I hate long entries (transalation:
anything longer than a paragraph and a half) and that won't be possible
with this entry even if I save the story of all the top secret white
dainty goat intel that my undercover goat agent has obtained over the last few days for my next post. But let's suffice it to say that the goat police
will finally, once and for all, be silenced about her mad ravings about
the goat picture up there to the left of my blog. So since this is
already getting long, for the sake of brevity, please choose from the
following options:
Push One for the story about how my finance agent did not come back with the rate we expected.
Push Two for my real live true honest Christmas story six years ago.
Push Three
to hear about how the “happy good luck we're so glad and praying for
you for the possibility of a new house” comments from my last
entry totally made me almost cry.
Push
four to see why Jay From Cleveland earned a full sized chocolate house
from me and to learn why Paul Suarez the distinguished publisher of The
Old Schoolhouse Magazine is going to take legal action against Jay From
Cleveland and perhaps put a contract out on his life.
Did you people really try pushing any numbers on your keyboard? Because I totally would have tried.
Number 1: The Story of My Finance Attempt
Ok, so in my last post I dreamed about the possibility of getting the
beautiful House of Igarashi. This would only be possible if we got the
loan terms we needed (which I knew from the get go was unlikely because
of past credit history). So anyhow, we figured that if we got an
interest rate of no higher than 8% that we could get the place.
At the very most, we could consider 8.25%, but there is just no way we
could justify moving forward with loan terms any higher than
that. Despite my nervousness, I still felt semi-confident that
the loan agent would go through all of our stuff and come back at an 8%
interest rate, or if we got really lucky maybe it would come back at
7.5% but it did not. The bank guy called yesterday and said they could give us a loan at a rate of 6.75%.
So then I had a heart attack and dropped dead because that is just
plain impossible. I still get shakey when I talk about it. So we
are now officially in escrow with my dream house and should be able to
move in on Jan 22.
Number 2: The Story of My Christmas Six Years Ago: So
like six years ago life was so hard for my family that I was always
finding myself wishing that God would drop several large elephants on
our house and just end it all. Our life was pretty close to being
in ruins. Geo worked about 16 hours a day (self employed) and yet
we were so poor that our electricity and phone was always in danger of
being cut off (sometimes it was cut off). I was pregnant with
Dippy and on bedrest, and we had just lost our home and were living in
a neighborhood where men would beat up their wives in the middle of the
street. This place was scare E. I hated life so bad.
So Christmastime rolled around and I was bummed about it. All our
kids were little and I decided not to hang up stockings or get a tree
because there was literally nothing we could give them that year.
I didn't get too sad at the thought of that only because I knew that
missionaries in Africa or other places around the world couldn't give
their kids presents either… and life just goes on. So I was
determined not to feel sorry for myself or my kids. Anyhow, Geoff
was gone a lot and my best friend who never left me or let me down was
my sister Gena (who was also dirt broke). On the day before
Christmas Eve she had been staying with me since I was on
bedrest. It was getting late at night and Geo was still gone. Me
and Gena were in the living room and suddenly there was a burst of
horrendous banging at the door. It nearly sent us into joint
heart failure. Coie went wide eyed and whispered, “Should I call
911?” I was so scared. We just sat there frozen, and then
'they' began pounding on the door again. So in an effort to get
them to go away, I screamed –in my loudest most ferocious voice– at
the door, “Get away from here” ( I had recently watched a show on
survival that if you act mean and not afraid that many times the
predator will think you are too much to handle and will find another
victim). Well it worked. The banging stopped and everything
went silent. We sat frozen forever, wondering if they had really
left, and then carefully and so quietly, Gena tiptoed to the front door
and peeked out the little eyehole thingy, and she was like, “Oh my gosh
Jenefer, you're not going to believe this”, then she swung open the
door, and there, on our front doorstep was a tree and a pile of
Christmas presents for my children. The whole point of my story
is two-fold. God was the God of us when we were at our most
desperate and God is the God of us when we are blessed more than we can
even conceive. He is worthy of our praise and worship… and
would still have been even if the banging on the door would have been a
gang of house jackers who had come to kill us dead. Being a
Christian is not about us. It is about Him. He is always worthy of our praise and adoration in the good times and in the bad times. My second point is that He uses people
to show His amazing love and grace. I want to always be available
to be used by Him to bless others like the way that crazy Christian
family came pounding on my door to bless us six years ago. I
still don't know who they were, but God does. God bless them, I'm
tearing up like a big blubbering baby just thinking about their
kindness.
Number Three: Nice Comments
I was so blessed by knowing that people were praying for us with the
whole house thing. That sort of thing really means a lot to
me.
Number Four: Jay From Cleveland, you are such a
genius. Thanks for posting the best Christmas present ever (here it is
for the world to see):
 Posted by jayfromcleveland
(Forgive me LORD for I know not what I do…)
He's bad, he's mean, he's a space cowboy with a laser beam! He's…
HOMESCHOOL HOMEBOY!
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!
|
on December 24th, 2005 at 12:17 pm
Congratulations!!
What a wonderful Christmas present (the house and the surprise at the door). You are truly blessed.
Merry Christmas,
Wyndee
on December 24th, 2005 at 12:19 pm
I managed to comment first!!
Everybody else must be making desserts and cookies for tomorrow (which is what I’m supposed to be doing now). 😉
Wyndee
on December 24th, 2005 at 12:40 pm
PTL
I’m SO happy for ya’ll! Now I’ll take Gena up on the offer to move in with you:)
In January were going to be in NC, I wish we could stop by.
God Bless and Merry CHRISTmas,
Amber
on December 24th, 2005 at 1:20 pm
stopping by to
wish you a Merry Christmas.
Praising Him,
Kim
on December 24th, 2005 at 2:45 pm
Untitled Comment
Oh my, a full size chocolate house AND a pizza! I might put together a whole meal at this rate! (If I live long enough to collect!) Merry Christmas!
on December 24th, 2005 at 3:33 pm
Congratulations!
God is good, isn’t He? Something about a “Storehouse of Blessings”…
I’m glad and jealous that you got the best place ever. Even with the square lake.
Congratulations. Now grab a box and wave friendly-like to the nudist neighbors!
on December 24th, 2005 at 4:00 pm
CONGRATULATIONS!!
Jen:
Congratuations on your beautiful new homestead! God is wonderful!
Merry Christmas!
Michelle
Edited by eyecorn on Dec. 24, 2005 at 2:01 PM
on December 24th, 2005 at 4:02 pm
I am so happy for you…
and praying, Lord willing, all will work out as it seems to be!
I have thought of you several times as I have been reading Hind’s Feet on High Places and your blog of late…
Especially here:
“She began to understand quite clearly that truth cannot be understood from books alone or by any written words, but only by personal growth and development in understanding, and that things written even in the Book of Books can be astonishingly misunderstood while one still lives on the low levels of spiritual experience and on the wrong side of the grave on the mountains.
She perceived that no one who finds herself up on the slopes of the Kingdom of Love can possibly dogmatize about what is seen there, because it is only then that she comprehends how small a part of the glorious whole she sees. All she can do is gasp with wonder, awe, and thanksgiving, and to long with all her heart to go higher and to see and understand more.”
AND
“How little she had imagined, when she first set out on that strange journey, what lay ahead of her and the things which she would be called upon to pass through. So for a long time she sat silent – remembering, wondering, and thankful.”
Thank you for sharing, so openly and honestly both here and in TOS, your own transformation over the years from a Much Afraid into a Grace and Glory.
A blessed CHRISTmas to you and yours!
In His abiding love,
Kari
on December 24th, 2005 at 5:35 pm
Untitled Comment
How awesome!
Thanks for sharing….and on the candy thing. I thought I should add a disclaimer that the closest I get to making homemade candy is dipping spoonfuls of peanut butter into bags of chocolate chips. So what counts as home-made to me in my book MIGHT not fly with you Betty Crocker types.
And yes, I just lick it off and dip it again. It is MY peanut butter. And I don’t offer guests PBJ’s, so there.
on December 24th, 2005 at 6:23 pm
This is not about this posting…
…I just wanted to wish you a
M*E*R*R*Y C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S !
on December 24th, 2005 at 6:59 pm
Untitled Comment
Those are some AWESOME stories, Jen! WOW, God is SO good!
By the way, my son Bill got his candy from Coie, and it was good! Thanks so much, to you and Coie!
MERRY CHRISTMAS from my family to yours!
Blessings ~ Diane
on December 24th, 2005 at 7:05 pm
Merry Christmas, Jen!
What beautiful stories—–well, at least ’til you get to the thing you posted from Jay……HAHAHAHAHA!!
Have a blessed day! Tami
on December 24th, 2005 at 11:05 pm
WOW!!!
the house!!
GOD IS GOOD!!
Merry CHRISTmas to you!!!!
on December 25th, 2005 at 1:22 am
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Merry Christmas Paul and Gena… by the way… I think Jen’s taking the whole “homestead thing” a little too far…
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Love ya Jen!
(Since you know my hubby is the computer genius… you really can’t blame me… and since he doesn’t have a blog… I guess he felt safe in doing this. a;lsdkjfa;sdlkjf)
on December 25th, 2005 at 5:36 am
My heart is so full of thanks and praise.
wow. 6.75! He so delights in doing the impossible. I love Him.
~Annemarie
on December 25th, 2005 at 7:52 am
Untitled Comment
MERRY CHRISTMAS JEN!
What a blessing to have such a fab interest rate! Now I’ll have to look at your past entries to see what square lake everyone is talking about…I cannot believe that your world went on without me the past couple of days that I’ve been on Christmas vaca at my folks’ house. *sigh* AND I won’t get my Coie candy until I get back in town tomorrow night.
Thanks for sharing your story of Christmas past. I LOVE it when God works that way!!!
Lots of love my crazy friend,
Marsha
on December 25th, 2005 at 11:50 am
Wow!!!
I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it all!!! I love seeing God’s hand in everything. I will continue to pray for God’s guidance for your dream home. Since we recently got ours, I know how nerve wracking it can be. The property looks beautiful! This is no way meant as a joke, but you can get your goats now! I know you said you wanted some, regardless of all the silliness going around about your blog pic and the elephants and the homeschool commune (which might be fun actually). I am truly overjoyed for you and your family. I’ve read somewhere (joke) that if you delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart!
Merriest of Christmases! (That word looks really odd)
on December 25th, 2005 at 1:38 pm
Untitled Comment
Praise the Lord!
There must be some exciting new stories coming our way.
Can’t hardly wait to see if you get to milk goats.: ) Maybe you’ll teach us all a thing or two.
God is so good!
Enjoy his wonders!!
Maria
on December 25th, 2005 at 10:48 pm
AWESOME!!!!
I’m so excited that you all found your dream house. God just kept you waiting until He could show you the right one. And then to get that great interest rate. Wow – truly a God thing. You all are going to have so much fun out there. It looks like the perfect place to raise kids and homestead.
Rejoicing with you!
Nancy
on December 26th, 2005 at 1:54 pm
How Wonderful!
That really encouraged me to hear your story and see how Father is moving on your behalf. Hollar (real loud, but an email would be better I would think) if you need some help with moving. I’ve got loads of experience at it since I’ve done it about 25 times or so in the last 30 years, plus helped others, too. We just moved my daughter, Joelle’s stuff into storage until her husband is done with basic training and she is a vagabond all over the place until then (but 2 weeks of that we get to have her and our grandson). Now that was an awful job, but we got it done! So anyway, CONGRATULATIONS!
Love and shalom,
Serena