I was grateful to have a couple of days with her before the MTC, and then really grateful for the angels, seen and unseen making her departure easier. The MTC is SO organized, and so full of guiding helpers, that I felt more at ease, and then feeling Dad SO CLOSE there, was a huge comfort (I know, she was the one leaving, not me!). I LOVED sharing a little glimpse with Mom (thought I really wanted to steal away as her companion!) there--I got to be there as her nametag was put on--a reverent moment!--and see a little of where she'd be. Of course Dad felt near--as he's certainly doing nonstop missionary work himself--that MTC was like a temple, in that it tied us to Heaven. It binds the earthly efforts to the Heavenly ones, and I felt like we (okay, they) were all part of one great army!!--it was powerful, and really thinned the veil, so that I could let go of Mom, and believe she'd be okay. Those mixed up feelings of feeling God's hand and feeling pain simultaneously reminded me of Dad's funeral though, and I yearned in a real way for that day of tears being wiped away!
It was SO fun to hear little details of her experiences (and HUMBLE HEART!) and training--especially the section in her booklet entitled "Naps"! (for senior missionaries only!)--and I loved that she was there with my sweet niece Masina, who found her nearly EVERY day among those throngs of people!!
He told me to come to the edge
I said, "I'll Fall"
He told me to come to the edge
I said, "I'll Fall"
He told me to come to the edge
He pushed!
I FLEW!
5 weeks of showings (4-5 a week, and not one offer yet)
Our family (even 7 year old Anne!) fasted at the beginning of July specifically that:
1-we would be able to move before school starts &
2-we would find a house that we could be excited about moving to
My faith must be strong, because following that fast,
I had a really stressed week, trying to constantly push back these kinds of thoughts:
-"How do we start school here when every non-summer thing is in storage?"
-"What if the house sells mid-year, and I have to leave my oldest behind to finish her Senior year?"
-"How do I teach my children about when God answers our prayers differently than we had hoped?"
A (LONG) week later, I am out to lunch with my Visiting Teachers, and the kids run to Merritt's for the house to be shown, and even when I get back from lunch an hour later, the people are still here looking.
I text our agent in hope, and he says they called right after finishing, making it look promising, and by that night, we did indeed have a good offer (just $5K below asking, and wanting to close in 3 weeks!). !!! HUGE GRATITUDE (accompanied by that pit in the stomach feeling since we are now back to moving for real, which we were never really excited about in the first place!)!! It truly felt miraculous after that anxious week!
We accept the offer, and plan on Monday afternoon to look for a home.
(NOTHING is listed that even begins to catch our eye as meeting our needs)
Still calm--because having half of our pleadings answered made me a lot more confident the other half would come together too (And I know patterns in my own life enough by now to know things will probably not work out in a simple or expected way). I was just sure something else would open up, or a contract on one of the other houses we had loved would fall through, etc., etc.
We decide to include Tremonton in our looking (20 minutes north of Brian's office), since there is so little to choose from (we were actually prepared, since we saw an Amazing House go by a few weeks ago in a great neighborhood up there)
House #2 turns out to have some real potential! Older, but fairly well maintained, and in a good area.
House #3--around the corner from House #2 (and ironically from Amazing House too!) is GORGEOUS!! We almost missed it--listed as 4 Bedroom, but it has a 5th windowless room downstairs, as well as 2 more unfinished ones--totally workable. Full-grown garden area, raspberries, peach trees, playground, huge basketball area, and enormous 3rd car garage (read: Brian's longed-for shop!) It's all that we'd hoped for and then a lot more, and because it's in Tremonton, still well within our price range. The neighborhood is lovely, and walking distance to all of the schools! The basement bathroom will need to be finished (quickly), but if that's our greatest discomfort, we'll sing happy songs!
Every house we looked at after PALED in comparison, and the decision felt SO EASY! (which from some discussions we've had over houses we've seen in this process, is also a miracle!)
MIRACLE--in 96 hours, we have a buyer for our home and a place we are all excited to move to! They were even fine to let us move in in such short time--and two weeks before school!
We will fast in gratitude next week for answered prayers and blessings of missionaries. Because of all of the elements that have been out of our control, from the flooding to the timing of selling, and who needed our home, and what houses were for sale when, we feel quite exactly guided. We did our best, and then have taken only the steps that were open to take. Watching Mom embark on her new adventures has, in our own small way, really paralleled that reliance on the Lord, waiting to hear our assignments, and trust that He has a plan for us. As sad as we are to leave the wonderfulness of Syracuse, we again feel that duality of sorrow in loss, with joy in God's will. And somehow, the joy (and the flying) is made more beautiful because of the sorrow! It will be a fun adventure, but we are SO grateful to feel peace that we're going where/when we need to be going.
