Unreal Reality
As many of you know, the past three weeks have been an absolute whirlwind for us. We've accepted a position in a new town, booked a moving van, and packed up our things within just a few days. The only piece missing was finding a place to live. We have had absolute peace each step of the way through this process, and have known without a doubt that the decisions we were making in moving our family and taking this position were the right decisions. Even so, there have been moments of panic as we've watched the moving date speedily approach without knowing where we would live. The other day I spent some time praying, asking God for peace. I got up to fold laundry and found myself humming, "Seek Ye First." It was several minutes before I realized what I was singing. I knew that we were stepping out in somewhat blind faith, believing that God would provide the ground for us to stand on with each subsequent step we took. I knew in my heart of hearts that He would provide a place for us to live.
We went down to our new town yesterday to give the kids a chance to see it, as well as to look at potential houses. Our plan was to rent for a few months until we could find a house we wanted to purchase. We've spent the past year and a half praying very deliberately about our next home. We wanted it to be a place of ministry. We wanted room to entertain people indoors and out, to have space to have students stay with us on breaks. This house was not going to be for our family, but for others. And while we wanted room for guests, we wanted a house that was just enough--no unused rooms. Our "pie in the sky" dream was for a home with some history and lots of charm.
Fast forward to yesterday. We toured four beautiful homes, but none of them quite met the things we'd hoped for. When we got to the final house, the realtor mentioned that it was currently empty and the seller might be willing to let us move in and rent until closing.
The house was beautiful! It was a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired (we're still researching to find out if it was actually built by him) home built in 1918. All of the major things had been recently updated: wiring, plumbing, roof, furnace. The decor was stuck somewhere in the mid-1960s, but the structure was solid. What's more, it met every single requirement on our list. It had a guest room, enough entertaining space, and a huge backyard. And yet we would use every one of the rooms every day. It was neither too much nor too little. The street was beautiful, full of charming, historic homes. The house had been on the market for a year, and the price was well within our reach. Partway through our tour, Micah gave me "the look." This could be it.
We were left with a decision. It seemed feasible that we could move into the kind of house we'd been praying about for over a year, and only have to move once! We left the house and promised the realtor that we'd be in touch later that evening. We had to move quickly if things were going to fall into place in time to move. We went back to the hotel and talked and prayed and sought some advice. It didn't take long for us to make our decision: this was our home. We called the realtor and within half an hour, had word that the seller had accepted our offer.
Our heads are spinning! We are stunned that any of this is happening at all! In spite of the quick turnaround and newness of it all, we are confident that God has gone before us and is providing each new step. We consider ourselves so incredibly blessed to have this home to share with others!
We went down to our new town yesterday to give the kids a chance to see it, as well as to look at potential houses. Our plan was to rent for a few months until we could find a house we wanted to purchase. We've spent the past year and a half praying very deliberately about our next home. We wanted it to be a place of ministry. We wanted room to entertain people indoors and out, to have space to have students stay with us on breaks. This house was not going to be for our family, but for others. And while we wanted room for guests, we wanted a house that was just enough--no unused rooms. Our "pie in the sky" dream was for a home with some history and lots of charm.
Fast forward to yesterday. We toured four beautiful homes, but none of them quite met the things we'd hoped for. When we got to the final house, the realtor mentioned that it was currently empty and the seller might be willing to let us move in and rent until closing.
The house was beautiful! It was a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired (we're still researching to find out if it was actually built by him) home built in 1918. All of the major things had been recently updated: wiring, plumbing, roof, furnace. The decor was stuck somewhere in the mid-1960s, but the structure was solid. What's more, it met every single requirement on our list. It had a guest room, enough entertaining space, and a huge backyard. And yet we would use every one of the rooms every day. It was neither too much nor too little. The street was beautiful, full of charming, historic homes. The house had been on the market for a year, and the price was well within our reach. Partway through our tour, Micah gave me "the look." This could be it.
We were left with a decision. It seemed feasible that we could move into the kind of house we'd been praying about for over a year, and only have to move once! We left the house and promised the realtor that we'd be in touch later that evening. We had to move quickly if things were going to fall into place in time to move. We went back to the hotel and talked and prayed and sought some advice. It didn't take long for us to make our decision: this was our home. We called the realtor and within half an hour, had word that the seller had accepted our offer.
Our heads are spinning! We are stunned that any of this is happening at all! In spite of the quick turnaround and newness of it all, we are confident that God has gone before us and is providing each new step. We consider ourselves so incredibly blessed to have this home to share with others!
