Operation House Hunt

Well...the weather ended up not presenting as much of an obstacle as we first thought, so we made the trip to Arkansas this weekend after all. Isn't God amazing?!

We anticipated this weekend to be grueling to say the least. The task of finding a suitable dwelling place for my family in only one weekend seem daunting. A few specific things made us particularly pensive about this adventure: we needed a landlord who would allow us to sign less than a year's lease; we needed someplace that would allow pets (we have a cat named Mittens); we needed a neighborhood I would not fear leaving my family in; we were concerned about homeschooling support in the area (we homeschool our two younger kids); and we wanted to find the right church family for the six plus months we (mostly my family) will live there.

We set out first thing Friday morning expecting the adventure to take all day and even possibly take us into Saturday. By 10:30, we had signed a contract and put down a deposit on a lovely brick home in a great neighborhood. The landlord allows pets without requiring a ridiculous deposit (and the house doesn't look like it was a kennel). After hearing of our situation, she told us she would rent to us whatever the length of time we needed. After we signed that contract, we randomly stopped at a Christian bookstore because we needed to pick up a gift. The lady who runs this store formerly homeschooled her kids so she was well acquainted with the homeschooling groups and resources in the area, and she attends the church we felt led to attend first upon arriving finally in Arkansas. All I can say is "Wow...God is truly amazing."

The fact of the matter is this: God does not always move so decisively. Paul points out this fact in Philippians 4 when he says he learned how to get along with a lot and also with a little learning to be content in whatever his circumstances. Paul's says that Christ's strength gives him the ability to handle situations regardless of the amount of physical provision. (So many people misquote and misapply Phil. 4:13.) I write this to say to anyone who may read this for whom God may not be moving so decisively that just because you may not experience a bulk of provision does not mean God is not working for you. Paul himself told us that he did not always have EVERYTHING he needed, but he always had enough to get by. Sometimes God blesses by providing for every need beyond imagination. Sometimes God blesses us with the wisdom, maturity, and knowledge of Him that He gives only through times of difficulty. Either way...God blesses. As far as our current situation, God is choosing to bless us with the bounty in this move we are making (just like many of you, we have experienced plenty of the times of learning the difficult lessons...but we have always had enough.) So this provision gives wonderful confirmation that we are indeed following His path, and I will say again: Thank you, Father.

Okay...one humorous story and then I will end this blog. We went out to eat last night, but my father-in-law stayed home because he did not feel like getting out, so we ordered a meal to bring back to him: teriyaki chicken. On the way home, my wife and her mother had to stop at the grocery store for a few things, and I waited in the car with the kids. When Andrea and her mom got back into the van, a rather bad smell wafted in as well. Arkansas is pretty famous for its chicken farms, and they emit quite an odor. My five year old son perked his nose into the air and blurts out "What's that smell?" I chuckled and said "It's just the chickens." He looks thoughtful for a moment and then taps Paw-paw's meal and says "This chicken?" I can only imagine what he visualized that we brought home for Paw-paw to eat!