Today we became somewhat official home owners-- in Saint Louis, Sandi! :)-- we can't back out, but we haven't closed. I am cautiously excited... writing the largest check of your life has a way of sobering you.
In the midst of our chaotic transition, I've at moments thought of engaged and meaningful posts that have never made it on the blog.
-There's the "I'm losing my mind" post,
-and the "what the *bleep*! have we done?" post,
-and then the "trauma in the shoe store" post...
-finally, not to be outdone, the "my children are surely going to have to see a counselor one day for THIS" post.
But I digress.
The fact remains that we walk, run, hurl ourselves headlong into the unknown with bits of faith, and fear, and anxiety, trust (and as of today, home ownership!) all mixed into one big ball.
We've enjoyed processing the last two days with other families who have also recently moved to the US from overseas. There is enormous comfort in knowing, we aren't the only insane ones out there.
Update on the house--we have a contract! This means that we now enter into the inspection period-- where as the buyer I'm comforted to know-- I have 10 more days to back out for any reason! We should know by Friday if there's anything else majorly wrong with the house, and a final decision, before we are offical home owners. Yikes! (The picture below-- that's the one!)
This morning we are waiting for a call from our realtor.We are waiting to hear if our housing contract has been accepted by the seller. It feels so austere and removed—we aren’t allowed to speak to sit down with him, shake his hand, or look him in the eye. Everything is mediated. So I don’t know anything about “the seller.”What does he think of our offer? What kind of a person was he, living in this house with his family for 20 years prior to selling it?I don’t know.But it’s agonizing to wait for the phone call.
When you are looking to buy a house, you start talking about what you desire in a home.This is all good and necessary—this kind of fence in the back yard; this kind of cabinets in the kitchen; this kind of flooring; and this size master bedroom; within this school district, etc… You categorize these into
I can’t live without this.
This would be a nice bonus.
There’s no way on earth would could afford that but wouldn’t it be cool if…
But at some point in the discussion you stop and think to yourself— “I wonder how the vegetable man in China would break up these categories?And you begin to do the dance between stating your desires for a home while remembering “this is not my home.”
So this morning, waiting on the realtor, as I was reading the end of Luke 23, I noticed something. Joseph (of Arimathea; the one who asked Pilate for Jesus’ body) was waiting for something too.
He was waiting for the kingdom of God.
And I began to wonder what other people in the New Testament were waiting for. Bigger pots? A nicer hut? Some land on the good side of Jerusalem?
-Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.”
-Anna spoke about the child to those who were “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
-Jesus tells a parable about being ready like those “waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.”
-Jude reminds us “Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
So while I’m waiting for a call from the realtor, I wonder,
The housing search has been a roller coaster ride. We took a trip last Sun-Thurs. to look for the house that shouted, "I'm the one"-- and that just hasn't happened. We walked away with 3 good options and waded into the process of making a contract. Offers...counter offers... it needs a new roof...sorry he's out of town for a week...maybe you should increase your cap just a WEE bit...Sorry won't do that...Meanwhile the days are clicking off the calender and we hope to move into a home by August 4th! Anxiety producing, yes! Anyhow, we hope to have a bona fide contract on this house by the end of tomorrow... more news to come!
Anyone know if the leaves on this tree in the fall will turn RED?
This is the first July 4th in many years I have celebrated as a resident of the United States. It feels awkward to even write that... like I'm talking about someone else. But, you can see what I mean:
July 4th, 1992: Costa Rica July 4th, 1994: Estonia July 4th, 1995: China July 4th, 1997: China July 4th, 1998: China July 4th, 1999: China July 4th, 2000: China July 4th, 2001: China July 4th, 2006: Singapore July 4th, 2007: Singapore July 4th, 2008: China
This list is to remind myself that these strange feelings I'm having today-- there's a reason for them. I tell you, it feels entirely different to celebrate your own country's national holiday in another country. It either makes you even MORE patriotic than normal, or it makes you feel like "our" way of viewing the world can be a bit narrow. I've felt both. And today? Well today, I'm just a person seeking to remember who I am in Christ, in the midst of the massive changes in our lives...holding to the foundation & freedom that is true no matter what it says on my passport!
You know what was really special about this July 4th? My dad & I climbed up on the roof of the house I grew up in and talked. We said we were going up there to watch fireworks-- (and my parents do have a great view of downtown San Antonio skyline from the roof-- who knew?)-- but after witnessing Chinese New Year celebrations out my bedroom window the last few years, I have to say that US fireworks just can't compare. (China did invent them, after all.) Back to my point. My dad and I talked. About life. On the roof. Treasured time.
Speaking of roofs, in the next post... I'll update our housing search... maybe we will have an address by then??
OK, this truly IS the last "goodbye China" post... :(
In all the upheaval of our move, we found a forgotten bag of fireworks, and decided it was the perfect way to spend our last evening in China. So after a AWESOME Chinese food dinner from our favorite restaurant that I already miss, we went out with a bang.
I'm back after 2 weeks of serious transition-- we left China the day after the last post, and it feels we have been gone already a LONG time! But I wasn't finished with the China goodbyes...
This post is for my dear friend Amy who came to spend the weekend with me 2 weeks before we left. Amy & I have been friends since our sophomore year in college, and the Lord has continued to weave our paths together in more ways than we could have expected. Never in the same city in China, but always taking every opportunity for a weekend rendezvous as only living in China could allow! In the early days before secure email, we passed long letters back and forth whenever anyone was traveling between cities, grateful to spill with a dear friend who was NOT in our own immediate situation. I can't count the number of times we have traveled to see each other. Saying goodbye to her wasn't really saying goodbye, because distance between cities, countries, miles & time zones has never impeded our friendship! I love you sweet friend!
We've settled in Saint Louis the last two years after a 10 year adventure in Asia. We have two daughters, 7 & 9, that are our constant joy and sanctification! We want to live life to the full--full of trust in God's goodness and rest in His infinite love.
