House Fire Update

I have been posting a series on Facebook - "House Fire Sequel" - but recently, several people have shared with me that they were concerned for Mary Jane and me and wanted to know how we have been doing since the house fire on May 23, and they don't have a Facebook account.  Therefore, I am going to post this blog and be as concise as possible.  We are so very grateful and somewhat humbled by the outpouring of love and offers of assistance.  Thank you, each and every one, and God Bless!  Here goes ~
1. I am so very grateful and praising God above all things that Mary Jane escaped the house unscathed.  Everything else,  as precious as some of the memories are that are associated with personal possessions, in the final analysis, "stuff" can be replaced.  Mary Jane is the only irreplaceable one in my life!  Thank you, Father, for leading her by your Spirit and leading her out of our home ahead of the flames!
2. She was able to rescue both of our dogs, and they are now with us in our new rental house in Chesterfield ~ very close to our home.  This is a blessing, as it enables us to keep tabs on every step of the progress of the insurance claim and the ultimate renovation of our house. (Right now the rental house is home, because that's where my beloved is! :)
3. Our landlord has been wonderful.  His brother had just gone through a house fire (last Nov.), and he knew what we were going through and wanted to do whatever he could to help us.  He put up a 5 foot high farm fence in the back yard for our dogs.
4. One cat only survived, but after much TLC from our local veterinarian, she is also once again at home with us and is doing very well.
5. Our Insurance Company, American Family has thus far been absolutely wonderful in their handling of this claim and their treatment of us. The day after the fire our adjustor cut us a check to help us make the necessary purchases and cover the basic costs of necessary living expenses.
6. American Family subcontracts each step of the claim to another, nationally (or internationally) reputable company, and the representatives of these companies, likewise have dealt with Mary Jane and me a in courteous, professional , efficient manner in our every dealing with them.
7. The first - ALE (Affordable Living Expenses) had us booked into a room at the Comfort Inn within hours of the fire and expedited everything for us, faxing over the contract and guaranteeing payment, and we lived there until we moved into our rental on June 3.
8. We spent an exhausting week last week, meeting on the lawn in front of our home every day after we got off from work.  There a team of men from S.O.S. (a regional operative of the Enservio company) brought out every item of our personal contents, room by room, so that we could sort through and salvage anything we could.  They were assisted by a few people from ServePro, the lead contractor who will renovate the property.  Unfortunately, what could be salvaged was very, very, minimal, and for all intents and purposes, we will have to rebuild our entire wardrobe for all seasons, and, when the time is ready for us to move back in (6-7 months from now), we will have to refurnish the entire house.  Everything else is simply gone!  However, this was a very important time for Mary Jane!  She is quite kinesthetic, and by her being able to physically handle each item, she was able to grieve the loss, let go of the emotional attachment, recommit to retain, and to thank the Lord for, the memory(s) associated therewith.  This was a time of true, progressive healing for her.

** Most importantly** - Please continue to pray for Mary Jane.  With no warning, a "wave" of sorrow will overtake her, and she will begin to quietly weep and mourn.  I hold her, pray with her and over her and stay close, often silently - when I sense this is what she needs, and after a few hours, she will sigh and "come back" to an even keel.  Her job at UPS is physically difficult, as it is, and with the occasional times of emotional grieving, it is almost overwhelming. So, do, please remember to continue to lift her before the Lord.

In conclusion, we are in a hiatus now.  Next, ServePro will bring in a demolition team and "gut" the house to the bare studs and dry it "to the bone" before the renovation process can begin.  At this time, we are waiting for Enservio's spread sheet of the itemized inventory they took and set an appointment to meet with our adjustor to settle the Personal Contents portion of the claim.  After that, we will meet with him and the lead person for the general contractor to map out the renovation process which will be the final phase of the claim.  Pray with us, please, that the Lord will guide us and our adjustor to help us to secure and fair and equitable settlement and ultimate conclusion of this ordeal, and that the Lord would show favor to us in that our insurance company would not cancel our insurance for the home after all is said and done.