I always wanted to be a Missionary. Now that I have four children at home, seven in Heaven, I realize that my Mission Field is my backyard and my family and I are a testimony to Life!! Here I recount my musings, my stories, thoughts, and adventures as a Mommy and as a Missionary helping to build the Culture of Life! Won't you join me?

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Home Sweet Home

I would like to tell you a story.  Its a true story.  About our home.  Now this may sound boring to you, however if you have read any of the other stories on this blog you'd know that our lives are anything BUT boring.

Five years ago my husband was being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps after serving two enlistments (that's 8 years for you civilians out there).  We were living on a military base at the time, and of course had to move as you don't get to live on a base or post as an enlisted (ahem, not officer) service-member unless you are active duty.  The trouble was we had no idea when or where we would  move.  We new God was telling us our time as a military family was up, but He was keeping us in the dark about the rest!

We eventually discerned that we were to move to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  Through a series of what some would call random, but what we knew to be Providential events my husband became the Executive Director of a non-profit that had stalled and was charged with resurrecting it.  This at least provided us with some sort of income potential (though it wasn't enough to really live off of).  We knew that we were eligible for benefits from the Veterans Association upon discharge so we were planning to use that as rent to get us on our civilian feet.

As the days wound down and "moving day" approached, we STILL had no house to move to!  We were praying, trusting, and feeling a bit like Shadrach, Mishaq, and Abednego in the fiery furnace!  Finally the day before we were to move out (we had the boxes packed and the u-Haul ready!) we took a last-ditch, Hail Mary trip to the area the non-profit was to be located.  We were shown a few dirty, broken down apartments that we knew we could not raise 4 children in (I was pregnant with our fourth at the time).  We walked back to our car confounded.  What were we to do!?

My husband sat behind the wheel and prayed aloud to St. Joseph. He asked God to show us.  Right in front of us was a Realtor's Office.  We looked at each other.  Why not!?

We entered the office and my husband explained the situation to a wonderful Realtor while I entertained our bored but very patient children.  The next thing I knew we were being shown 3 different homes - a single family home with a yard, a townhome, and an apartment.  All were just in our rental budget, all were move-in ready, and they were in the perfect location.  My husband and I discussed it.  We told the realtor that the single family home with a fenced in yard was perfect.  He contacted the landlords.  We sat in his office for a few hours while the details were worked out.  We faxed over an application, made phone calls and wrote a letter explaining how we would be able to pay rent every month.  The lovely realtor told us he would call us as soon as he heard from them.

We began the 2 hour drive back to the base.  Praying and trusting.  At 10pm the Realtor called. He said the landlords had agreed and would meet us at the house the next day to finalize paper work and give us the keys! We had a home!

We moved in the next day! God came through - and in truly Divine fashion, He showed off a bit - giving me some very obvious signal graces that led me to not doubt for a moment that He had orchestrated everything.

That was five years ago.

Now, we are still living in the same house, except we OWN it! No less than another miracle, I assure you. Our former landlords said initially that they weren't interested in selling. Well, after 5 years, their minds changed!  The offered to sell us the house for an INSANELY low amount!  Well below market value. We were told we had to either buy it or move as they are trying to streamline their lives a bit and didn't want to be landlords anymore. We had no idea how we would be able to buy a house!  We had declared bankruptcy 4 years earlier when the NonProfit that hired my husband cut costs by letting him go, and then the economy crashed around us. Yet, we stepped out in faith and, not knowing anything about buying a home, with my credit in the gutter (almost dying is VERY expensive - I am still paying medical bills!) we kept trusting and putting one foot in front of the other.

For reasons beyond understanding, we were approved again and again. Inspections, applications, loan officers, etc.  Every time we got through another approval my husband and I would look at each other confounded.  We closed on the house in July.  It is ours.  We never intended to be homeowners at this moment in time, but God had other plans.

In fact His plans have now placed us in a situation that we could have NEVER imagined.  As more and more people are going on public assistance, as more and more cant find work, as ObamaCare is destroying income, we are stable, we are somehow isolated from it. As if we are in a bubble of protection that is sheltering us.  We got OFF public assistance, we, for the first time ever, have enough to live off of, we are finally able to pay the long over due medical bills that I accrued after all our losses.  My husband is moving up in his job into management.  His company has done so well even during the horrid economic slide that it isn't changing insurance policies! None of this is our doing, none of it we could have foreseen.  It is simply a result of following along one step at a time, the path that God placed before us.

If I had to guess, I would say that Mary is quietly behind it all.  Protecting her children.  Mary has more and more (especially since after Lolek's death) been calling us to trust her motherhood.  When I was little I remember reading messages that she gave to different people - Fr. Gobi, Garabandal, Fatima.  One thing stood out.  She said those consecrated to her, those who place themselves beneath her mantle of Motherly protection, will be taken care of.  She will watch over and protect them.  As I write this post I cant help but remember that promise.  I see firsthand how she has kept it. I see how abandonment to God and trust in His Mother's intercession has kept us from experiencing so much.  Sure, we've had our sufferings, and yes, out share of pain and loss.  But those losses, those sufferings those crosses, they all had a purpose. Drawing us to deeper trust, to deeper conversion, to a deeper faith so that we may more boldly walk forward amidst all that is going on around us, confident in the Love that Our Father has for us and in His Mercy and Providence.

I don't know what the future holds. I have stopped trying to figure that out. I do know, that right now, I sit here in my slightly messy, "just the right size for us" house and I am confident that whatever it holds God will be in control and we will continue to Trust Him and hold His Mother's Hand as she leads us ever closer to Him.