Big Prayers Big Answers Part 1

I've been working myself up to writing this post.  It's a daunting task.  I mean, when God parts the Red Sea it just doesn't seem to do it justice to say, "God parted the Red Sea."  With those words you can't see the height of the walls of water on either side.  You can't feel the dry sand and rocks under your feet.  You don't hear the shouts of joy from the shore or the screams of terror as the water washes away the Egyptians.  
And yet, I have to try... So I will do my best to tell you about our miracle...(the most recent one anyway;) )

In June of 2012, we began selling and donating our belongings...virtually all of them.  We continued through the summer.  By the time we moved out of our home in September, we had two beds (ours and the boy's bunkbed), a TV our music equipment, a few boxes of keepsakes and books, and a few personal belongings.  By March of 2014, even the beds were gone.  We are truly troubadours for Jesus.  

Although God has blessed our ministry tremendously and we feel an indefinite call to this touring ministry, we also have felt a growing need for some stability.  We need a home.  So, in the spring of 2014 we began praying for one.  We didn't know what that would look like or even really what we hoped for.  All we knew was a desire to have a place to settle in between tours.

This longing and need has continually increased and so have our prayers!

We prayed for
    - space - to spread out, to move without bumping into or stepping over things, to set up our recording equipment, to be alone to write/pray/think/study/be, to spread out LEGO creations, to wrestle, to have guests
    - internet - to book concerts/church services, to blog, to email, to update our website, to share youtube videos
    - a yard - for the boys to run, jump, yell, and get dirty in
    - someone to watch our 'home' when we are on tour
    - a location convenient and central to our touring areas of Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California
    - a Christian "community" to fellowship with when we are home
    - a way to minister in whatever community God put us in

Now, pause for a moment.  I need to fill you in on some (seemingly unrelated) things that God was doing in each of us as individuals, in the meantime.

1.       Our desire to spend time in the Seattle area began to decrease slightly.  Now, if you live there and love us, please don’t take offense.  We love you too and our desire to be with you didn’t decrease, just our desire to be in the city amongst the hustle and bustle, traffic, and buildings.  As our time in Montana increased, so did our love for it.

2.       My boys became straight up dog OBSESSED!  If you know my family, you know they come by that honestly.  But, we haven’t had a dog since Noah was a baby and Josh is…NOT a dog person.  Add that to the fact that we live cramped in a tiny trailer and are supported by many as missionaries –having a dog is not in our foreseeable future.

3.       Up until this past December, we had very minimal monthly bills, so paying rent or a small mortgage seemed possible, but in December we invested in a newer truck to haul our trailer and found ourselves bound to a greater monthly budget.

4.       We had several pastors and friends encourage us to do a ministry tour to the mid-west.  WE have begun strongly considering that, but it’s sooo far to drive!

Okay, back to a home... As we continued to pray for a home, Josh and I began thinking through what we may or may not be able to do to acquire a home.  We brainstormed about the what (house, apartment?), the where (Western Washington, Eastern Washington, Southern Washington, Montana?), and the how (rent, buy, build?).   Here are a few things we had to consider:

After months and months of prayer, we decided to move forward with actively looking for a home.  We began searching for houses or property in a few areas that seemed potentially affordable.  We looked south of Olympia, WA, south of Spokane, WA and in several places in Montana.  We still had no idea how we could or would make buying or renting possible, but we decided to prayerfully move forward and see what God would do.

And you will NEVER believe what our Mighty God has done!

To be continued...(smirk)

Update: You can read the rest of this story here:
http://www.stilllearningtofollow.com/still-learning-to-follow/big-prayers-big-answers-part-2

and here:
http://www.stilllearningtofollow.com/still-learning-to-follow/big-prayers-big-answers-part-3