A New Adventure

In the spring, Harland and I felt like we both heard the Lord speak to us and tell us to get out from under the big mortgage we had.   Selling the ranch would make our money not so tight and would free up some money for when Harland gets a chance to go somewhere to teach.  We were in agreement to be obedient and turn the house over to God to do with what He wanted.  (This is what we would say we do with all of our possessions, but when it comes to giving them up I realized that I had to give it over again-- for real.  I like control.) 

In late June, we put the house on the market knowing that it would take a certain person who would want the tiny house and big acreage out in the middle of nowhere. We waited and prayed and 6 months later while Harland was overseas teaching for two weeks, a cash buyer came along. We had two weeks after we got the contract to get out this December. It was an amazing few weeks around the holidays. We moved, we got a smaller mortgage and a beautiful newer house, and then within days of closing on our new house Harland got a pay cut almost exactly what the difference is between the mortgages. God is good and is not surprised by that pay cut or the timing. He orchestrated the sale of the old house, the buying of this house (a house lovingly remodeled by our friends with the hope that it might be ours), and the timing of the money we would need following the pay cut. Amazed--- I am amazed.

So… we left behind the 108 year old farm house complete with mice and rattlesnakes, the water challenges, and the amazing views. We moved less than 5 miles away into the little town. We are in a neighborhood close to a lake and close to friends. We have deer and fox and mountain lions and bears. It is still a Colorado small town with rustic aspects, but we are so blessed to have some conveniences we haven’t had in years.  We expected sacrifice when we left our ranch and have been surprised with abundant blessings.

I can still shoot a snake, make a mean fire, chop up an attacking gopher with a shovel--- I am indeed a different woman than I was when we moved here. I am so thankful for the challenges and the trials of the past three years. I wouldn’t change a thing. We are all faced with challenges (physical and tangible like snakes and water systems and intangible like whether or not to obey when you hear a direction). We are all changed constantly by the things we walk through. May we be changed for the better-- may we be refined by the fires, and may we come out looking a little more like Christ, never forgetting the great mercies of the Lord. I am overwhelmed. Let the next round of adventures begin.

Psalm 57:10  "For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;  your faithfulness reaches to the skies."