The story of finding a place to live out here is an incredible example of Heavenly Father's goodness and tender mercies. I had been looking online for an apartment in Hillsboro, but all that I could find were modern, luxury apartments in fancy neighborhoods that were waaaay out of our price range. So I began searching in surrounding cities, like Beaverton and Tigard. This would mean about a 30 minute drive to and from work everyday for Ammon, and would also mean that I would never be able to have a car during the day, but they were sacrifices we were willing to make. I found a couple of apartments that were more affordable for us, in the $900-$1000 a month range, though they were still much more than we had ever paid in Provo for an apartment! However, when I called to check for availability, I was informed that any contract less than 6 months would have an additional $300 monthly fee. And then we realized that moving all of our furniture to Oregon for the summer was kind of unrealistic, so we were going to have to add on another $300 a month for furniture rental and $100 a month for a storage unit in Provo. After adding up all the math, we realized that we were looking at more than $1,600 a month, just for rent!
We continued to search for another solution, but as the time drew nearer for Ammon's internship to begin, we realized that we really didn't have another option. The main purpose of the internship this summer was to help us save enough money to help us get through the next two years of graduate school with neither of us working. I had prayed about continuing to teach next year, but felt strongly that I should stay at home with Benjamin and that Heavenly Father would help everything work out. I was sad that our apartment situation would end up cutting what we had hoped to save in half, but Ammon and I decided we just needed to do the best we could and go forward with faith.
The morning that we decided to sign a contract, I prayed to know if we were doing the right thing. I felt such a strong feeling of peace and comfort to go ahead and fill out the paperwork. I knew without a doubt that, even though it didn't seem perfect, it was what Heavenly Father wanted me to do. That morning, during the last 15 minutes of 1st period, I began filling out the paperwork while my students worked on their math homework. My co-teacher, Jill, saw what I was working on and asked me about it. When I told her how expensive it was going to be for us to live in Oregon she asked me, "Have you called the bishop in the area yet? You should call and see if they know of anyone in their ward who has a basement apartment and is looking for renters for the summer!"
That thought hadn't even crossed my mind, but I immediately knew it was worth a try! I looked up Hillsboro on LDS Maps to find the bishop and was surprised to see that there were 7 wards in just that city! I began to call them all, one by one. I mostly got a lot of voicemails or wives telling me that they didn't think anything like that was available, but they would have their husbands call me back later. After calling all of the Hillsboro bishops, I began calling the bishops of the wards in Aloha, Beaverton and Tigard. Finally, after calling about 20 bishops, one of them told me, "I wish I could help, but this isn't Utah. No homes in Oregon even have basements." Discouraged, I decided to give up on the idea. I told Ammon I was going to wait 24 hours, just to see if anyone would return my call. If not, I would go ahead and submit the paperwork for the apartment contract.
That night, just before going to bed, Bishop John Dungan called my cell phone. "Is this Larissa Gruwell?" he asked. Haha, I think my sister-in-law's name still shows up as my caller ID since I have her old phone number! I corrected him and then excitedly listened to him as he told me that they often had foreign students stay in their basement for the summer and that he had been talking to his wife just the other day about whether or not they were going to do that again. He told me that they had a basement that they could rent to us for $400 a month, as long as we didn't mind sharing the laundry room and kitchen with his family.
It seemed too good to be true! Not only would that be a huge financial blessing, I also was so excited to think about living in a home with a family! I had been worried about moving away from my own family and being isolated in an apartment while Ammon was at work all day. I told him it sounded perfect and he put me on speaker phone so I could talk with his wife, Annette, and his 16 year old daughter, McKenna. During the conversation, Annette mentioned that there was even a community pool less than a block away that I would be able to use all summer! Bishop Dungan asked which campus Ammon would be working at, because apparently there are dozens throughout this area. I wasn't sure, but he told me that they were all relatively close and would be within a 15 minute drive.
That night when Ammon got home, I told him the good news. We found the address of his Intel campus and typed it into Google Maps along with the Dungan's address. 1.5 miles away. A 2 minute drive or a 20 minute walk. At this point, I knew without a doubt that Heavenly Father was guiding us and showering down his tender mercies. I realized that He had given me the assurance to move forward with faith that morning, even though the solution we had found seemed far from perfect. But He had a plan that I didn't even realize, and if I hadn't been filling out the paperwork that morning, I never would have even thought about calling the bishops in the area! Heavenly Father is so good and kind and is always waiting to bless us as soon as we turn to Him and humbly ask for His help, and then do our best to trust in Him and move forward!
Ammon drove out here first while I stayed behind with my parents in Utah. He told me that the first week he was here, he kept getting tiny confirmations and tender mercies from the Lord that assured him we were in the right place. The first night he arrived, he walked down to the basement and into the guest room where we would be sleeping. He stopped in surprise and then grinned when he realized that the comforter on the bed was the exact same red and brown flowered comforter that we have had on our bed since we were married! The next morning, he opened the cupboards where the Dungans had told him to help himself to breakfast, only to find a big box of Reese's Puffs (his favorite cereal).
Then later that day, as he drove to work, he noticed a street sign just a block from where we live labeled Jamie Dr.! Haha, I have always wanted to find a street that shares my name!
Finally, that night while making dinner, Ammon began to make his famous Mexican Spaghetti and said he was sad that he had forgotten to buy his favorite brand of garlic salt, an absolute necessity for any dish at our house. He opened the cupboards to see what he could use instead, and sure enough, a big jar was already waiting.
I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for His love and kindness. I know He is my Father and that He loves me. We are excited to be here in Oregon and for a summer of family adventures and fun!
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