Desperation and Provision

Thank you, friends, for your prayers. As you know we’ve been searching for a rental home for 3 months now to no avail. It’s been very stressful as we were running out of time. I have been commuting to work (1.5 hours each way) and going over three snowy mountain peaks each way to do so. At times it has been dangerous. I’ve watched one car go over an embankment and two flip upside down. Twice I had to turn around and go home. A couple of times, I had to spend the night in Portland. God kept me safe…and kept me guessing.

Oh where, oh where was His perfect house for US?

No Yards!

After several showings of houses I just couldn’t see working (especially ones no room for the veggies I love to grow and with NO yard for Mocha and/or chicken wire fences she would gladly spring over to chase a fellow creature), I felt rather discouraged.

It appeared God had brought us home to Oregon, only to not provide a longer-term home. Counter-intuitive and counter-productive. I continued to choose to trust on an hourly basis while you and my co-workers/friends at work prayed. I kept looking at listings, completed walk-throughs and again (firmly) turning it all over to His care. But the stress was high.

A House in Repair

A couple of months ago we dismissed a house that was being repaired and the owner recently messaged and said it was almost ready. She sent updated pictures. I decided to go walk through, but I almost canceled. Instead, the owners worked around my two schedule changes. But desperation is….desperation, right? Yes, I can say it. I felt desperate. Although the house was a bit out of the way, we had to find one. Within the week.

I walked in the house finally and before I was in the entryway, clearly heard in my heart, “THIS is your house”. Okaaaay. First I’d heard that one. I completed the tour and asked about the application process carefully, ever in mind that we had already had a turn-down elsewhere in favor of another tenant. (It’s much like being rejected for a date – makes it much harder to ask the second time. Lol)

I tried hard not to dance OUT the door after I saw this wonderful home and realized that it was priced under what all the other, imperfect ones were at. I then floated to the car and sat literally shaking with adrenaline as I sent my husband a text, “This is our house.”

This Is Our House

“OK,” he said. (Gotta love him! If it had been me I probably would have said “but what about…”)! I couldn’t start driving for five minutes as I trembled, thanked God, and dared to hope.

The application process was simple and online. We turned it in while hubby was on an overnight layover at our local airport and paid half the nonrefundable credit check fees that other landlords were charging. In addition, they only required backgrounds for hubby and I, not including oldest son as others have done.

After I saw the new pictures I said “so it needs a fridge, washer and dryer?” And they answered, “if you need a fridge, we’ll get you one.” As I toured through with the husband owner (my first time touring and first time meeting him), he informed me that the fridge would arrive the next day.

But We Have A Dog…and a Bunny…and a Gecko

I later reminded them we had a dog and would try to keep muddy footprints off the carpet and they replied, “Eh, we have a dog. Everyone has a dog. We aren’t worried.”

Later I told them that we might need a couple of days before April to get moved in as April 1 is a Monday and we both work. They said “no problem. House is yours. We have no issues passing the keys as soon as we finish carpet installation.”

May I note here that although we will pay them, we haven’t yet done so?

I informed them the next day that we needed to leave for a family funeral in PA so couldn’t return the papers yet….but we love the house…and they said “done deal. The house is still yours. We won’t rent it to anyone else.”

Then I had to let them know what should have been the final straw- there is a REPTILE in our home. Eeek! They laughed.

Facebook Made the Match

The wife told her husband that we were supposed to be the tenants after I posted our need on a Facebook group and we then communicated more. Two months ago. Two long months of us not finding a decent home.

Tonight we signed our lease. I respectfully mentioned that I love to plant veggies. They answered that we can plant whatever we want-as long as it isn’t bamboo. They then went on to offer our favorite food-berries! In the Spring and Summer their new acreage produces more than they can use. Are we interested in taking some off their hands? (This was after the boys and I were lamenting the lack of decent winter berries at our local markets yesterday).

Desperation….not such a bad place when we let God work in His timing. It pays off.