My Journey
My journey started years ago when I purchased my first home; a condo. At the time, it was exactly what I needed. It was a manageable size with no outdoor upkeep and (with the handy help of my dad and brother) was updated to modern, post 1980's, standards.
Soon after moving in I found myself highly involved with youth ministry through my church. What I came to discover was the lack of "gathering" space the condo afforded. With no particular reason to look elsewhere, and definitely no suitable finances to do so, a year at the condo turned into three, and then six. By this time my ministry focus had shifted from youth to young adults. I began to feel a gentle tug at one of my spiritual gifts; hospitality.
Near the end of summer 2016 I began the house hunting journey. I truly felt as though God was calling me to a different way of ministering. The best way I could interpret the push was to gain more space to host. This simply was not feasible in the condo.
Fully aware of my high standards and expectations for a home, the journey started off with excitement and soon became a test of patience and trust. I've never been drawn to cookie cutter homes, and found myself looking at homes with lots of character. My realtor frequently commented, "you sure find interesting houses to look at", with a hint of "you're crazy" read into his tone.
I love history and if I couldn't find something with a story I wanted to find something with charm. I was more than willing to find a fixer-upper knowing my dad, the "Jack of all trades", was willing to step up and help if necessary.
After months of looking and visiting at least a dozen homes, feelings of frustration and doubt flooded in. I was beginning to think I misinterpreted the direction from God. A small piece of my bigger life story is that ministry is a big part of who I am and how I have been using my singleness to serve God. I wanted so desperately to make sure that I was using my time and my gifts to glorify God, and I really had no reason to doubt that He would make a way and show me just how to follow through. But like so many other times fear crept in. When that happens I tend to retreat into the safety of complacency, routine, and predictability. I knew that was the wrong thing to do, just like every other time. The question was, could I rise above and take my focus off from doubts?
Stepping back and taking myself and my selfish ambitions out of the picture as best I could, I continued forward in faith, trusting that God's timing is far better than my own. I continued searching, waiting, visiting more homes, and waiting some more.
Finally, one Friday afternoon while eating lunch at my desk, an email came through with a new listing; The Grange. I gasped out loud and called my mom, truly only to tell her to look at the pictures. Her first response, "You have to go through that place. Now!"
A few minutes later she called me back and said, "Your brother said to buy it sight unseen!" Obviously I started freaking out at the real possibility of this crazy idea. So, I called my realtor. Of course he was unable to see the place that night so we scheduled it for the following afternoon. I could hardly contain my angst.
I frequently pass The Grange on the way to my brothers house, just four minutes down the road. That Friday night was no different than any other night that I had driven by, other than the yard was filled with at least three groups of people looking at it with their realtors. I almost cried. I later told my parents, "It was like watching all these girls flirt with the boy I like. I wanted to scream, no, it's mine!"
The following afternoon could not come soon enough. Upon arriving at The Grange and walking through the grand, red, front door I knew I wanted it. My realtor said he was going to go look for "problems" while we took our time ogling over the history, character, and charm. After awhile we gathered back together and my realtor said, 'Well, it looks like something you would like; kind of like a schoolhouse." When I asked if he found any problems he had nothing to say other than, "Aside from what comes from an almost one hundred fifty year old building, I think it's pretty cool."
Quick thinking on my realtor's parts found that it did not have a shower or bathtub and therefore banks would not finance a conventional loan. Quick thinking on my brother's part created an amazing opportunity for us to creatively muster up enough cash to buy the place without needing a bank. (It was obviously much more complicated than that, but I'll spare you the gory details.)
By God's grace and provision I was able to put in a cash offer and with a little adjustment and a few things added to the fine print, it was accepted. And so, God's faithfulness and provision continued to astound me.
I am humbled beyond words that He would gift me this home with so much of what I was dreaming of for myself. And to know that so much of the plan and the inner workings were nothing short of being hand crafted by the Master takes me to my knees in gratitude.
And so, I move forward. Still requiring myself to step back, combat the fear, release the control, and trust fully in His wonderful and perfect will for my life. I have a long way to go to making it the home I'm planning for, but God will reveal to me how best to use it in the mean time. I'm excited, terrified, humbled, and thankful to have the responsibility of caring for this beautiful place.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey. I hope you continue to follow the progress and be blessed by what God is teaching me along the way.
And of course, enjoy the view of my Home at the Grange.
Soon after moving in I found myself highly involved with youth ministry through my church. What I came to discover was the lack of "gathering" space the condo afforded. With no particular reason to look elsewhere, and definitely no suitable finances to do so, a year at the condo turned into three, and then six. By this time my ministry focus had shifted from youth to young adults. I began to feel a gentle tug at one of my spiritual gifts; hospitality.
Near the end of summer 2016 I began the house hunting journey. I truly felt as though God was calling me to a different way of ministering. The best way I could interpret the push was to gain more space to host. This simply was not feasible in the condo.
Fully aware of my high standards and expectations for a home, the journey started off with excitement and soon became a test of patience and trust. I've never been drawn to cookie cutter homes, and found myself looking at homes with lots of character. My realtor frequently commented, "you sure find interesting houses to look at", with a hint of "you're crazy" read into his tone.
I love history and if I couldn't find something with a story I wanted to find something with charm. I was more than willing to find a fixer-upper knowing my dad, the "Jack of all trades", was willing to step up and help if necessary.
After months of looking and visiting at least a dozen homes, feelings of frustration and doubt flooded in. I was beginning to think I misinterpreted the direction from God. A small piece of my bigger life story is that ministry is a big part of who I am and how I have been using my singleness to serve God. I wanted so desperately to make sure that I was using my time and my gifts to glorify God, and I really had no reason to doubt that He would make a way and show me just how to follow through. But like so many other times fear crept in. When that happens I tend to retreat into the safety of complacency, routine, and predictability. I knew that was the wrong thing to do, just like every other time. The question was, could I rise above and take my focus off from doubts?
Stepping back and taking myself and my selfish ambitions out of the picture as best I could, I continued forward in faith, trusting that God's timing is far better than my own. I continued searching, waiting, visiting more homes, and waiting some more.
Finally, one Friday afternoon while eating lunch at my desk, an email came through with a new listing; The Grange. I gasped out loud and called my mom, truly only to tell her to look at the pictures. Her first response, "You have to go through that place. Now!"
A few minutes later she called me back and said, "Your brother said to buy it sight unseen!" Obviously I started freaking out at the real possibility of this crazy idea. So, I called my realtor. Of course he was unable to see the place that night so we scheduled it for the following afternoon. I could hardly contain my angst.
I frequently pass The Grange on the way to my brothers house, just four minutes down the road. That Friday night was no different than any other night that I had driven by, other than the yard was filled with at least three groups of people looking at it with their realtors. I almost cried. I later told my parents, "It was like watching all these girls flirt with the boy I like. I wanted to scream, no, it's mine!"
The following afternoon could not come soon enough. Upon arriving at The Grange and walking through the grand, red, front door I knew I wanted it. My realtor said he was going to go look for "problems" while we took our time ogling over the history, character, and charm. After awhile we gathered back together and my realtor said, 'Well, it looks like something you would like; kind of like a schoolhouse." When I asked if he found any problems he had nothing to say other than, "Aside from what comes from an almost one hundred fifty year old building, I think it's pretty cool."
Quick thinking on my realtor's parts found that it did not have a shower or bathtub and therefore banks would not finance a conventional loan. Quick thinking on my brother's part created an amazing opportunity for us to creatively muster up enough cash to buy the place without needing a bank. (It was obviously much more complicated than that, but I'll spare you the gory details.)
By God's grace and provision I was able to put in a cash offer and with a little adjustment and a few things added to the fine print, it was accepted. And so, God's faithfulness and provision continued to astound me.
I am humbled beyond words that He would gift me this home with so much of what I was dreaming of for myself. And to know that so much of the plan and the inner workings were nothing short of being hand crafted by the Master takes me to my knees in gratitude.
And so, I move forward. Still requiring myself to step back, combat the fear, release the control, and trust fully in His wonderful and perfect will for my life. I have a long way to go to making it the home I'm planning for, but God will reveal to me how best to use it in the mean time. I'm excited, terrified, humbled, and thankful to have the responsibility of caring for this beautiful place.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey. I hope you continue to follow the progress and be blessed by what God is teaching me along the way.
And of course, enjoy the view of my Home at the Grange.