house

Our First House

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In our almost 18 years of marriage, we have had several abodes—apartments, a house, rentals and ministry housing. We made each of them into a home for our family, no matter how long or short our stay was. And now we have wonderful news to share! We are days away from closing on our very first house as property owners. 

The reality of our journey is too much to include in an update. In summary, what we imagined would be a process that would fit neatly into our first year of transition to the US ended up not so "neatly" and came with challenges and the need to walk by faith. 

The market is not currently kind to buyers; we visited 30 properties and made a total of 6 offers over 8 months and were overbid on all of them. Our commitment to keeping the kids in the same schools (they have thrived!) and Birmingham's confusing mesh of incorporated municipalities with their own school systems limited our search area. Tathiana and I were constantly challenged to think about giving up on the idea of finding a house in the "sweet spot" - where we needed to stay because of schools, what we wanted in a home and how much we could afford. We began to look almost exclusively at rentals within the same school zone over the past 2 months - really feeling that a move to a rental would be disappointing. 

We were confused. We believed that God had His hand in our first year with the ministry housing that was arranged, the schools that we loved, the churches we visited and the friends we made—to then have to think about leaving it all for another region of Birmingham after moving cross-culturally just one year before. I did not struggle in doubting God's sovereignty, but I wavered when considering His goodness and wisdom. "What are you doing, God?" I said over and over in my prayers.

Then, almost in an anti-climatic manner, we visited one last house on the last week that we could wait before committing to a rental. The house has all the "wants", is in an area that we need and is within the price range we can afford. Our agents were wonderful in assisting us, and we put in a good offer and it was ACCEPTED! We are now just days away from closing and excited about what year 2 of our new phase of life and ministry will be like as we plant roots with our first house.

We are amazed at the Lord's provision. We are thankful for everyone who prayed, listened, encouraged and bore our heavy burdens as we waited for His provision to become reality. Thank you for celebrating with us, also! Amém. 

Praise and Prayer: Housing and Support

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I am happy to share with you that our 1-time goal of $20,000 to cover our support account from the transition expenses has been raised! I praise God for His provision and for the generosity of our financial partners. The vast majority of the $20k was donated by current monthly partners, and some partners even gave multiple 1-time gifts over several months.

This is an amazing confirmation that the Lord will provide for our ministry and our new season of life and ministry in Birmingham with Campus Outreach SERVE. We, also, share with you two very specific prayer requests.

First, we continue to labor in support raising for our new monthly budget based in the US. I am contacting current supporters to make sure we are well connected and also networking out into new relationships in Chattanooga and Birmingham. I want to be faithful and dedicated to doing the groundwork work as God connects us to new churches and individuals eager to partner. Until we are able to raise 100% of our monthly budget (we are currently around 72%), all 1-time gifts are greatly appreciated.

Second, we are in need of more permanent housing as we come to the end of our first year in the US. Our current housing situation in Birmingham has been such a blessing, this is a big reason for praise! However, we have a deadline for how long we can stay at our current missionary housing, which is June 15th, 2024. Our desire was to be able to use this first year to settle and take a good look at the market here in Hoover, AL (southern metro Birmingham). The market has shifted a bit, but not enough that we have found a property in the "sweet spot" that combines WHERE - so the kids can stay in the same school system, WHAT - our desires and needs for a house, and HOW MUCH we can afford.

I do believe that God answers prayers, so I earnestly ask that you pray with us for a property that fits into that sweet spot, or a rental option that allows us to prepare for a near-future purchase.

Thank you for your partnership and care.