What Has Been Going On In My Life Recently

My wife sums it up rather well here on our family blog:

Even though I haven't specifically been praying these verses, this is what our hearts have been crying out the last couple of months. We have been praying for funding, a place to live in Madison, and the sale of our home. Specifically, I was praying that our home would sell outright in a conventional way and that we would lose as little money as possible. But, Zach and I have been reminding ourselves and each other, that God is faithful EVEN if this doesn't happen. We need to trust and praise Him when our prayers are answered differently or unexpectantly. We want our hearts to be drawn to Him, and not just His gifts! He is what is worthy, not just what He does for us. He, Himself is the treasure!

So, the last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. Yes, God has been faithful and yes, He has been good. Here is the gist of what has been happening. We went to Madison almost 2 weeks ago. God provided a place for us to rent at the very last minute of our trip. We will be downsizing to a little house with great character and in a perfect location. We even met the family who currently lives there and will be moving just up the street. While in Madison, we were going back and forth with a possible verbal deal on our house in ABQ that just didn't seem to be working out.

Then, when we got home from Madison, our van's transmission went out and we realized that the real estate contract we had turned down while we were in Madison, may be the best we could expect so we reopened negotiations. After working hard at trusting, talking to friends in real estate, and some sleepless nights, we accepted the real estate contract. We end up losing more than we expected but it will in some ways be gradual (a monthly loss), with some up front (realtor fees) and a little at the end (difference in purchase price and what we owe). It will be for 2 years, until the family buying our house obtains their own financing. It feels so nice to have it completed and we are thankful that we don't have to show the house anymore :). We close April 30 so we are now in full packing mode. We will live with a dear family here who graciously agreed to take in our whole, chaotic family :)

We also found a great deal on a van, a '01 Honda Odyssey with pretty high mileage but that has been extremely well cared for. The kids were so excited to drive around in it yesterday and it feels like a huge upgrade compared to our previous van. Zach and I used to say our dream car was a Honda Odyssey with stow and go seats and we realized that about 8 years later that is now what we have :)

God has blessed us so abundantly through relationships. So many people have offered to help (and have helped) us through watching the kids, giving advice on cars and real estate, inviting us into their homes even when this causes great upheaval, taking in our dog for a month (Molly, our dog, is staying with another family), and offering help in packing and moving. We are very rich indeed!