Yesterday, we ventured into five houses. Tremorfa doesn't have a lot for sale at the moment. Currently, there are seven properties available for sale in Tremorfa (actually, if you do an online search you'd get ten but two have already been sold and one is currently on hold). That's not a big selection. And what comes on the market, goes quickly.
On a side note I have to be careful in my search to not go in with an American mindset. I can't look at what I could get for the same price in LP because that's not what I could get here. We know we are called to Tremorfa. So we know that means giving up a lot of those American standards. We will have one bathroom. Bedrooms will likely not have built in closets. American sized appliances will likely not be an option. One living room will be the norm. It will be a bonus to look at a house with an extra room for a dinning table. If you're in America, you probably don't believe me, but this is standard. I'm okay with it, but I have to keep my mindset that I am not buying a house in America. I'm buying a house in Wales. I'm buying a house where God has called Michael and I to do life. We love it here, and are content. I don't want to be envious or discontent by looking at houses where I haven't been called to live. With that being said...
Upon entering these houses, we knew three would immediately be crossed off the list. We couldn't live in them. One offered a backup option but we hope it won't come to that. And one is to be strongly considered.
One offered us the space I would love to have, but before we even went we knew price would keep this house from being a realistic possibility. This was the only house were we had decent space for a table. But once we saw it though we knew the location would drive us insane - no parking and the narrowest street I've been on in Tremorfa. We couldn't live here; it wasn't our house.
One smelled of curry. Curry is my favorite spice, but do I want my house to smell of it? And one thing I know about smells is you never know how long it will take for those smells to disappear. The house was dark. The house was damp. The house needed a lot of work. Emphasis on a lot of work. It's more than we can afford minus the work. We don't like it enough to under take that. We couldn't live here; it wasn't our house.
One was small, but realistically priced. It would need work. The kitchen was tiny; this gallery kitchen became tinier when passing the huge American sized refrigerator. I love an American sized frig as much as the next person, but I also like to be able to move in my kitchen. The local high school was our view - though it was green. Priced right...for someone yes. But for us? We couldn't live here; it wasn't our house.
One was nice. It was missing the third bedroom we would love, but the rooms were a decent size for Tremorfa. The gallery kitchen wasn't ideal, but it could work. The living room was a good size, despite the lovely lime green and blue flowered wallpaper. But wallpaper is minor and can easily be changed. Though it's not our favorite and we don't think it's our house, we wouldn't entirely rule it out.
And then there was one. To be honest this house was perfect. Move-in ready. Great floors. Except for the entrance and the stairs it's paint and not wallpaper (I have a strong dislike of wallpaper ever since the removal of the fuzzy wallpaper in my parents' house). An amazing backyard - where I could see an outdoor table and possibly a fire pit. A beautiful kitchen - much nicer than I thought we would find and could afford. It has the third bedroom we wanted. And the shower isn't electric (they have those here, and while they aren't the worst they aren't my top choice). More storage than I've seen. The living room is small but very nice. But what's the problem...the table. I want a decent space for a table, and this doesn't quite have it. You might think, "Caitlin, it's just a table, look at all the other amazing things." And I would say, "You're right. But I feel we need to have that table space." We might be able to make it work by moving the frig to the pantry but we would lose a lot of storage. It could be our house, but I'm struggling to picture myself in that house. I want to use our house to host people and I'm not sure this house would serve that purpose. Everyone has said it will feel right when you go into your house. And honestly something doesn't feel right.
But I like too much to want to lose it...and that's the struggle. Do we wait and hope something better comes? I have felt my word for this year is trust. And right now it's trusting God with moving forward in the house hunt.
Do I trust Him that if this is the house it will stay put for the mean time?
Do I trust Him if it's not for something better to come along?
Do I trust that even if this house doesn't quite have the space for my table, He has a higher purpose for putting us there?
Do I trust to risk this house and see Him provide?
So we move out this week in trust. Knowing we can't jump into this if one of us doesn't have peace about it. Knowing we can trust God, knowing He provides. So we wait. We pray. I am planning to visit the house again this week; I need to see it again before Michael and I can make a final decision either way.
Join us in prayer this week for this house hunt. Pray that God would confirm whether this is the house He desires us to do life in. Pray if it's not for something else to become available. Pray that we would have peace. I know we can trust Him. I know He is calling us to live in Tremorfa and I know He has a house of us.
So I will trust Him.
And you can trust Him, too. Whatever the challenge you face, the areas you need the Prince of Peace to meet you in, He will come. He promises that just as the lilies and the birds are cared for by our Father, so will we His children be cared for.
You are cared for.
You are loved.
You are His beloved.
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