We were locked into Lawson, Kansas, so we did the only thing we knew to do: continue praying and following the LORD as closely as we knew how. Glenn lived in a subdivision that had covenant restrictions against parking trailers on the property, and Glenn’s neighbors were beginning to wonder if the trailer we were in was there to stay. Also, the accommodations began to be cramped with our family of seven converging on Glenn’s family of four. Thanksgiving was nearing, and our money was just about exhausted. The grocery bills began to mount, and something had to open up pretty quickly. God was unfolding His plan and directing our every move, but there was still nothing concrete. We had been at Glenn’s exactly two weeks, and he knew he had to get us out of his small place, but where to put a family our size seemed to be the real question? Glenn made arrangements for us to move outside of town and stay with the Waller family.
We loaded up and headed to our next stepping-stone. At this time we knew our lives were being directed, and we really had little to do but look for open doors to go through. No money, trailer not fit for traveling; God had hemmed us in. When we arrived at the Waller’s home, their two large dogs, Alaskan Malamutes, greeted us. The dogs were larger than our children. After we arrived, we made the mistake of leaving a seat belt hanging out of the van, and one of the dogs ate it off.
Within days we experienced our first major snow, and it was glorious. The Wallers had a beautiful piece of land in the country just outside of town. When the land was covered in snow, I was awe struck at its beauty, but it was getting very cold! Not being experienced in living in trailers, we did not think to wrap our water pipes, and they froze and broke on the first night of freezing cold. “God, what are you doing?” In our move to the Wallers, I made my first real blunder. The Waller’s large home had a large den off of the kitchen separated from the rest of the home by sliding glass doors. It looked like an addition to the main house, yet separate. Off the den was one small bedroom with a couple of bunk beds and a bathroom. I assumed we were being offered these rooms as temporary living quarters, but it was not long after arriving that I realized we were expected to stay in our trailer! And like a little puppy that gets in the house, I didn’t want to leave; especially since it was extremely cold for us Southerners and now we didn’t have water in the trailer. So in order to keep my family in their den, I made arrangements with Mr. Waller to pay him some money for our room and board. Now, at the time I had about $10 to my name and no idea where any money would come from.
We still were not certain that Lawson was where we were to settle, but it was presenting itself as our only option. We had so many questions. We were in an awkward situation, with a broken trailer, a freezing cold winter in progress, no gas, and ten dollars in my pocket. The LORD had my full attention!
Thanksgiving arrived, and we were invited to eat with the Wallers. They had invited several friends and relatives and all the while I had the feeling we were on full display. Oh, how I wanted to run. The Wallers were trying to be accommodating, and I know it was difficult on everyone. We had been told that they had suffered a great deal from the local churches and from many difficult personal things they had been through in the past. They had a small group meeting in their home each week for church. We tried to fit in as much as possible. I remember one incident that heaped a ton of pressure on me without warning.
The Wallers used to take children into their home that had difficulty functioning in society. They were very strict about manners and behaviors. During one of the meals we shared with them, one of my young sons refused to eat what was being served. He was being difficult. However, at the time and given our circumstances, I did not want to press the issue and make a scene in front of both the families, so I let it ride. I sensed that Mr. Waller wanted to take charge of the situation and correct my son, and everything was becoming strained really fast. After a few tense moments everything settled down and passed over, thank God! A wrong snap move could have easily caused a problematic domino effect, expelling us from this temporary haven.