Good morning, friends! It’s time for another proper update about our churchfunding experiment. Pledges have slowed down after the first three days, but we are still honored by the pledges that friends keep offering, and encouraged to see the total climbing.

Progress Report
(As of 8:00 a.m. EST, 10/20/2015)

We are over 1/2 way to our goal of $80,000!

Total pledged so far: $44,239.55 (after tithe deducted)
Total pledgers: 66 generous friends (11 more than the last update)
Largest pledge: $5000
Smallest pledge: $75
Average pledge: $683.63
Most common pledge: $500 (30 this size)

Remember, once we near $60,000 we plan to ask pledgers to send in the money you have generously pledged. We are only $15,000 short of this initial goal! So this means we could be asking for pledges within just a few days. We will post that request both here and on Facebook, and ask you to notify us to confirm your pledge is on the way.

Note: Figures here will fluctuate just a little after we know what exchange rate Canadian contributions actually receive.

Update on “The House”

Sunday night just before turning out the light I made the mistake of checking to see if “our” house was still on the market. It wasn’t. More precisely, it is currently listed as pending sale to another customer.

This has happened several times before with this house over the past six months. We first spotted the house in early September while making plans for our late-September house-hunting visit in Atlanta. Then its status changed to pending sale. But it came back on the market just as we arrived in Atlanta, so we were able to tour the house while there. Each time the house has come off the market it has come back on, often within about half a month.

So here are several likely scenarios:

  • The current sale goes through and we continue looking for a different house.
  • The current sale falls through, by which time we have enough funds to make an offer. Then an inspection reveals some crucial reason why other offers have been retracted, and we continue looking for a different house.
  • The current sale falls through, we make an offer, and we decide it is still a good match for us. Perhaps repairs will cost ten or fifteen thousand dollars more than we had hoped, but the ideal location of the house (for our unique purposes) will convince us that it is still a wise investment.

I am hoping it is the last scenario, but we are casting this into God’s hands! Perhaps God has simply been preserving this house for us. Or perhaps he has yet to reveal better plans.

Either way, our churchfunding effort proceeds as normal. Whether it is this house or another, we will need funds to make a purchase, and I’m hoping we can find something in the price range of this house. And I would love if funds were in place before this house comes back on the market—if it does!

I admit that last night some dreams were plaguing me for a while, as my mind tried to imagine ways that it was actually us who already had an offer on the house. I’m glad to report that we haven’t spent a lot of time with such worrying.

Yes, waiting and trusting can take a certain toll on our minds and our bodies, so I’m feeling my need for sleep these days. But we haven’t lost all sense of humor. The other night just before falling asleep—actually, I think it was Sunday night after I discovered the news, but I’m not sure—the other night Zonya started laughing. You must realize that this is unusual behavior for her for that time of day. My wife is decidedly a morning person, not a night owl. Why was she laughing? “We’ve chosen to use midwives rather than hospitals for the births of our children, and we didn’t use a funeral home at all for Dad’s funeral, so is it any surprise that we are finding a way to avoid the bank when raising a loan for a house?”

Yes, from birth to death and lots in between, it seems we have a way of finding unconventional solutions to life’s challenges. This time we’re relying on some unconventional friends to help us do so. 🙂

How You Can Help

  • Pray for the pledger who is about to lose his job (see “One Story” here).
  • Pray that God will preserve and provide exactly the right house for us.
  • Pray that we will trust him well, so that he can receive the glory he so richly deserves.
  • Pray that God will perfectly control the timing of our move from Iowa to Atlanta, and that we will finish well the work he has for us here before we go.
  • Pledgers, be sure you have emailed all your information to dghousefund@gmail.com. (Your name, pledge amount, mailing address and phone number.)
  • Spread the word! Your pledge will help us buy a house only if we find enough funds to move forward.
  • If you want to join in, visit Monday’s blog post and send your pledge info to dghousefund@gmail.com. Then join our Facebook group or subscribe to this blog to stay informed. Thanks!

Let me end by repeating our warmest thanks to each of you who are praying, pledging, or otherwise encouraging us in the middle of this faith-walk! One great side benefit of this churchfunding experiment—indeed, it may be God’s prime benefit for us—is to have so many people surrounding us with encouragement as we work towards moving to Atlanta. We feel God’s love through your love. Thank you.

If you have questions or comments, share them below. God bless!

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