It's a PRAISE PARTY!!!!

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! 

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.

{Psalm 27:13-14} 

I marked those verses in my Bible on July 20th, 2014, three days before we signed an offer on the house in Greentown...the one Ryan owned when we got married.

And it is with deep joy that both Ryan and I are excited to share this news with you today:  

One hundred and forty-one days after Ryan accepted an offer on the house, he signed the final paperwork, and we turned this home over to its new owners...a family we have been praying over for many weeks now.

Our hearts faltered many times {mine more than his...my faith is so weak sometimes}, and we faced way more than our share of disappointments and delays in this journey. We wondered, at times, if this day would EVER come. I dreamed about this post...about sharing this news with you...and today, my eyes are filled with tears because I get to shout praises to the Lord and see His goodness in this answer to thousands of prayers.

I am trying to figure out how to best organize the information I want to tell you, and I think for today, I'm going to resort to good ole bullet points.

* This house is more than a house. This is a home. This is where Ryan began his journey of adulthood and homeownership. He has a million memories made in this place and all of them made him the man he is today, and those walls forever hold the memories. This was his home. He labored over it and in it. He made it better. He grew and changed and became even more of God's man within this place. Even though he and I never lived together here, we have some great and pivotal memories of life in this place. It is a home, and we are excited beyond words for the family taking possession. We have prayed that their memories here will be sweet and long-lasting.

* We actually started the journey to sell this house right after we got married...so almost two years ago. We put it up for sale ourselves, immediately found a family who wanted to buy it, did everything we could to make that possible for them, but that didn't work out. They moved out a year later, leaving a lot of necessary repairs behind...along with the two of us, feeling confused, frustrated, disappointed, and betrayed. This was when my faith started to falter big time. I was angry that Ryan had been so giving and so kind...and was left with even more work, more bills, and more heartache.

* This past spring, we listed the house again, this time with a realtor, and we waited...and waited...and waited. The house saw a lot of traffic, but no offers. And finally, in July, an offer. We were elated. SURE that the answer was just around the corner. And then....

* ...delay after delay after delay. If I told you the full story of everything that happened, I would be scraping your jaw off the floor in no time. Things that NEVER happen to anyone...happened to us, and sometimes more than once. Our poor buyers had to work harder than anyone ever should to fulfill demands. And even after everything was done, they had to start completely OVER and resubmit everything again from the beginning. We were devastated. And I'm sure they were too. We were promised a closing many times, and every single time...delayed.

* Yesterday, we were scared to hope. Scared to believe "the day" was really here. I had cried SO many tears. I had wrestled for the life of my faith on more than one occasion. Ryan had wrestled in his own way, yet I cannot tell you how thankful I am that he found a way to constantly lead us steadily before the Lord on this tumultuous path.

* He circled the house {literally} in prayer. We both made trips there to pray within its walls. We had come-to-Jesus prayer meetings at our own house. We made trips to the campus prayer chapel. We prayed while we worked out. We begged for prayer from others on the days when we were not enough on our own.

The road was long and hard, and this close to the answer, I can honestly tell you I have no idea why it took so long. Why the delays. Why the obstacles. Why the maddening ridiculousness. Makes NO sense to me. But I do know - and I knew all along, though it was hard to keep it in front of me at times - that this timing has been in God's hands, and He hasa reason.

Today we REJOICE that God has lifted this burden. We REJOICE in the freedom this answer has brought us. We REJOICE for the family who has worked so hard for this home and now calls it theirs.

And, our dear bloggy friends...we cannot thank you enough for your prayers, your love, your encouraging words, throughout this entire journey. You lifted us and carried us in the times when we were weak. You loved us and though you may have been annoyed and weary...you hung in there and walked the road. This victory is one we share with you, because you were in the thick of it with us.

Thank you...and please praise the Lord with us today!