I told you around this time last year that my family was getting a Habitat for Humanity house, an ADA compliant house that my son in a wheelchair would be able to get around in. Well, it turns out we’re not. When we applied, we told them that we would only qualify financially for eighteen months. They obviously accepted us knowing that. Their program was eighteen months and it all seemed to align perfectly. My husband was in an eighteen-month master’s degree program. Afterwards, he would be working. He would earn more money and push us over the edge of the low-income limit placed on families to qualify for a house.
We were told last year that we shouldn’t plan on our house taking the full eighteen months because they were “getting houses done in a year.” Why they would say that to us when it was so obviously untrue, I have no idea. Even this spring we were told the house would likely be complete this summer because a contractor was going to do it and could get it done within three months.
After hearing nothing all summer and Habitat not calling our required quarterly meeting (again), my husband called a meeting to find out what was going on. He was told that next September was the earliest possible that the house could be done.
When my husband’s final course is finished in December, he’s not going to refrain from working more so we can stay poor enough to qualify for a home. I’m sure you can support us in that decision!
Of course, that doesn’t all of a sudden give us enough money to buy a house; even if it did, there’s no such house on the market. We were going to be getting a brand-new one-level home with four bedrooms, ADA compliant, and something that really excited me – solar panels. It was going to cost around $100,000 for us which we could pay interest free.
We have no debt, so an interest-free mortgage felt much better to us than a traditional one. Still, we were planning to pay it off as fast as possible, though we recently learned that Habitat would own part of the equity on our home for 30 years. We didn’t like knowing it wouldn’t really be ours.
Our current home is my childhood home, which growing up housed just four people, now it holds ten. We live with my parents. The house is on three floors and the changes in flooring between rooms and the cramped space make it so my son in a wheelchair can’t go more than a few feet before he needs help. His special toilet is in the basement (just over a bucket), so he can’t get to the bathroom on his own.
Because my son gets no practice at home getting himself around (he’s working on learning to use a walker), we send him to school. He went to a reverse-mainstream preschool, and now he goes to a mainstream kindergarten class. Thankfully, we’re in a top school district. He gets therapies several days a week at school, but we of course desire to have him home. We were planning to start homeschooling him once we moved into that Habitat house that’s now not going to happen.
So, in some ways my heart is broken. I’ve wanted my own home for the last twenty years. It’s something I had to give up to serve overseas. But now I want it for my child. He wants to chase his brothers around. He can’t. If we had the space, he’d be able to follow them around in his wheelchair. Right now, he’s carried around the house mostly. Obviously, that’s not sustainable.
At the same time, this is a great place to be, reliant on nothing but the grace of God.
Best wishes to you and your family 🙂
I really love your homeschool curriculum/guide. I am having a really fun time this year working on Latin! Thank you!
I’m really sorry you didn’t get the house. I am sure something is around the corner. Don’t lose hope Julie
You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers!! God has a bigger plan for you all!
Father God, you know our needs before we ask. But you want to hear from us. Please provide exactly what Lee and her family need. They have been faithfully serving you and others for many years. God please provide a place for them to live where her son in a wheelchair can easily move around and get the exercise he needs. I pray you’d encourage the Giles family by having Christian people offer to help them both financially and prayerfully. Please bless Me. Giles with a job in the perfect location for their family so they can all thrive together in you. In Jesus’name amen.
Hi Lee. My heart breaks for you and I’m in prayer for you and your family. Thank you so much for all the sacrifices you make as you ensure our children receive the education they need. Will you please put up a gofundme account? I think there are many of us who use your program who would donate!
Anyone who wants to donate to Lee can always use the donate button on the site! It goes here: https://hebrews110.github.io/donations/
My sone is four years old and we just started using your curriculum. It is amazing. You are truly doing the Lords work. Thanks to you my child will keep his innocence for a while longer. I am praying for you and your family. Just a suggestion but have you condisered starting a go fund me page. I know as only one subscriber I would definitely be willing to donate.
Anyone who wants to donate to Lee can always use the donate button on the site! It goes here: https://hebrews110.github.io/donations/
Bless you and your sweet family
The Father knows what you need
He will provide!
We are praying !
Thank you for all the wonderful work you do!
You have blessed us
Aww Lee, it’s a whole other level of heartbreak when you want something for your child that doesn’t pan out. I feel you on that. Praying the better thing God has for you opens up soon. It’s certain to exceed what Habitat offered.
Bless ya’ll, they won’t help us either, it’s really sad because they say for the people, yet as with the WORLD, there is that fine print line. Thank you Jesus of God doesn’t have that fine print line. Praying for your family hun.
You are still remarkable and resilient! Don’t worry; God knows you.
Praying for you and your family! God’s timing is perfect, do not be discouraged, stay strong <3
God has a better plan in store. We all know this. Praying for your family and looking forward to that update ” God had something better” 😉 many blessings and prayers to you and yours❤️
Sorry for this punch in the face. I believe that God has a different plan for you.
Thank you for all you’ve done. My family of eight ( including a parent) is much in the same boat and similar situation and same changes ( I’m working on my degree again too) minus your son’s situation. I can relate but I can also only imagine. Owning a home seems to be what many of us need and are praying for and working towards. It shouldn’t be so difficult to come by and rent shouldn’t be so high. Everone should have access to their own home and pay for it once.
But that would be Heaven and Unfortunately this world is cruel and ran by greed. Thank you for your work, without it I wouldn’t be able to afford to give my children the oppurtunity to try as the other online homeschooling sites can get pricey especially with 5 . I am constantly torn between feeling empowered to be protecing my children and not teaching them enough. Thank you for allowing me to have the chance to try. Praying for you and yours and all our homeschool families <3
I just prayed for yours and Lee’s family as well. I am also in a similar situation with my livimg comditions. We recently moved back to our home state because my father is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. We are also living with my parents and homeschooling our 16 and 10 year old. It’s challenging. The Lord is using it daily to further sanctify us and I’m learning to trust Him more and more. I will continue to remember both your families in my prayers.
Thank you for the update, your family’s situation is very good to share, as we get a taste of the true life of a home educating guru. Sacrifices are made around every corner we turn.
My prayers are with you and your family. I prayed for you this morning and will continue to pray for you and your family. I am currently doing a Bible study on Ruth. She gave up everything to stay with Naomi and faced poverty, rejection and possible death trusting only in the God of Naomi. It is hard when we must rely totally on God’s provision and don’t see Him fulfilling it the way we thought He would especially after we have served Him so faithfully. However, the God of Naomi and Ruth is still the God of today and cares for all our needs and our children’s needs. His timing is always perfect.
You and your husband are a blessing to the home schooling community and do it in a way that glorifies God. Please stay encouraged.
So sorry for those bad news. I will say a prayer something works out for you’re family.
Prayers for you Lee and your family. Jesus is not surprised by this. He knew. He has a plan. He will lead you in the way you should go. I know this from experience.
I’m sorry you’re going through this and I admire how you are so faithful I myself have just gone under this horrible try and I’m just finding it hard to stay faithful in teaching my kids about God when things didn’t work out the way that I wanted them to. But I’m staying faithful to my kids and teaching them that God is good. Explaining that I’m angry with God all the time and he will always have our best interest. I’m sorry you’re going through this financial hardship sucks believe me I know if I ever win the lottery I’ll help you get that house… guess I need to start playing that lotto
I will be praying for your family’s needs. God is good and has never forsaken His children. Take heart God will turn this situation around for your best interest. God bless you, you have been such a blessing to my family.
I am SO sorry! My own son has cerebral palsy, so I can understand on a certain level what that house would have meant. All I can say, is God will not abandon you. He has a plan for each one of you. While the Habitat house may have been His plan, when people do not cooperate with His plan #1, He has plan #2, #3, etc. My favorite promise-“surely the arm of the Lord is not to short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.” Hugs!
Thank you so much for the curriculum! We will be praying daily for your family. God Bless!
Thank you for all your love and work you have put into this. I truly appreciate it. I haven’t started homeschooling yet; I will next year, and “Can I afford it?” Was my number 2 hesitation to homeschooling. God answered that through this curriculum. Excuse my honesty but the homeschooling mom’s I’ve met seemed to have it all together. Strict schedules, braided hair, homemade outfits, extremely well behaved children, etc. Buying the most expensive curriculum all the while saying,”It was such a great price!” I started feeling inadaquate as a mom. This post does help me see the reality of things and helps me know some people are in the same boat as me. Prayers!! The fruits of your selfless labor are on the way! Your harvest is coming!
Thank you for sharing. Lifting you and your family up in prayer! Yes, it is in times like these that we learn to rely even more upon the Lord.
We are blessed by your generosity. I couldn’t homeschool if it wasn’t for your blessings. I walk (well, now roll in the wheelchair) every day in faith.
I’m so sorry for the disappointment. Praying God has something amazing just around the corner!
God has a better plan for you! Hold on and keep believing, knowing that Faith can move mountains. God sees your every need and will not fail you. It’s for the best that your equity will not remain in others hands for the next 30 years.
We don’t understand the why’s, at times like this but we know Romans 8:28 is so true. God sees your future and He also knows how much you are helping others.
Lee, I’m so sorry to hear of this. It must be heartbreaking. you have blessed so many people , including myself with your curriculum and I just pray that you reap your Harvest soon!! please continue to keep the faith , expecting your Miracle because I know that it’s on its way!! we will be praying for you and your family. God bless you and your family ❤
Thank you so much for what you have done for us! This is our second year using Easy Peasy.
You are a brilliant woman. God will continue to hold you and yours in the palm of His hand. Thank you so much for sharing your heart. I hope you feel encouragement from all the prayers that have been offered up on your behalf.
Keep hoping, your husband will be making good money soon and another option will come up. We are also just leaving a situation very similar where we have been housed in my childhood home and our family shared it with my mother. We have done this for TEN YEARS. We have become crowded. Now we finally are moving (like the moving trailer is sitting outside right now) into our own home. And even though I’ve looked forward to this for years, it’s bittersweet. My children have gained a relationship with their grandmother that their cousins will never have. They have benefited from this on so many levels. They’ve had more love, more time Grandma, more time with me, as sharing the bills makes it possible for everyone to have extra cash and for me to not work. Enjoy the times together. These are things that will stay with your children their entire lives, long after the crowded conditions have been forgotten.
I don’t know you but I know God sees and cares for you. Vast your cares upon Him and He will open up the door. I was reading in my Bible that he clothes the lilies of the valley and he will do much more for us. Be encouraged, praying for grace in your old house and favor for your new house.