Brian Maloy

Friends, thank you for the prayers, the generosity, the concern. It means more than we can describe. Sincerely, our community is more gracious and lovely than most people are used to, it’s a testimony to the Lord’s faithfulness, to say we are humbled by this all is an understatement. 

So over the last three days since our fire, we’ve had numerous meetings with investigators, adjusters, restoration people, contractors, etc. The people God has sent our way are incredibly gentle and accommodating. We have consistently caught ourselves shocked how gracious everyone is. 

It’s increasingly likely that it is not worthwhile to try and salvage much from our home, the smoke damage is very toxic, even the industry folks have lamented how horrible the smoke issues are. The house will at least go back to studs, with an entirely new home built inside. Naturally that is both a hard pill to swallow (considering how hard we’ve worked the last decade to transform it and update it all), but also a blessing because everything will be updated and perfect. We’ve been told to prepare ourselves that it is structurally damaged enough that it may be likely it will be a complete tear down and rebuilt from the foundation. Time will tell — It is just a house after all. 

Wednesday morning we said goodbye to our precious Sophie. Our lovely vet at Kirkwood Animal Hospital is taking care of her final steps. We are devastated, but Jesus will heal our broken hearts. Much more could be said there, but for now, that’s enough.

Good news is, even with the estimated time for our home to be rebuilt (6-8 months), State Farm is helping get us into a rental home as quickly as possible, potentially before New Years. We are hoping/praying for a townhouse that is around the corner from my Mom’s house (where we are staying). It’s also right across the street from our church, with a blacktop for riding bikes, basketball hoop, playground, big pond and grounds to explore, etc. Being on familiar turf by Grandma’s & church will likely make us all feel much less antsy adjusting to a new normal. Extra good news, the rental company also helps provide basic household stuff, beds, table, couch, dishes, etc. So gives us time to settle in before needing to figure out “stuff” we need to rebuy for the house to be built. Such a weird time….

I will probably put a hiatus on Seminary for the time being. I can choose to re-enroll in 5-6 weeks in the next “term”, but dropping the class I am currently in seems wise given the uncertainty and choices we’re making. Hard choice to pause school for me, but likely wise advice I’ve been given.

In the meantime, the generosity of our friends, schools, family, church, and community is overwhelming… gift cards have been sent, people have surprised us with Venmo gifts, a former student began a GoFundMe that has literally exploded. We have an army of people loving us.

The Lord is proving over and over how good He is. In the midst of our grief and sorrow, there are increasingly more glimpses of a deep and abiding hope. 

Sorrow mingled with joy.