Help Bring Little Handholder Home
Donation protected
Many things can bring you back to reality and face life head on. Well we have been facing reality since Dec 19th, 2014 when a little lady named Alyssa (daughter of Joshua) came into our lives full time and changed our lives forever. We will not go into the circumstances for why Alyssa came to live with us, for legal reasons, but know that she did experience trauma.
We packed up our apartment in downtown Kansas City and moved North so Alyssa could go to a better school than we had access to, plus have more space to run around inside and out. It was a major adjustment for the three of us getting to know/reconnect with one another. There were almost two years of therapy in hopes to help Alyssa work though all that she had seen and experienced and to also educate us, as her parents, on how to help her through all of that and teach us different ways of communicating with her. We took parenting classes multiple times, got counseling, on our own, to work out the life changes we were going through as a couple. It was no easy road, but with the help of our families and friends we were able to stay afloat and get through the hard times.
January 2016 we headed to court to go to trial, however, both Josh and his ex wife came to an agreement and settled out of court. The new parenting plan was written up and given to the other side to sign and all would be well; or, at least we thought.
Long story short, the other side refused to sign the papers that was agreed to in front of the judge. For almost a year this went on prolonging something that should have been done in January. The judge told both parties that this needed to be settled ASAP. The other side kept asking for more things and taking time to agree or not. So finally September 27 of 2016 the judge threw out the modification making it so that Alyssa would go back to live with her mother immediately....however, on advisement of Josh's lawyer, Alyssa's lawyer, and the advise of Alyssa's therapist (all being concerned about Alyssa's safety) we did not hand Alyssa over.
Everything was immediately refiled in hopes that a court date would be assigned before the year was out. However, a week after our wedding (so very grateful that Alyssa was able to be part of that) on Nov 18th, 2016 a different judge from a different division (Family access) told Josh and his lawyer that the courts had to go by the divorce decree even with all these safety concerns we had. One of the darkest days of our lives was watching a little girl that we had done so much for to give her a better life and the tools to help herself walk away from us.
Till this day, May 14th, 2017 we have no clue where Alyssa lives, even though Josh, as her father, legally in writing is allowed to have that information. Since November 18th, 2016 we have only spoken to Alyssa by phone a handful of times. Josh has seen her 3 times due to agreed upon holidays, and Enjoli has only seen her twice, and between the two visits a total time of 3hrs and 10mins.
Trial was set for April 12th, 2017, but the judge agreed to a continuance that the other side filed for, so now we have to wait until June 28th, 2017 in hopes that we get some kind of justice. Not for ourselves but for Alyssa who is the one in the middle of all of this. She has been through enough.
With all the legal fees and bills that have been piling up, this is where reality smacks you in the face, and no matter how hard you try to stay afloat becoming humble and asking for help is soon to follow, and this is where you all, our friends, family, people far and near can help us fight for Alyssa. We have two lawyer fees that need to be paid. Josh's lawyer and Alyssa has a court appointed GAL, aka Guardian ad litem. We have been blessed that Josh's family has helped as much as they can and we are forever grateful. However due to Alyssa living with her mom, Josh has had to start paying child support again, the state is slapping Josh hard and basically taking all they legally can from both his jobs and bank account. Between the three of us, Josh, Enjoli and Enjoli's mom, we are unable to make ends meet for ourselves let alone figuring out how to pay the legal fees.
With all of that being said, we humbly ask for your help. We know it's a lot to ask but even a little help gets us that much closer to our goal. Both lawyers are important, but per Josh's lawyer's request he asked that we pay Alyssa's GAL ASAP. Both parties are responsible for 50% and Josh's portion is around $7,000.00
We totally understand that times are hard, we ourselves are trying to just keep a roof over our heads during this difficult time. We are so worried about our little lady who brought so much energy and life to our home. Our family and friends miss her, and we don't like this house being so quite. We can't go into anymore detail of what's gone on so Josh is legally protected as a much as possible. You, who have been there from the beginning know the struggle, pain, and heartache we all have gone through these last two years, and we just want what's fair for everyone and what's right for Alyssa; she is the most important.
Please continue to pray, send well wishes, and good vibes our way. We could really use them right about now. If you can donate we'd so appreciate it, if not and you know of someone who may be able to, please share our story.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this. We know it's a lot, but Alyssa deserves it.
I'd also encourage you all to watch "Divorce Corp". It's a movie that just shows how crazy family court is and can be. This may help some of you understand just a little bit of what we are going through in the family court system. It will shock you, anger you, and surprise you all at the same time. I think this movie is very important for everyone to watch if you can.
We packed up our apartment in downtown Kansas City and moved North so Alyssa could go to a better school than we had access to, plus have more space to run around inside and out. It was a major adjustment for the three of us getting to know/reconnect with one another. There were almost two years of therapy in hopes to help Alyssa work though all that she had seen and experienced and to also educate us, as her parents, on how to help her through all of that and teach us different ways of communicating with her. We took parenting classes multiple times, got counseling, on our own, to work out the life changes we were going through as a couple. It was no easy road, but with the help of our families and friends we were able to stay afloat and get through the hard times.
January 2016 we headed to court to go to trial, however, both Josh and his ex wife came to an agreement and settled out of court. The new parenting plan was written up and given to the other side to sign and all would be well; or, at least we thought.
Long story short, the other side refused to sign the papers that was agreed to in front of the judge. For almost a year this went on prolonging something that should have been done in January. The judge told both parties that this needed to be settled ASAP. The other side kept asking for more things and taking time to agree or not. So finally September 27 of 2016 the judge threw out the modification making it so that Alyssa would go back to live with her mother immediately....however, on advisement of Josh's lawyer, Alyssa's lawyer, and the advise of Alyssa's therapist (all being concerned about Alyssa's safety) we did not hand Alyssa over.
Everything was immediately refiled in hopes that a court date would be assigned before the year was out. However, a week after our wedding (so very grateful that Alyssa was able to be part of that) on Nov 18th, 2016 a different judge from a different division (Family access) told Josh and his lawyer that the courts had to go by the divorce decree even with all these safety concerns we had. One of the darkest days of our lives was watching a little girl that we had done so much for to give her a better life and the tools to help herself walk away from us.
Till this day, May 14th, 2017 we have no clue where Alyssa lives, even though Josh, as her father, legally in writing is allowed to have that information. Since November 18th, 2016 we have only spoken to Alyssa by phone a handful of times. Josh has seen her 3 times due to agreed upon holidays, and Enjoli has only seen her twice, and between the two visits a total time of 3hrs and 10mins.
Trial was set for April 12th, 2017, but the judge agreed to a continuance that the other side filed for, so now we have to wait until June 28th, 2017 in hopes that we get some kind of justice. Not for ourselves but for Alyssa who is the one in the middle of all of this. She has been through enough.
With all the legal fees and bills that have been piling up, this is where reality smacks you in the face, and no matter how hard you try to stay afloat becoming humble and asking for help is soon to follow, and this is where you all, our friends, family, people far and near can help us fight for Alyssa. We have two lawyer fees that need to be paid. Josh's lawyer and Alyssa has a court appointed GAL, aka Guardian ad litem. We have been blessed that Josh's family has helped as much as they can and we are forever grateful. However due to Alyssa living with her mom, Josh has had to start paying child support again, the state is slapping Josh hard and basically taking all they legally can from both his jobs and bank account. Between the three of us, Josh, Enjoli and Enjoli's mom, we are unable to make ends meet for ourselves let alone figuring out how to pay the legal fees.
With all of that being said, we humbly ask for your help. We know it's a lot to ask but even a little help gets us that much closer to our goal. Both lawyers are important, but per Josh's lawyer's request he asked that we pay Alyssa's GAL ASAP. Both parties are responsible for 50% and Josh's portion is around $7,000.00
We totally understand that times are hard, we ourselves are trying to just keep a roof over our heads during this difficult time. We are so worried about our little lady who brought so much energy and life to our home. Our family and friends miss her, and we don't like this house being so quite. We can't go into anymore detail of what's gone on so Josh is legally protected as a much as possible. You, who have been there from the beginning know the struggle, pain, and heartache we all have gone through these last two years, and we just want what's fair for everyone and what's right for Alyssa; she is the most important.
Please continue to pray, send well wishes, and good vibes our way. We could really use them right about now. If you can donate we'd so appreciate it, if not and you know of someone who may be able to, please share our story.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this. We know it's a lot, but Alyssa deserves it.
I'd also encourage you all to watch "Divorce Corp". It's a movie that just shows how crazy family court is and can be. This may help some of you understand just a little bit of what we are going through in the family court system. It will shock you, anger you, and surprise you all at the same time. I think this movie is very important for everyone to watch if you can.
Organizer
Joshua Allen Rudd
Organizer
Kansas City, MO
