Some of you may have read much of this as it's in detail throughout my blog as the events occured, but I thought I'd post the whole story in a condensed fashion as you probably don't have time to read my whole blog. IThis is an amazing testimony to God and his leading even when we can't see what's ahead and I hope it will encourage each of you as you look to your own futures.
The past 1 1/2 years has been a year of incredible change! We went from living in the suburbs in the Twin Cities, MN with a normal job, to now being in the country in Northern Wisconsin and owning our own business! The path we took to get here has been such a faith walk for us!
It started when we pursued buying Lifetime Books & Gifts from Bob & Tina Farewell. We were one of the final 6 families or so who they were considering selling their business to. We worked a convention in Phoenix with them during the bidding process and decided that their business wasn't the Lord's will, but that he was using this to give us courage to begin a move to the country.
We first needed to sell our home so it was on the market throughout the late summer and fall of 2005. It hardly had any showings and I think in my eagerness to move on with my "dream" of being out in the country, I moved before the Lord was ready to. How often we in our impatience try to make things happen when the timing isn't right!
Shortly after we took it off the market for that winter, God brought a buyer to us that heard about the house through a mutual friend. Were we supposed to sell without having a job to go to yet or a home? During this process we had several interviews out where we were hoping to live. Some of them it looked like were the perfect things, and just when we thought we would get the job, the Lord closed the door on those jobs. Were we supposed to go ahead and sell our house to this buyer?
At a Bible study my husband was attending, a friend heard of our situation through my husband's prayer request, and offered us a home to rent (month-to-month, below market rental price). This home was on a plot of land that his construction company owned and was planning to subdivide and build new homes over the next couple years. So were able to sell in the spring to this wonderful family that paid the asking price, was easy to work with, and completed the deal without realtor fees, AND God blessed us with a wonderful summer at an old farm-house on 100+ acres along a lake filled with largemouth bass. But still no job in Northern Wisconsin. What a wonderful summer it was!
As summer winded down, we really wanted to get moved up North. My husband was commuting a long way to work down there and wasn't looking forward to commuting long distances in the winter, plus heating costs would be high in that house we were in. My brother also recently had moved to Wisconsin and offered my husband the temporary opportunity to come help build his home in the area. We visited the area to look for a home to rent if we made the move and again through one of those fine threads of someone talking to someone talking to someone else (that could only be God's hand working) we were given the opportunity to rent a home large enough for our family on 40 acres of land for $300/month! We decided this was the confirmation we needed to take a step and have my husband quit his job and step out in faith to move somewhere without a permanent job.
When my husband was in his last week of working for my brother on his house, we heard on an e-mail group about a homeschool family's business that they were selling. At one point it had made a full-time salary, but then the husband needed to go back to work to have benefits, so they no longer had time to put into the business. Anyways, many people put in bids on the business, but because of our circumstances over the past year, it was evident to this family that we were the family they felt led by the Lord to sell to!
So we now own our own ink business that can help people save $ on their printer ink and cartridges! More on the business at another time. The website if www.encoreink.com if you must check it out now! We are just getting up and running. The website definitely needs an overhaul. Many things we sell aren't listed so if you don't see your printer or ink, definitely check with us personally!
The wonderful thing about having our own business is that provided things go well with it, like I'm fairly confident it will, we will be able to move to any location up North here without worrying about being near a job. My brother and my mother-in-law live about an hour from each other and now we could live somewhere in-between where there aren't as many job possibilities!
I am just excited and amazed at the Lord's provision. After praying for a job for months, to be given an established business that we can run from home is such an incredible answer to prayer! "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...To Him be glory"! Ephesians 3:20-21
So soon when we feel comfortable with the business, we can begin looking for our country hide-away to settle down into! Now if only I can have just as much patience in waiting for God timing for getting the place to live that God has in mind for us! You would think by now I would have learned!
How exciting for your family to see the Lord's leading. When we're asked to walk a path we don't understand, many times when we look back we see the Lord was leading us all along. "The footsteps of the righteous are ordered of the Lord."
• Sun 21 Jan 2007 - Untitled Comment
Thanks for your kind comment on my blog.