Providence!

Grace reading bedtime stories to a different set of cousins. 

Well, where to start? 

First thing first. 

In order for us to go to America a number of steps/hurdles had to be overcome. Here are the two main steps:

• Enough money to cover us for three years in the States. Albert on his student visa is unable to work and I'm a dependant only getting in the country because I'm married to him. This was our biggest hurdle, a significant amount of money needed to be raised and we were only able to come up with a small contribution and even that was subject to us selling our house.
  
  I won't go into all the details here on the blog but suffice to say that God answered our prayer and the prayer of many that HE has supplied all that we need. Within about 3 weeks, Steffen our deacon had fund raised the whole amount. Steffen did a lot of work, writing letters to churches, friends and committees. What people thought was just about impossible IS possible with God. We are VERY humbled by people's generosity.

• Sale of our house. This was a big concern to us as the housing market is very depressed at the moment in Wanganui and there are a LOT of houses for sale in our potential price bracket. 

Sale of our house

Then there was also the small matters of getting our house ready for sale which meant a lot of painting. A new stove surround, a new fireplace surround, washing the house, painting the front porch, tidying up the garden, waterblasting the concrete, weeding the garden, and making the front entrance look attractive. 

Our church had a working bee at our house and we managed to wash the outside of the house, do the garden, wash the windows and waterblast the concrete, front porch and deck. 

We met with a real estate agent in March to get an idea of how much our house is worth in the current market. We were not unhappy with the figure he came up with but very apprehensive of the extensive marketing package he proposed (about a $1000 worth). Basically we were doing well to break even on our house especially with the real estate fee should we chose to list. 

We decided to continue with the renovations and then list it with the real estate agent but GOD had other plans. Albert while at work, mentioned to one of his clients that his house was for sale and one thing leads to another and the client is keen to have a look. Albert arranges a viewing on a Wednesday night. 

On Monday and Tuesday of that week, we are renovating flat tack, putting the final coats on our bedroom, undercoat and one topcoat in the hall way. I would like to paint you a picture of what our house looked like. All I have been doing for those last weeks was painting and so apart from eating and laundry, the housework has been neglected. All our bedroom furniture is in the lounge (which is a huge mess), we were sleeping in the family room on the spare bed, the girls bedrooms are a mess (don't tell me that your kids rooms are spotless!), bathroom is dusty, laundry room is full of our painting stuff. Anyway you get the picture. :) 

While we were busy putting the final touches to the house the phone rings. Albert answered and then told me the good news, the clients would like to visit today and the bad news, they are a couple of minutes away!! ARGGGH. Albert warned them about the mess which they said was no problem. 

They arrive and Albert shows them through our house ofcourse pointing all the lovely features (hoping that they will ignore the pigsty). I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner for the girls, who have been very patiently waiting as it is late by now. Halfway through the showing of the house, Steffan comes by for a visit (which was a huge blessing to us). Once Albert gives them the tour and as they are about to leave, the clients look at each other and are instantly in love with the house.

Once they leave and it is just us, we are blown away by God's timing, WOW. We're speechless. 

It gets better, the next day they confirm their interest, the next week we sign a conditional sale and purchase agreement with an agreed purchase price. The settlement date is not until we leave the country and to top it all off they are cash buyers with no house to sell! The agreement has gone unconditional this past Monday with all conditions met and the professional valuation is in the buyers favour, win/win all around!

I have always believed that things happen for a purpose and that God is in control of ALL things but have never experienced this so powerfully in my own life. This is the kind of stuff that happens to other people not ordinary people like us. I read a bible verse the other day that sums this all up: 

Eph 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,"

PS this is not where the providence story stops, there is the cat, dog, visas, passports, paperwork, oh and our new house! another installment will be here soon.