Almost exactly one year ago today, I was finishing up the last couple details of painting the main floor bathroom, when the phone rang. It was my landlord. He was bringing someone by to "show" the house on Saturday morning.
We love our house, we love our neighborhood, we love where we live...
We were shocked. We had no idea.
So the following Saturday morning, I made sure to clean up really well and we left for several hours. We heard nothing from the landlord for several days. We did not know the house had been listed for sale since we were living here. (for over a year)
The following Tuesday, I got a call from an Auctioneer. He called to give me the details, someone would be out to take pictures, someone would be out to do this and that. I was speechless. I finally stuttered out enough, that he grasped that I had not known any of this prior to his call. He felt awful. He and I had good talk. He was able to explain how the process would work.
Over the next two weeks, I went through varying stages of panic and peace...
I did a lot of praying. My church family gathered around us.
Then almost exactly 2 weeks later I got a call that would forever change my life. We got a foster placement.
So now I was a widow with 6 kids under the age of 9 and my house was about to be sold over auction by my landlord.
This was a time in my life when I was glad for a deep rooted faith in God. This was a rather wild storm....
I was very thankful for Mr and Mrs. S during this time, without their support I would not have been able to handle the stress, the sleepless nights, the open house, and the decision making.
I prayed and prayed... several things led me to believe that I was not to be looking for a new house. So in faith I worked on getting a loan. With a bit of digging and asking questions around the neighborhood, I found out that the landlord had financial trouble and NEEDED to sell the house. I also found out he needed a lot more for the house then what I was able to get in a loan. But in faith I prepared to buy it.
I had my moments of wavering. Moments of looking for other housing, because really I had a housefull of kids, who were relying on me to provide a home and 30 days after auction did not seem like a lot of time to find something.
My church rallied around us, joining us in prayer, bringing different homes, for rent and for sale, to my attention. We had prayer meetings. I shared what I felt God was telling me, and they respected my decision making, even if they thought I was a little crazy. ;)
It was a time of faith building. Trust building.
So we are now down to the day of the auction. Mr S came early to discuss last minute concerns, we went over my loan paperwork...
The auctioneer and the landlord arrived. Several people from church came to show support. We prayed together.
Neighbors far and wide showed up.
The auction started..
I had asked Mr. S to do the bidding for me. I couldn't breathe...
Bidding stalled with us at the highest bidder, right at my limit....
The landlord and auctioneer went inside to confer...
I still didn't dare breathe....
They came back out. No, sorry they couldn't let it go at that bid. I had nothing more. I couldn't go higher. My heart dropped.
What would I do with my family? How would I move? How would I tell my kids?
Meanwhile, a new bidder had jumped in. I couldn't think. Bidding went on...
It stopped.. the high bidder, the landlord and the auctioneer went inside. I couldn't think clearly.
Mr. S asked if me if I knew the high bidder. I stopped and my brain fog cleared! I breathed...
Yes, I did! I did.. It was my neighbor, who owned a nice property right below mine. A home clearly established for his family.
I knew in that moment without a doubt.... that God had answered my prayers.
Right there on my driveway we gathered and praised God. He had answered better then we could have imagined.
No, I was not able to buy the house, but the new owners were a Mennonite family.
This man had not planned on buying the house when he arrived at the auction.
He had to go home to get his checkbook. ;)
We prayed, God led, Mr and Mrs. M.S obeyed.
Its yet another story that only God could write.
A year later we feel blessed to be living here. Blessed to have gotten to know the new landlords as friends, who also became my employers... oh and they are foster/adoptive parents too!!
