BLAZING A TRAIL IN ARIZONA

BLAZING A TRAIL

IN ARIZONA

by Contributing Writer, Cheryl D Howard

Our family, a circle of strength, founded on faith, joined in love...kept by God.” (Pinterest) The Stanton family stepped out on faith when they uprooted themselves from their all-familiar world in California and relocated to Arizona. Moses Stanton, age 47, Latechia “Techia” Stanton, age 51, and Jayden Stanton, age 20, all sat with infectious smiles on their faces as they retold their journey from the Golden State. The Stantons are, in actuality, a blended family with six children, seven when you add “Mercy.” Mercy is their multipoo breed puppy. He ran across Techia’s feet as we were talking. The other five children Myke, Mesh, Moses Jr., Lavadis, and Cozzie, are all grown and have left the nest. For twenty-two years, Moses and Techia raised their family and lived in subsidized housing in Sunnyvale, California. Although it was not always easy to relocate, it has been a godsend for the couple to transition from being renters to owning their own home. The Stantons had visited friends in Arizona often. On one of their last visits, they decided to explore open homes, and that was when the bug bit. Close friend, Lupé, encouraged them to move there. Lupé shared with them that they would never know the possibility of homeownership if they never tried. Moses said that he misses California, but he especially misses the oceanside. They spent a lot of time at the beach. Often they would go to the beach just to sit, relax, and enjoy family time. It was there they prayed and became on one accord with the decision to move. “It was all God,” Moses said. The unbelievable housing market was also a beautiful incentive for the couple. Arizona’s homes had tremendous appeal to Moses and Techia, and they were able to get in at the right time to purchase a home. They settled in Queen Creek, Arizona. Their home was built from the ground up. Because it was customized, they were privileged to choose the flooring, tile, appliance fixtures, etc. When the couple pre-qualified for the home, they found their home in a matter of months, and by December 2019, they had moved. By March 2020, they had not fully settled in before the pandemic hit. COVID-19 halted any plans for a housewarming or for any of their

family to gather to congratulate them. “Adjusting (for the move) was strange because of COVID19. We literally have not shared our home with anybody,” said Techia. As an African American family living Southeast of Phoenix, Arizona, they have rarely seen others who look like them. They moved into a predominantly white community. “You see an American flag hanging up in the front of somebody’s house, and you don’t know if they are racist or not. I don’t look at the flag the same anymore since the 2020 election,” said Techia. Fortunately, they have not been met with bigotry or racist behavior. Queen Creek, according to the Stantons, is seemingly an oasis in the desert state of Arizona. Arizona is vastly different from California. I asked Jayden Stanton how he felt about the move. He said at first, he was uncomfortable because he did not want to leave his friends and family. Then, after the move, he had a change of heart. “It’s been a great experience so far minus the virus,” said Jayden.

Jayden is a bright young man, and just like most young people his age, he is still trying to figure out who he is and what he wants to do. Both of his parents were encouraging him to enter the healthcare industry in some capacity. There is always work in the medical field. Moses works in a local hospital as a sterile processor for several departments. It has been a daunting task for him to be in that environment and not be exposed to the COVID virus. He took every precaution; entering through the garage upon arriving home, removing his clothing, tossing them in the wash, and showering before encountering his family. Yet, somehow, he was infected and contracted the virus, thus infecting Techia and Jayden. They all tested positive except for Techia. She experienced all the symptoms and was quite ill. All of them lost their sense of taste and smell, and they had severe body aches among other prevailing symptoms. Techia said it was the worst she had ever felt. Moses had to be treated with steroids for scar tissue on his lungs. For two weeks, the Stantons had to be quarantined. Nonetheless, none of them had to be hospitalized or placed on a ventilator. “It was nothing but the Holy Spirit wrapped around us,” said Techia with conviction. Moses has since been vaccinated and the rest of the family is soon to follow. The Stantons would, without a doubt, testify that it was the best decision they could have made to move to Queen Creek, Arizona. Techia said, in all honesty, they didn’t consider any other city. Techia commented that Arizona appears to lack culture because of an apparent absence of African American-owned businesses. Yet there’s lots of culture in the city. However, the city’s landscape is still growing. Techia believes that if you want to move to Arizona, Queen Creek is the place to be. For the value of their brand-new home, the new surroundings, the potential for new friends, and a promising prosperous future, they were blessed above and beyond what they could have ever prayed for. n

Visit www.queencreek.org