance, advesely affected my (JoAnn) health. In the picture above, I weigh about 80 lbs more than now. I was happy to lose the weight. Unfortunately, the reason for the weight loss was not happy. Severe allergic reaction to a blood pressure medication completely decimated my sense of taste.
Just as we were movinng from OK to PA in 2012, my dad's wife in Washington C.H., Ohio, passed away. We stopped to visit with Dad and for the funeral before driving on to Columbus OH. There, we visited my husband's mom in the hospital with congestive heart failure as well as his Dad. Shortly after getting moved to temporary digs in a hotel room in PA, Mom Wray passed away in November. We were able to go to the funeral in Ohio. A very sad time indeed.
A truly bad thing during the past four plus years is that on January 28, 2015, I had what doctors tell me was a major stroke. Roger had left for work in Baltimore, so I was home alone in PA with no transportation at all. As I talked with to my daughter, Amie, on the phone that day, I couldn't seem to get the words out right. I felt strange. No pain. Just confused, dizzy, and wobbly. She called her Dad on his cell phone and said, "Something's wrong with Mom. I think you better go home."
I didn't even think of calling an ambulance. I know I was extremely worried about bills, any expenses. I knew medical bills could be outrageous. We had medical insurace through Roger's job, but I didn't remeber that. Roger had only been at work a couple of hours or so when Amie called him. He quickly finished a task, told his boss he was leaving, got someone to take over his duties, then left to drive home to me. He was exhausted so it is truly a miracle he made it in one piece. He rolled in around 2:00 a.m. and off we went to the E.R.
All kinds of medical tests ensued. I was in the hospital three days. Roger had to miss work for over a week to help me amd was not paid at all during that time. More stress!
Our family doctor doubled my blood pressure medication, then a specialist put me on another one too. I had severe and rare allergic reactions to both. I was only allowed to stop the second one the specialist put me on. My family doc finally halved the other drug after six months.
I continued faithfully taking it, but despite physical therapy and doing all I knew to do, including losing weight, I grew weaker by the day. I had frightening side affects from the remaining dose of blood pressure medication which the doctor ignored. I had terrible blistering rashes; I lost my sense of taste; I became increasingly wobbly and weaker; my eyes and mouth were constantly bone dry so teeth started breaking off; I had seropis problems walking; I could not keep my balance and fell multiple times unable to get up off the floor for hours (I would not let Roger call an ambulance), and much more. Finally, about two months ago, I made an executive decision to go off that B.P. medication. I've been slowly improving since. My blood pressure has been better OFF that medicine than when on it!
Meanwhile, Roger's diabetes worsened, in large part due to all the stress. Additionally, we often didn't have funds to buy insulin (he wouldn't tell me trying to keep me from stressing.).
Without insurance, only medicare parts A and B, we struggle like so many others to afford our medications. He takes two insulins. One costs $1650 for a one month supply and the other over $500. Not having the insulin has adversely affected his vision. This problem of not seeing well led to his layoff from the contract job at SSA at the end of July, 2015 after we'd finally moved to Baltimore on March 30.
Roger needs regular injections in both eyes to maintain his vision. Medicare doesn't cover all that. Those injections are extremely expensive at over $750/eye. Thanks be to God the Retina Specialist charges us a far lower price. But then Roger must get the less costly injections that only last five to six weeks instead of three to four months.
We currently only have our Social Security as income, nothing else. It isn't enough to pay our bills plus get moved back to OK. Living in even a suburb of
Baltimore is very expensensive. Everything costs more – groceries, utilities, rents, car tags, and more. Taxes are sky high too.
Our apartment lease in Baltimore ends June 30, 2016. We sorely need to relocate near our son in Broken Arrow, OK. The cost of living is far lower there plus he and his wife will be near to help when and if needed.
We must quickly raise the funds to relocate. I don'tknow if $4000 is enough, but that is the figure we heard from the Lord when we asked for His wisdom.
We are not only trusting and believing God to supply according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, but we are also asking for you to prayerfully consider donating any amount to help us get back to where it will be far better for us to live.
It is hard to ask at all. I know many of you understand that. However, this we know: The seeds we plant in others' lives always come back in a rich harvest. We've seen that through over four decades of walking with Jesus. Sometimes an outright miracle happens. Sometimes Jesus gives us wisdom to earn money. Sometimes He uses others as his hands extended. Sometimes we have to humble ourselves and ask for help. This appeal is me and Roger doing that.
I expect some may say we shouldn't have moved at all. But the fact is, we did what we knew to do to keep making aliving. We prayed fervently for God's direction. We've discovered the path we must often take can lead through brambles, rocks, cliffs and even feiry roadblocks. You just have to keep looking up and trust that if you fall, Jesus WILL catch you!
All through these past few years, we continued to pay bills the best we could. We prayed and trusted the Almghty. Despite all we've been through, we know beyond all doubt that Jesus has been with us every mile.
Under his mighty wings, He has protected, helped, cared for us, and was our very present help in time of trouble. He never let go of our lives. His new-every-morning mercies and His precious blood have carried us above and beyond every obstacle, every trial, every storm, every sickness, every disappointment, deaths of loved ones, and every stumble of our feet. He has proven Himself faithful, enabling us to keep on keeping on as we looked to Him, our author and finisher.
A gift of any size will help us get back to OK and our beloved family, church family, and dear Christian friends. Will you please pray, asking God if you are to donate? We thank you inadvance for any help you can send our way. Above all, we appreciate your prayers.
In closing, I give you the lifesaving scripture that has sustained us through every day since 2010.
Psalm 34:19, Amplified Bible
Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous, But the Lord rescues him from them all.
He is your Life Saver too! Trust Him as we do!
In His Everlasting Arms,
Roger and JoAnn Wray