It's hard to believe we have lived in this house for four years. When we moved here, we felt so silly living in such a big house. We were in the adoption process, but it was just the two of us at that point. We had only been back from Africa for a year and were living in a one bedroom apartment. We really didn't have a lot of things. In fact, we had some funny-looking empty spaces throughout this home. But God had given us the opportunity to live here for very low rent (we weren't aware of how low at the time!) and we were excited to move here, especially since we hoped to bring home a baby or two into this home.
We love this house. We have some wonderful memories. We brought home two little boys and all they know is this home. We've walked hundreds of miles around this neighborhood. Jordan can tell you the way home from any point on our walks. We've laughed at our "hippie" neighbors and seen four classes of OU students move in and move out. We've had snow, tornadoes, and torrential rain come through and we've watched it all through the big windows in the front of the house. Jordan took his first steps in this living room. Marcus is crawling all over this house like it's his domain. It's been a blast.
But all the while, we knew that this was not our permanent home. We knew the day would come that we had to leave and June 26, 2015 is that day. We are sad, but very excited about our next stop. I married a man who longs to live overseas, so every stop is temporary. But he married a girl who loves to be home, so every stop we make becomes our home. Our world map shower curtain goes up and I decorate. We're bringing our belongings and making a new house our new home. And the way it's happened has been incredible.
We've known that mid-July is when we need to be out of this home, but I decided that May or June would be better since my parents are coming to Norman in July and we will be moving them in. Plus, my sister is getting married and it would be nice to be settled during all of the crazy that will be happening those two months! So, we put the word out and started looking. We called a man who owns several homes in town and has a great reputation and he told us to call back in two weeks (this was in the beginning of April).
Thirteen days later, something came out of nowhere. A precious family from our church contacted us to let us know they would have a home available and if everything worked out, they would let us live there for $50 cheaper than we live here. We never saw the home, other than on the outside. They had some details to work out before we knew for sure. We waited two weeks and then God closed the door. We weren't upset with this family because things happen and clearly God wanted us to live somewhere else, but it was hard. It was such a great situation...a fenced yard and three bedrooms. Anyone who rents in Norman knows that those two things = very expensive!
This is when things got tough. I started to worry. What if God wants us to live in a two-bedroom apartment? Why would he make us think that we could live in a three-bedroom house and then take that away? What if I'm not content enough and God wants to teach me to be more grateful? Etc. So many battles in my mind about God's goodness and his willingness to provide. I was forced to confront what I believed about God and where my heart truly was. True, space is better when you have two little boys, but can I be happy with God's provision, no matter what that was? Can I content myself with down-sizing and getting rid of some of our stuff? What if God wants to put us somewhere to share His love with a neighbor who needed us to be there?
Every five minutes was a new thought and a new truth to consider. My heart was exposed. It wasn't all horrible. There were times that I would see a listing online and imagine us living there and get excited about it. I tried to look for the good in every place and God kept closing doors. A two-bedroom duplex with a backyard? It seemed to work ok, but I just didn't have a peace about it, especially because the yard was disconnected from the home. A two-bedroom condo in a neighborhood we love? The balcony was too dangerous for Jordan. We saw places and just could not find the right one.
Then, God did it. He has provided in a way that we NEVER saw coming. And once again, He has used His people to love on us and bless us. A gal from our church messaged me on Monday and said that they wanted to offer their rental to us at a discounted price. (I had seen this house on facebook and didn't even look because I knew it was out of our price range). I messaged her back and told her our budget and thank her for thinking of us. Then she shocked me by saying that they knew that our budget was low and wanted to bless us with this house...in a great neighborhood, with a fenced yard, three bedrooms, a storm shelter...and a pool! WHAT??? Their generosity just blows me away. It is such a testimony of their faith in the Lord to sacrifice profit so that we can have a home that is not only comfortable, but beautiful.
We saw the house on Sunday and loved it. My mind is spinning with how to decorate and how much Jordan & Marcus are going to love it.
To be honest, my first reaction was to say no. It's too much. We do not deserve to live in a home like this and it feels weird to enjoy things like a pool when we struggle so much financially. But we asked and God provided. He laid it on this couple's heart to be a blessing and it would be wrong for us to refuse what He is choosing to bless us with. So we move in June 26th.
In light of the grace God has shown us, we have made two commitments about this home:
1. We will ENJOY living there! We're going to swim all summer. We're going to play in the yard. We're going to decorate it and go for walks and make lots of memories. We're going to have Thanksgiving dinner and put up Christmas lights. God gives good gifts and this is a really good one!
2. We will use it to bless others. We will have people over to swim and play with us. We will invite people to use the storm shelter with us. We will invite our neighbors and our friends who need to know about Jesus. This home is now just for us to enjoy, but for us to open the door and allow others to enjoy with us.
We are so blessed and so thankful for our next adventure!
We love this house. We have some wonderful memories. We brought home two little boys and all they know is this home. We've walked hundreds of miles around this neighborhood. Jordan can tell you the way home from any point on our walks. We've laughed at our "hippie" neighbors and seen four classes of OU students move in and move out. We've had snow, tornadoes, and torrential rain come through and we've watched it all through the big windows in the front of the house. Jordan took his first steps in this living room. Marcus is crawling all over this house like it's his domain. It's been a blast.
But all the while, we knew that this was not our permanent home. We knew the day would come that we had to leave and June 26, 2015 is that day. We are sad, but very excited about our next stop. I married a man who longs to live overseas, so every stop is temporary. But he married a girl who loves to be home, so every stop we make becomes our home. Our world map shower curtain goes up and I decorate. We're bringing our belongings and making a new house our new home. And the way it's happened has been incredible.
We've known that mid-July is when we need to be out of this home, but I decided that May or June would be better since my parents are coming to Norman in July and we will be moving them in. Plus, my sister is getting married and it would be nice to be settled during all of the crazy that will be happening those two months! So, we put the word out and started looking. We called a man who owns several homes in town and has a great reputation and he told us to call back in two weeks (this was in the beginning of April).
Thirteen days later, something came out of nowhere. A precious family from our church contacted us to let us know they would have a home available and if everything worked out, they would let us live there for $50 cheaper than we live here. We never saw the home, other than on the outside. They had some details to work out before we knew for sure. We waited two weeks and then God closed the door. We weren't upset with this family because things happen and clearly God wanted us to live somewhere else, but it was hard. It was such a great situation...a fenced yard and three bedrooms. Anyone who rents in Norman knows that those two things = very expensive!
This is when things got tough. I started to worry. What if God wants us to live in a two-bedroom apartment? Why would he make us think that we could live in a three-bedroom house and then take that away? What if I'm not content enough and God wants to teach me to be more grateful? Etc. So many battles in my mind about God's goodness and his willingness to provide. I was forced to confront what I believed about God and where my heart truly was. True, space is better when you have two little boys, but can I be happy with God's provision, no matter what that was? Can I content myself with down-sizing and getting rid of some of our stuff? What if God wants to put us somewhere to share His love with a neighbor who needed us to be there?
Every five minutes was a new thought and a new truth to consider. My heart was exposed. It wasn't all horrible. There were times that I would see a listing online and imagine us living there and get excited about it. I tried to look for the good in every place and God kept closing doors. A two-bedroom duplex with a backyard? It seemed to work ok, but I just didn't have a peace about it, especially because the yard was disconnected from the home. A two-bedroom condo in a neighborhood we love? The balcony was too dangerous for Jordan. We saw places and just could not find the right one.
Then, God did it. He has provided in a way that we NEVER saw coming. And once again, He has used His people to love on us and bless us. A gal from our church messaged me on Monday and said that they wanted to offer their rental to us at a discounted price. (I had seen this house on facebook and didn't even look because I knew it was out of our price range). I messaged her back and told her our budget and thank her for thinking of us. Then she shocked me by saying that they knew that our budget was low and wanted to bless us with this house...in a great neighborhood, with a fenced yard, three bedrooms, a storm shelter...and a pool! WHAT??? Their generosity just blows me away. It is such a testimony of their faith in the Lord to sacrifice profit so that we can have a home that is not only comfortable, but beautiful.
We saw the house on Sunday and loved it. My mind is spinning with how to decorate and how much Jordan & Marcus are going to love it.
To be honest, my first reaction was to say no. It's too much. We do not deserve to live in a home like this and it feels weird to enjoy things like a pool when we struggle so much financially. But we asked and God provided. He laid it on this couple's heart to be a blessing and it would be wrong for us to refuse what He is choosing to bless us with. So we move in June 26th.
In light of the grace God has shown us, we have made two commitments about this home:
1. We will ENJOY living there! We're going to swim all summer. We're going to play in the yard. We're going to decorate it and go for walks and make lots of memories. We're going to have Thanksgiving dinner and put up Christmas lights. God gives good gifts and this is a really good one!
2. We will use it to bless others. We will have people over to swim and play with us. We will invite people to use the storm shelter with us. We will invite our neighbors and our friends who need to know about Jesus. This home is now just for us to enjoy, but for us to open the door and allow others to enjoy with us.
We are so blessed and so thankful for our next adventure!
