To insure or not to insure, that is the question.

To bring everyone up to speed, John got laid off from his job last Thursday.  His position was eliminated because of the economy and the fact that his company has lost a lot of money in the past year, which they are trying to recoop by laying people off.  When we heard this news, we were initially shocked (his branch was profitable for Q1), sad, and scared.  What would this mean for our family?  I cried for a few days, not out of panic but I felt sadness, like a death had occurred.  I still have some anxiety but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is in control and He has us in the palm of His hand.

John has already interviewed with one company.  He says it went well but there is not a position open immediately; that it will take time if he is offered the position.  I am blessed to have the smartest, most hard-working husband on the planet and he is not laying down in defeat.  He has made a lot of contacts and done a bunch of networking and has a bunch of friends in the industry looking out for him.  Again, we know God has a plan!!

The thought has dawned on us that maybe God has freed us up to do His work.  Maybe he'll ask us to 'put our money where our mouth is' so to speak.  That would be awesome and we would be thrilled to have the opportunity, but as of yet, God has not given us any solid directions.  John heard from the Lord, "Just feed my sheep".  We don't know what that looks like at this point, but we are seeking Him on a daily basis.

In the meantime, we wait upon the Lord to take care of us.  Our biggest stressor at this point is our medical bills and coverage.  As you may know, we have two children with potentially life-threatening illnesses that require extensive medications and medical equipment.  Thursday, April 30th, is our last day of insurance coverage.  We can purchase a cobra policy for $12oo per month.  Right now, we don't see how we'll be able to pay that money- that is almost a house payment.  But we don't see how we can go even one month without medical insurance.  In the next three weeks Sam has appointments with the neurosurgeon, orthopedic, and physical therapist.  He is also supposed to be going to get his feet casted next week for his new leg-braces.  Friday, May 1st, Jake also has his quarterly hospital visit with the endocrinologist and team.  These amount to thousands in medical bills.  So, we're praying for clarity about what to do.  Do we spend the money on cobra?  Do we cancel all these appointments (some took 6 months to get)?  Do we keep the appointments without getting the cobra and risk a high medical debt?  We don't know the answers at this point, although we know God does.  We are seeking Him and asking for direction.  Will you join us?

Thanks!  We love you all! <><