Update Tuesday 15/03/11

Well, it was a bit of a whirlwind week as we made the final push to get our house on the market.  All the details of the listing were done by Thursday, and Thursday night we had our first showing.  The next morning our real estate agent called to let us know that we had our first offer, and after one sign back, we had a conditional sale of our house at full asking price!  God continues to show us that he is in fact real and at work.  Thank you for all those who continue to pray.
I would ask for continued prayer as we now focus on finding a house in our new neighbourhood in Hamilton.  We are actually in some initial negotiations right now for a house that would really serve our needs, both for family and ministry.  There is a bit of a God story with this one as well.  Kim and I went to our first open houses back in the fall in order to get a sense of the neighbourhood and the kind of houses we might be looking at in the spring.  We knew we were not looking to buy, and were quite up front about that when visiting the houses.  In the very first house we visited, we met the real estate agent that we are currently using.  I have mentioned before, that when we expressed that we were not looking to buy at that time, this real estate agent actually spent more time with us chatting about the neighbourhood, what we did, what we were going to do, our family etc.  We hung out in the kitchen for a while and just chatted.  Nor did she ever try a hard sell for her services when we were ready to look, which was a refreshing difference from the rest of our afternoon.  One thing I may not have mentioned earlier is that we also met some friends of hers, a contractor and his wife, who also spent time chatting about the neighbourhood and the city.  They were very nice and were really helpful in giving us things to look for when looking at older homes within the city.  Well, here we are a number of months later, and that very couple is actually nearing completion of a renovation that they have been involved in for the last number of months.  Our real estate agent asked if we wanted to get into the house early and have a look.  They are doing amazing work!  We knew that the house could really be a good match for us but, in all honesty, based on the renovations they were doing, and based on all the other houses we have been seeing, we thought that there is a good chance that it would be out of our price range.  We decided to check with our real estate agent and ask her if they would be willing to negotiate even before it hits the market.   We were really honest about our budget and explained that we were not trying to low ball but that we loved the house and that our budget is what it is.  We also then threw it out there, that to really work for us, and to have the option of a rental space, would they consider finishing the basement!  They didn't laugh us off, and we are actually in negotiations.  We are crunching numbers and working with our bank and they are crunching numbers about a realistic price for them to finish the basement.  We would ask that you would continue to pray that God would stir in their hearts, that we might find favour in their sight and that we could come to an agreement that is mutually agreeable and fair to all involved.  We would also ask you to pray about the possible relationships that might emerge as God seems to have brought these individuals into our life.
This Sunday we  have the opportunity to visit the Sanctuary in Oakville, where we lived and served for a number of years before coming up to Milton.  I will be sharing the message as well as our story and what God has been stirring in our hearts.  We are really excited about the opportunity to head back to where this journey really started for us.