God’s Grace, Our Journey

Our journey started in late 2024 after a trip to visit family in Tennessee. I saw a future for my children there, a good one, which is something I didn’t see where we were. I pictured a home on a piece of land, like my wife always wanted and it seemed possible. I prayed and doors kept closing - business was slowing down here and it felt like a sign. Struggling to make ends meet, my wife and I decided spend our savings to get out of California.

We arrived in Tennessee in November 2024. Our family was blessed with a large room - a bathroom and kitchen to share with my cousin and her family in their new home. We had a garage for storage and waited patiently for our shipping container to arrive with all our things - but the work I had lined up for when my tools arrived fell through and the holidays / winter months gave us an excuse to settle into our new surroundings, new life and look for a new church home. There were quite a lot to choose from and everyone knew a great one we should try! But the Lord kept drawing us to one particular church. Just as He did in California.

I was blessed with one job that winter - on the way to work one day I called my Dad like I usually do and I learned he was in the hospital with a respiratory infection and had to be intubated. He went unconscious and I could no longer communicate with him over the phone. Our home church in California, South Port Baptist stepped in and offered a place to stay and a vehicle to drive to and from the hospital. They paid for my plane ticket there and my wife’s family paid for my plane ticket home. If not for the love I received from my brothers and sisters in Christ, I would have not been able to be by his side during my father‘s last days. I had no family with me but the Lord made sure I was not alone - my Pastor in California stood with me as my father took his last breath. A day that will burn in my memory forever.

After handling the final arrangements for my father in California, I arrived back in Tennessee in late January and it took me a little while to get my head together. My father was my best friend. He taught me everything he knows about painting and his father taught him and his brother. I’m a third generation painter. I started painting with my Dad when I was 13 - painting bathrooms at Hart High, in Newhall, CA in 1994. I remember painting with my Dad and Uncle at a cabin in Mt. Charleston, Nevada when I was 20 years old. Shortly after, I started painting on my own and not too long after that my father was working under me. My dream has always been to pass down the family trade to my sons, so no matter what they decide to do in life, they will always know a trade. I saw that dream possible when I saw Tennessee.

The loss of my father was a huge set back for our family, finding work was becoming a struggle and the pressure was weighing on two families.. we were so grateful for a place to stay but it’s never easy living with others, different schedules, eating habits and parenting styles. We needed to make a plan so we reached out to the new church we started attending, Pleasant Grove Baptist and I was able to find enough work painting to start saving and search for a place of our own. Just as things were progressing our only vehicle broke down with transmission failure. By the grace of God we made it through with help, my cousin had an extra vehicle and once again Pleasant Grove Baptist was there to help, they put us in touch with a ministry called Faith Fueled Garage. The ministry fixed our van and got us back on the road at no cost to us - with no effect on our savings. We were able to get in to our own place by the end of May and work was coming in consistently.

We had officially joined Pleasant Grove and I had made a promise to a church member, to paint his barn roof - that’s where my story brings me here to this fundraiser. I was so close, I had two panels left on the aluminum barn roof, I misstepped and slipped on the slick wet paint. I fell six feet and landed on a pile on cinder blocks next to the barn. I couldn’t move. I landed on my phone breaking it - but it still worked. I called my wife and she called an ambulance. I spent 6 days in the hospital - with a broken hip and femur. The doctor surgically placed a rod down my femur canal, securing it with two large screws at the hip and with two large nails at the knee. A piece of splintered bone remains - the doctor says it will calcify.

The timeline for my recovery could be up to one year from the time of my surgery, which was at the end of June 2025. I have physical therapy once a week and have just graduated to out-patient, where I’m hoping to advance my recovery. I should be walking with a cane by next month and I’m confident that I’m on track.

We have applied for all the assistance we qualify for but - as some may well know - these things could take months to be approved. We have been blessed with help by our church family, individual members have donated anonymously to support our family and cover our expenses over the last two months and we are so grateful for the love the Lord has shown us while we navigate this season.

This year has been one of unexpected trials, but also one of deep faith. The financial burden of not being able to work and provide for my family because of my injury, is becoming a harder challenge than I anticipated. Yet, through it all, we’ve seen God’s hand at work and the kindness of others shine through. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Every donation, every share, and every prayer means more to us than words can express. Your support not only helps us meet immediate needs but also reminds us that we are not alone in this journey.

If you feel led, we humbly ask you to contribute in any way you can—whether through giving, sharing this fundraiser, or lifting our family up in prayer. Together, we believe that brighter days are ahead, and your generosity is helping us take one step closer.

With love and gratitude.