A few things have happened in the last week, so I thought it was about time to write again.

Last Saturday, Mom took us to see Fred in his new senior apartment.

Fred was so happy to see us, especially his friend, Mark!

Fred has a nice little apartment where we sat and visited for a while.

Mom and Mark tolerate me recording these events with my camera. 😉

Fred invited us to have lunch with him in the dining room.

I’ll tell you, it takes a special kind of person to work with old folks.  One of the staff members was waiting on an old woman who was sitting by herself.  She said something so he bent down to hear her better and she bit him on the cheek.  He had to be checked but she hadn’t broken the skin, so he was back waiting on tables again.  He even continued to wait on the old woman with a smile, and at one point I saw him bend over to listen to her again.  Apparently, this time she was apologizing for biting him and he accepted her apology.  If I knew his name, I would commend this young man for his courage and his service with a smile!

Sunday, Wendy came to my church with me, and it turned out she had connections there.  She went to college with my pastor’s cousin, and she knew a couple in the church from her home church when she was young.  It was a pleasant reunion for her.

Monday, I started training up at the Swan Island UPS hub.  The instructor says this is the biggest class he’s ever had.  There are somewhere around thirty of us in this group.  Training has been going well.  I only have tonight and tomorrow night left.  There is a small group of us that are training there but planning to work at the Tualatin hub beginning next week.  Last night, the instructor asked the Tualatin trainees to stay after class and he told us that we will be in laid-off status next week until business begins to pick up down there.  🙁

Mark started his job yesterday (Wednesday) and enjoyed it very much.  He is a driver helper, so every morning he waits for word as to where the driver wants to pick him up.  Yesterday, the driver had finished delivering to all the businesses on his route and had Mark meet him at the last one.  Then Mark helped him with the residential deliveries on his route.  The driver would pull up in front of a house, and Mark would grab the package and take it to the door.  Mark got four hours of work yesterday.  He just left to go for his second day of helping.

The biggest issue Mark and I have been dealing with this week is trying to find another place to stay.  Wendy and Craig had gotten a two-week pass from their city for us to stay on their property, but the two weeks is coming up this Sunday.  Mark and I have looked at several RV parks and found that even the ones that would accept an RV as old as ours won’t accept Tucson.  She is on a list of dogs (German Shepard) that insurance companies won’t cover at RV parks.

Wendy has been so helpful!  There is a state park four miles from here that allows camping for two weeks, and she also found that disabled veterans can stay for ten nights a month in Oregon state parks for free.  She and Craig paid for us to stay from this Sunday through Wednesday morning at the park, but then they are booked solid from Wednesday night through Saturday night for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Mark and I are considering our options.  I talked with my instructor at UPS about it last night, and he said that he will be giving us some packets in class tonight that include a phone number I can call to see if they can help us.  I have written to a cousin nearby who, I know, has a place to park an RV in his driveway, but again, I don’t know if his city will allow it.  Mark and I also have a list of rest stops and Walmarts where we might be able to move around from night to night.

This is a unique situation for us.  There have been times when we’ve had a place to stay but no job.  We’ve never been in a situation where we’ve had a job but no place to stay.  This could be the last holiday season we are able to come to Oregon to be with family.  We know we have a place to stay in Arizona and Mark could start his business up there anytime.  I am expectantly waiting to see what direction God leads us this year.

I just returned home from my training and found an answer from my cousin.  He said he thinks he can make it work for Mark and me to park next to his house.  Praise the Lord!  He is still providing what we need!