Our New House

We are moving on Monday into a more permanent place to live. We found a great house one day while in the ministry and it was an answer to our prayers.
We had almost decided on another place...a little big though and with only one bathroom, not ideal when company comes or for longterm visitors. But our area to look in was quite small as we hoped to be within a 10 minute walk from the Kingdom Hall. So we had almost exhausted the possibilities and decided on a Tuesday that we would call the owner of the big house on Wednesday.
Well Tuesday night we met a visiting sister from another part of Mexico who told us of her house with one bathroom and the dilemma it posed when visitors came, etc. Carla thought to herself, "I know, I know, but that is all we can find...one bathroom!" So that night she prayed about the house, that we not be too hasty, and if Jehovah wants us to stay in our apartment longer, to help us see that...or if he wants us to rent the big house with one bathroom, to help us feel better about that...but to make it clearer somehow. Then she prayed in the middle of the night when she got up, and in the morning again...



Our new home!

We went in the ministry with Coral and the group and of course all the while we look for signs that say "Se Renta" with a phone number. These can be handwritten and tied to the bars of a window, or even painted right on the wall...Carla and Coral were at a door, and no one answered and she turned around to see what the next block looked like...and right across the street was a carboard sign handwritten "Se Renta, $2500, no ninos". Very interesting! Why? Because no one ever puts the price on the sign, never...and "no ninos" what was that supposed to mean? Oh well, we don't have ninos, so it sounded good! But it looked so small. and $2500 ($180 usd) was less than anything we had seen that was the right size and definitely would not have 2 bathrooms...

So Carla said to Coral, "look! $2500, but it looks so small." Coral said, "well there's a man working on it, lets go ask him how many bathrooms it has!"



Bathroom #1

So we met Jose, he was busy and couldn't understand us and just kept telling us to call the number on the sign and speak to to owner....BUT HOW MANY BATHROOMS??? Then Mike and Rob come around the block to meet us and we call them over to see the house and Jose seems to feel better talking to them.. he invites us in to look at the house. It was perfectly cute and just right for us...but had only one bedroom and bathroom... so we thought...then I hear Jose say (in spanish of course) "there is another room and bathroom back here". Could i have actually understood his spanish or did I just really, really want to hear him say those words? Then Rob (who is Canadian but speaks a little spanish) says, "oh guys, he says there is another room and bathroom back here!!" Yes, through the back kitchen door is a covered outdoor courtyard area and beyond that is a separate room with it's own bathroom, and beyond that up an outdoor stair case is the roof top which is completely usable space and another separate room and half bath.... WOW, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, all for $2500! All this time Jose is giving us the "tour" and explaining the work he is doing and all that will be made new, and it is just unbelievable. I mean, we have seen some real fixer uppers for more money and with only one bathroom!

Through this door is the extra rooms!

So now Carla is trying not to get her hopes up, because Jose says many have inquired and it could be rented for all he knows, we must call the owner and see.

So we break for coffee and call a spanish friend from the congregation who can call the owner for us to see if we have a chance at securing this place...and withing 20 minutes, it's ours! We made plans to meet the owner and give a deposit...it was amazing.

Our pretty tiles!

As we write this, it sounds a little corny, but for us, it feels like loving reassurance that we are being directed by Jehovah to do his will here in Merida. We prayed for clarity in our househunt and we were answered!