Home Sweet Home

FYI: I am normally not into long blogs but I didn't want to spare any details.

Well, after 4 years and countless talks about selling our house, we have officially listed it with an agent. Chip and I have always been burdened by our school debt. This is usually what has driven our desire to sell. In the past we would occassionally check to see what houses were for sale and where we could make a buck or several thousand. Nothing ever panned out. When we returned from Brazil we were praying one day as a staff team. Casey Williamson prayed that all of our houses would be used for ministry and would be always open to the students. I immediately started crying and praying for God to open doors for us to move closer to campus. We live 4 miles from campus which doesn't sound like a lot but it is when you think about people just dropping by. Students have commented/complained for years about how far it is to our house. So, we started looking. Everything in south Louisiana is high right now. Houses around the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University are outrageous! A house came up that needed some work, but we were up for the challenge. Then we found out that it had a cracked slab. We were not up to this challenge or the expense it would take to fix it. So, we kind of slacked off on the pursuit.

This week's order of events: After church last Sunday we went out to eat and ran into my old boss. Later that day I realized I had a voice mail but my phone died before I could charge it. While it was charging I spent time in the Word using an Amy Charmichael devotion. The chapter was on prayer. I was challenged to really ask God for our needs. I spent time praying specifically about a house less than 1 mile from campus. Afterwards I checked my voice mail. It was from my old boss. She called to tell me (without knowing we were looking) of a house near her (4 blocks from campus) that was for lease. We hadn't even considered this option until then because rent right now is close to $1000/mth in Hammond. But, Chip called the realtor and this one was affordable! Before we even went inside it we got counsel from several people we respect, including some men who are certified in Crown Financial Ministries. Everyone gave us the go ahead. So, on Monday we met with the realtor and saw the rental. Wednesday we had a sign in our yard. Friday we had our first showing. Can't wait to see what the next days will hold.

Oh yea, this sale will allow us to pay off ALL of our debt!