We could have never guessed how timely the Lance Wallnau conference and the concept of Brian finding his true passion would be when we booked tickets for it in early July…
Right before heading down to Mexico, Brian’s company (KLM) was in an extremely fragile spot. To put it *very* simply, a client that has owed them a lot of money for over a year was still refusing to pay and the back-log had finally caught up to KLM. Brian & his business partner had been meeting with lawyers to try and do everything they could to get their money from this client, but nothing was working.
We went down to Mexico knowing that the company was in a very fragile spot, and this confirmed in both of our hearts that we were meant to go. We had a feeling we were about to enter a season of major transition, and we needed fresh vision and direction!
We flew from Mazatlan into Seattle on Tuesday and that’s when I started getting really sick…threw up for virtually 12 hours straight and finally ended up in the hospital on Thursday. Friday afternoon I was released from the hospital, and on our way home we got the call from Daniel, who had just gotten off the phone with one of the lawyers, that there was nothing more they could legally do at that point. KLM was forced to shut down. They just didn’t have the resources to keep going without that money.
Talk about a roller coaster.
So, we did what any normal person would do when finding out their company was collapsing would do: We made tacos and ate dinner with our friends (did I mention we had two dear friends–Erika & Melisa–living with us? And we liked to call Troy, Melisa’s fiance, our surrogate roommate because we got to see him most every day/evening!) So the 5 of us ate, drank (water), and were merry. Brian & I retired early that night and began to talk through just the beginning of the ramifications of our news…life was transitioning. Big time.
We were heading into Melisa’s wedding week, and Brian began the intense process of getting all of their trucks/supplies/materials back to Tacoma from Santa Cruz…LONG, intense hours of driving and labor.
That same week we got a call from the owner of the house we are renting: “Brian, I’ve stopped making payments. I just can’t do it anymore…I’m short selling.”
I couldn’t stop laughing when Brian told me the house news–absolutely NOT because I was pleased with what the owner had to do (in fact, I’ve been genuinely praying for him for months that he would sell his house at full price), but because it was like our entire physical world was literally crashing down around us. Of course the house we were living in was about to get swiped out from under our feet! Losing our job wasn’t a drastic enough of a change. 🙂
I’m not sure how we made it through the next two weeks, but we did :). When I think of August I think of LOTS OF VOMIT, a terrible Mexican resort, the worst plane trip in the history of plane trips for me, my heart swelling with joy as two of my dear friends got married while my stomach was swelling with nausea the whole time, Brian driving back from Santa Cruz 3 times, early mornings, late nights, throwing up in the middle of the nights–every night, roller coaster of news, Brian getting two spider bites that required a (very) minor surgery, more vomit, and the biggest transition we’ve known as couple. When September arrived I just remember taking a deep breath and not wanting to MOVE…or think…or blink. What a crazy August.
So what are we going to do for work, you ask? Great question. We likely have another few months of receiving a paycheck, so the “Um, we’re jobless” shock hasn’t hit quite yet. Brian’s been up to ears with lots of projects and things that are required to close the company out. When things start to settle a bit he’ll start actively looking for another job or business opportunity.
The bottom line: We’re at peace, actually–we’re excited–for what’s next. We follow a faithful God who has not abandoned us or left us out to dry. We trust Him, and we’re looking forward to seeking His will!!
