After 60 days of waiting and cleaning, we received not one, but two, offers on the house! We received an offer Monday morning and then a second offer came in about 5pm. Both families actually scheduled showings of the house at the same time. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that. Since both families were aware of each other, the first offer was amended to full asking price! Amazing – in this economy and housing downturn.
Pending a successful home inspection on Friday at 4:30pm, we will close on the house May 14. It’s just around the corner. I haven’t been able to wrap my head around packing yet. It’s actually nice to just sit in the house and let the laundry pile up for a couple days since we don’t have to worry about last minute showings.
Now we have the hurdle of being homeless for about 6 weeks, between closing and our departure around July 1. An amazingly generous woman at church has offered us her home, but I’m wrestling with her offer because she lives nearly 30 minutes from Nashville. Now that we are on the countdown, I want to be as close to our friends, the kids’ schools, and church as possible.
So, I have contacted a friend and colleague who is pastor at a church in the heart of our current lives. The church has a guest house out back! She is meeting with the Trustees on Sunday to see if they will extend hospitality to us for those six weeks. This would be an amazing blessing and wonderful transitional house for us as we pack up and say our good-byes.
When we set out on this journey last summer, one of my stated goals was to begin trusting my life to God. I have been able to reason my way through life, throw some prayers God’s way, use my gifts in good work and ministry, and be kind and compassionate to the best of my ability. But I had never fully abandoned my life to the faith that I claim. I am taking baby steps and each one has been honored.
I do not think housing contracts and guest houses will continue to fall out of the sky for me and my family, but I am beginning to see that the possibilities and opportunities in this life are far bigger, greater and more sustaining when God is invited in than when we try to forge ahead on our own.
Prayer Requests: Claire Marin’s sadness about selling the house and our family’s healthy and prayerful transition from Nashville to Malawi.
Hey Kara, I can’t believe i didn’t know about your blog until now! I’ve enjoyed reading the backposts and looking forward to being able to keep up once your trip starts. congrats on the sale of the house… that must have been a load off.