My goodness so much has happened in the last 5-6 months. In the past 6 months, we've been gracefully asked to move from our homes for renovations two times. We've seen the grace of God through people with giving hearts and have had a time of restoration that we really needed. We moved to a very nice house right outside our home town with no chance of affordable internet and we chose to save money and not have cable. Doing this made us feel disconnected from our world in many ways but also provided a time for my husband and I to grow in our relationship together and with God. Through prayer, we discovered wounds we never knew we had and through healing, we've grown and matured in our walk with Him. Our time in that house is up so we moved our stuff into storage and are staying with my husband's mom and step dad for the next couple weeks until our future home is ready.
If you are a friend of ours, you've seen we've been building a "cabin" on our land. I'd like to share the details of this story with you.
My husband and I were asked to move from the house we had been renting for 5 years so the owners could do some renovations. At this time, we were already searching for a place to live because we could no longer afford rent. We really didn't know where we could go that would be less expensive so we asked God to provide a place for us. In the meantime, a couple in our church had an open home and were praying about what to do with it - sell it/rent it. While praying they felt the Lord telling them we needed a home and to offer it to us at a specialized rate. We pounced on this opportunity knowing we would have to move if someone else wanted it. We also began looking for another place for us to live - something we could move on to our own land. We had saved up a little cash and were looking for a trashed out but structurally sound mobile home we could renovate and live in on our land. We found one and asked my dad (a carpenter and preacher) to come with us to check it out and make sure it was something we could work with. We went, we saw, it was something we could work with but we left with the feeling that it wasn't quite right. We prayed about it and our feeling was confirmed that it wasn't the right choice for us. So we brainstormed but came up with nothing affordable.
That night, my dad had a dream about a house he could build that would be used to house us until we could afford something bigger and my parents while they built their home upon the sale of their current home. Ultimately in the future this would be a place for pastors to stay for restoration - a guest house of sorts for people in the ministry that need a quiet place to hear God. (Which coincidentally fits what we need for a time.) We prayed together to see if this was what God wanted for us and felt like we got a green light. We began building immediately and started to see miracles and blessings flow in.
When we started, we received money from a good friend as a loan - something we could pay back in our own time with no interest. This money provided most of what we needed to go in half with my parents to build the "cabin". Shortly after we started building, we received more money from a friend as a gift. Enough money to pay our bills and to make up the deficit of our half we owed. When we received this gift, we thought it was a joke! We'd never received anything of the caliber and cried with joy and thanksgiving to our God.
Every Saturday and sometimes weeknights, people show up to help us work - offering advice, tips, and labor to help speed the process. My dad, the carpenter, has done the majority of the work because of his knowledge and skill but almost every day, God provides someone to help him complete each task.
When people heard we were going to start this project, they offered us materials to help - leftover lumber, tin sheets for the ceiling, sheet rock that had fallen from the back of a truck and couldn't be used in a store, old doors, electric outlet coverings, and so much more!
2/3 of the way into the project, we went over budget and couldn't afford to get an AC unit installed. At the same time, a member of a church in town felt like God wanted him to bless us with a free unit and installation. He came out, looked at our house and began working on installing the system. In the process, we were able to witness to this man and share God's peace and love with him. Again, we couldn't believe this was happening to us! We've never experienced God's blessing this way and our eyes were opened to a whole new realm of provision.
Even though this amazing air conditioning system was provided, we still had reached our max budget and were each out of cash to finish the job - we were so close to being done and just needed a little more to finish some of the small things. We brought the issue up in an elders meeting and prayed for provision. Maybe two weeks later, more money showed up for the project! Enough to finish the whole thing!
We've been so pleasantly surprised to see God's hand in this entire project. If he isn't providing cash, he's provided people or resources to help. It's been amazing to see his blessings pour out on us. We are so excited to see the finished product and to live on the land He has provided for us. Please pray for us as we finish up - that everything goes smoothly and that we don't hit any bumps in the road. And if we do hit more bumps, that we face them with strong faith and trust in Jesus.
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped, who will help, and for all the people in the background providing prayer, food, and other support. We hope and pray that God provides for you in ways that you cannot imagine :)
If you are a friend of ours, you've seen we've been building a "cabin" on our land. I'd like to share the details of this story with you.
My husband and I were asked to move from the house we had been renting for 5 years so the owners could do some renovations. At this time, we were already searching for a place to live because we could no longer afford rent. We really didn't know where we could go that would be less expensive so we asked God to provide a place for us. In the meantime, a couple in our church had an open home and were praying about what to do with it - sell it/rent it. While praying they felt the Lord telling them we needed a home and to offer it to us at a specialized rate. We pounced on this opportunity knowing we would have to move if someone else wanted it. We also began looking for another place for us to live - something we could move on to our own land. We had saved up a little cash and were looking for a trashed out but structurally sound mobile home we could renovate and live in on our land. We found one and asked my dad (a carpenter and preacher) to come with us to check it out and make sure it was something we could work with. We went, we saw, it was something we could work with but we left with the feeling that it wasn't quite right. We prayed about it and our feeling was confirmed that it wasn't the right choice for us. So we brainstormed but came up with nothing affordable.
That night, my dad had a dream about a house he could build that would be used to house us until we could afford something bigger and my parents while they built their home upon the sale of their current home. Ultimately in the future this would be a place for pastors to stay for restoration - a guest house of sorts for people in the ministry that need a quiet place to hear God. (Which coincidentally fits what we need for a time.) We prayed together to see if this was what God wanted for us and felt like we got a green light. We began building immediately and started to see miracles and blessings flow in.
When we started, we received money from a good friend as a loan - something we could pay back in our own time with no interest. This money provided most of what we needed to go in half with my parents to build the "cabin". Shortly after we started building, we received more money from a friend as a gift. Enough money to pay our bills and to make up the deficit of our half we owed. When we received this gift, we thought it was a joke! We'd never received anything of the caliber and cried with joy and thanksgiving to our God.
Every Saturday and sometimes weeknights, people show up to help us work - offering advice, tips, and labor to help speed the process. My dad, the carpenter, has done the majority of the work because of his knowledge and skill but almost every day, God provides someone to help him complete each task.
When people heard we were going to start this project, they offered us materials to help - leftover lumber, tin sheets for the ceiling, sheet rock that had fallen from the back of a truck and couldn't be used in a store, old doors, electric outlet coverings, and so much more!
2/3 of the way into the project, we went over budget and couldn't afford to get an AC unit installed. At the same time, a member of a church in town felt like God wanted him to bless us with a free unit and installation. He came out, looked at our house and began working on installing the system. In the process, we were able to witness to this man and share God's peace and love with him. Again, we couldn't believe this was happening to us! We've never experienced God's blessing this way and our eyes were opened to a whole new realm of provision.
Even though this amazing air conditioning system was provided, we still had reached our max budget and were each out of cash to finish the job - we were so close to being done and just needed a little more to finish some of the small things. We brought the issue up in an elders meeting and prayed for provision. Maybe two weeks later, more money showed up for the project! Enough to finish the whole thing!
We've been so pleasantly surprised to see God's hand in this entire project. If he isn't providing cash, he's provided people or resources to help. It's been amazing to see his blessings pour out on us. We are so excited to see the finished product and to live on the land He has provided for us. Please pray for us as we finish up - that everything goes smoothly and that we don't hit any bumps in the road. And if we do hit more bumps, that we face them with strong faith and trust in Jesus.
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped, who will help, and for all the people in the background providing prayer, food, and other support. We hope and pray that God provides for you in ways that you cannot imagine :)
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