wishes, and prayers, do come true!

So the past couple months have been emotional roller coasters in the Lett home. We started off October assuming we would be able to ride out Hank's Chemo and treatments in our current home. Soon, potential buys were in and out... along with their inspectors. Our landlords had told us that we could stay month to month in the midst of the sale and that the next owners would like to retain the renters. Great! New landlords, same home. perfect. Until... it came to our attention that there was still a mold issue. So inspectors came and did a thorough (3 hours) inspection and sat down with us to explain all they found. They also took samples, which came back within the week to confirm we had a major mold issue still thriving under the home. Luckily, our interior portion was not affected yet, and all our cleaning was keeping the mold at bay. The same week we found out about the mold, we got an unexpected call. Make-A-Wish North Texas had accepted Hank into the program and would be granting him a wish!!! We were so excited for him!
Emotions continued to rise and fall with our landlord situation. We sought legal advise, and tried to pray through what was "right" for us to do. Our doctors consulted us, friends and family consulted us, church family consulted us. It was hard to know how to feel about legal actions. By the end of the month, despite having told us we could rent month to month, we were given a letter letting us know we needed to be out by the end of November. My heart sunk. Hank's final chemo was scheduled for the week of Thanksgiving, but it was the really heavy duty cycle. So he would be plummeted into an immune deficit in the midst of a move. It was clear we needed to find a place ASAP! We want to be moved out before his last Chemo so we can have him settled and the place sanitized and ready for him when he comes home from the hospital. We want a safe place for him to recover and rest, not a dusty, box cluttered, unwelcoming space. It is stressful. We are in the application process now, so please be praying for a home. Our financial situation over the past year of living off savings and generous gifting, have made us look a little unstable on paper. :/ So we are trusting the Lord to lead us to lease agents who will have mercy on us and our situation and help us to negotiate terms that work for both us and the owner.
In other, more exciting and joyous news... Hank met with his wish granters on Tuesday! They had Taylor and I fill out paperwork while they interviewed Hank and got to know his likes and dislikes. He is such a social person. It is hilarious to listen to him talk with adults. His granters were two young women (in twenties?) Abby and Alise. They asked him what his favorite color, superhero, animal, food and even candy was. He asked them the same questions right back, and then got up to go get his candy from trick or treating. He brought the bag in and asked each of the gals to pick out whatever they wanted. They hesitated to take his candy and then he began digging through and handing them the type of candies they had said they liked. Nerds were Hank's favorite candy (that night) and so were Abby's, but Hank offered her one of the boxes of nerds in the bag and asked which color she preferred. She was visibly touched by his generosity. Then he prodded Alise to chose "her very favorite" candy too. She smiled and looked at me in shock. a good kind of shock. It was a sweet moment, watching Hank give up something he enjoyed for the joy of someone else.
Then the girls started to dig into Hank's wishes. We were told they would ask about three ideas, but Hank kind of honed in on one specific wish most of the time they spoke. So Abby and Alise began dissecting the wish.
A: Hank, what would you wish for? It can be anything!Nothing is too big of a wish.
H: I want to ride on a water slide.
A: Where do you think the water slide is?
H: On a boat.
A: Is there more than one water slide?
H: Oh yes!!!!
A: And what kind of boat is it?
H: It's a pirate boat.
A: Aren't pirates scary?
H: No.
A: What else would you do on the boat?
H: I would eat candy. And pork sandwiches. And ice cream.
A: Would you go fishing on this boat?
H: um, no. I don't know how to fish.
A: Would you like to learn?
H: Well, yeah.
A: Where would this boat go, Hank? Would it go somewhere warm or somewhere cold?
H: I think it would go to and African forest.
A: (laughing) DO they have forests in Africa?
H: well they have trees!
A: yes, they do. I don't think any boats from America, that have water slides, go that far.
H: Yeah, Africa is really kind of far.
A: Where else might the boat go?
H: I don't know. it would just be in the water.
A: Would you want to meet the captain?
H: oh there is no captain.
A: Well who will drive the boat?
H: the pirates.
A: oh. ok. Is it a big boat or a little boat that you imagine?
H: it is preeeeettty big.
A: that sounds fun
H: I know. That is why I wished it.

A: so if you could wish for something else, not slides on a boat, what would it be?
H: I guess a ride on a camouflage train with my family.
A: a camouflage train. Have you seen one before?
H: well no. but I have in my mind!
A: where would the train go?
H: To alaska.
A: and what would you see in alaska?
H: I would see mammals.
A: oh, what kind of mammals?
H: nice ones.
A: Would you see whales? Or wolves? Or bears?
H: well, maybe.
A: would you want to go fishing in alaska? They have lots of fish!
H: yeah, but only for big fish.
A: and would you want to see a whale?
H: that would be cool.

Hank started to lose interest and started using for dinner. Abby and Alise gathered their things and let us know what to expect next in the process. They laughed about how creative Hank was with his wish. They told us that 90% of the time, kids are yelling "Disneyland" before they even get fully in the door and that it was fun to actually get to weed through Hank's fun wishes!

So after a long month of stress with housing stuff, it was so refreshing to see prayers being answered, and wishes coming true.

LL

I leave you with some Halloween pictures of the kids.
Corin was an "Army Guy"

 Hank went as a power ranger with a padded chest to protect his accessed port from getting bumped.

But then went as Aang from Avatar to Chemo.

Lena didn't want to dress up, but got in the spirit earlier in the week and created a "Corpse Bride" smile.

And Ruby set out in a vintage 1982 Cowboys shirt that her daddy wore as a baby. We called her "Ruby DorLett"... even though her figure would suggest line backer, rather than running back. ;)