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The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness . . . (2 Peter 3:9) ***yes, I’m using this verse out of context, but the spiritual principle about God’s timing is true

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know my dream has been to have my own house. We’ve been nomads for the length of our marriage — a few years (or months) here and then a few more somewhere else. I’ve always embraced each new location/adventure, but as the years have gone on, my desire for my own place has grown.

Seeing that we live in the Middle East, owning a house that we don’t live in for 10 months of the year has been utterly impractical. So for the past 10 years or so, I have repeatedly turned my desires over to God and acknowledged that he is my home regardless of my physical location. I wrote about that most recently here.

And today I own a house. In Texas. Surprised? I am. Especially because as recently as August I declared, “I am NOT buying a house in Texas. That would be ridiculous. I don’t know anyone there and I’m not flying all the way to Texas only to have to travel again on my vacation.”

But God moves. I have been perusing Redfin/Zillow for the past 5 years, focusing on different areas over time: multiple areas of California, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, and Washington State, comparing prices, lot sizes, taxes, proximity to airports, etc. We’ve been saving for a down payment, putting away money every month, so when the timing was right (e.g. a market downturn . . . still waiting for that!), we’d be ready.

I started looking at Texas in November after I finally admitted defeat — even Arizona had gotten too expensive for me. And I trolled Redfin the way that I used to plan our family trips: looking at street views, “walking” through neighborhoods road by road, reading online forums regarding traffic and pros and cons of particular neighborhoods, figuring out which areas to rule out because of commute hours traffic or distance from major highways . . . it delightfully scratched my research itch.

[Side note: North Texas made sense because Josh’s company has a main office there so if we ever wanted to transition back to the US, he could possibly look for a job transfer to that office and he occasionally goes there for work and would be able to check in on our empty house. It’s also within 45 minutes of Dallas airport so direct flights to and from Dubai/Abu Dhabi.]

We made plans to land in Texas at Christmas to do a field research trip — to scout it out so I would have a better idea of what I was viewing online and to help us narrow our search. I started messaging with a local realtor to help us and to show us around when we were in town.

When she sent us some available houses to help narrow down our likes and dislikes we decided to go ahead and make an offer on a house . . . or 2 or 3 as needed (spurred on by the hot market and stories of people getting iced out time after time). Surprisingly, our first offer was accepted. We’d seen several house listings and rejected them, another we loved but it was at the top of our asking price and our realtor said we’d have to go in with an offer 30k over that (nope), and one that we were going to offer on, but got snapped up before we could get the paperwork completed.

And that’s how Ms. “I’ll never buy a house sight unseen because that would be ridiculous” came to do exactly that. In a city I’d never even visited. At 1:30 in the morning. (I had to wake Josh up to sign the contract.)

But God.

As I was thinking it over, God reminded me that in my adult life I have moved into houses sight unseen over and over again and it has always been fine. He has provided and I’ve made the best of it. And technically I had more information on this house than any that we have lived in up to this point. Our amazing realtor took videos of every room in the house, narrating all the way, pointing out all the things I needed to see to be confident that this was the house for us.

So I have my house. We closed on it during our “scouting week” and 2 days later flew to CA to celebrate the wedding of our oldest son. It was, “bye, bye house! See you in June!” with the happiness that I’d have a home base for summer vacation and lots of work ahead of me — not on the house itself, but it was completely empty so would need beds, furniture, dishes, etc. All part of my future summer plans . . . no more suitcase summers for me! From now on, my summers would be spent playing house.

And then the kids’ school announced that the first 2 weeks back after Christmas break would be remote (Thanks Covid, you’ve been a doll). So we opted to spend the week following the wedding back at our house in Texas, taking care of some of the details that would help make our entrance to summer vacation easier.

We bought mattresses and spent way too much time at Costco, taking full advantage of our new membership to get dishes, pots, pans, bedding, and all the other things we’d need on a day to day basis in a house come summer.

Then God.

Our first night in the house, while camping on the floor with newly purchased comforters and fleece blankets (mattresses and other furniture were all victims of supply chain problems), Josh got a phone call asking if he was willing to apply for a job in the Texas office of his current company. Starting as soon as they could sort the paperwork out.

In one phone call my summer house started looking like it could be my forever house, but nothing was certain. We decided to be open and move ahead, but holding everything loosely. And after a lovely week in Texas we headed back to UAE — starting our 12th year in the Middle East. And lovely Covid rules, making lives more complicated since 2020 — 2 years later, when most people find covid to be nothing more than a mild illness, we should not be jumping through hoops and treating it like a deadly contagion . . . but I digress.

Anyway, Caleb tested positive at the airport, right before checking in for our flight. (Perfectly fine though. Whatever.) So he and I headed back to our house and spent a week there before testing again and heading back to UAE. Oops, positive again (and another $500 down the drain, nope, not getting on my soapbox). Long story short, we ended up staying in Texas for several weeks because I wasn’t willing to blow any more money on Covid tests and Josh was coming back to the US on a work trip at the beginning of February and by that point I was ready to never return to UAE because I was A) Loving North Texas and B) Super annoyed with UAE.

Avoiding my soapbox, I’ll just say in the span of a week, between us getting stuck in the US and not able to return home and Josh in UAE facing other Covid hassles, it was as if God had gotten out the bullhorn and shouted: YOUR TIME OVERSEAS IS OVER. KHALAS! RETURN TO THE US. DO NOT PASS GO. On repeat. Thank you Lord for answering our prayer that you’d lead us clearly when the time came. It could have been a little less dramatic and I would have gotten the message, but my bad. I did ask that it would be obvious.

So Caleb finally tested negative and we headed back to UAE in February knowing that job or no job, we were coming home to Texas at the end of the school year. Coming home to our actual home that we own. Overnight we went from “let’s see what happens with this job” to “we’re moving to the US, job or no job.” We had the flexibility to do this because we 1) decided to buy in Texas, 2) resisted the urge to go over our budget. Early on, we did have a long discussion about the “perfect house” that was more than we wanted to spend. Thankfully we kept our heads and stuck to our original plan that called for buying a house that we could afford even if Josh wasn’t working. Whew!

I wrote the above back in February and now we’re in April. I’ve been waiting for all of the details to unfold/make itself known . . .

Josh got the job. The papers were signed last week. He starts at the end of May. He will work from Abu Dhabi for the first few weeks and then we will head to Texas together after school gets out. The office here will contribute to the costs of our move home. The gaining office will provide the paychecks that will help pay for our very expensive stray animals to fly home (It’s cheaper to fly people than animals — the dogs should be in business class at this rate). It looks like we will be sleeping in our own Texas beds 2 months from today. Praise God.

In our Life Group we are working through a Bible reading plan together (1 chapter a day, nothing too intimidating) and are currently in the book of Joshua. Over and over again the Israelites are told to make a pillar of stones to mark a place where God has been faithful so they don’t forget in the future. I was wondering how I could make my own pillar/monument in my new house to remind myself of God’s faithfulness in in the future. Do I put a stack of rocks in the backyard? Should I plant a tree? But then I realized my blog posts are my pillars. A longstanding testament to God’s provision in my life. I can go back and see over and over again how he has provided. How I have wrestled with anxiety, raising children, moving all over the world, and yet, he has provided more than I could have asked or imagined, over and over again.. To him be the glory. Amen.

In church this morning and singing this song in a room with 100s of people with no masks, all singing out as if we actually are free. It’s glorious. Both last week and this week church felt like church. We love our home church, but it’s being stifled by rules to the point where it feels like God’s providence and sovereignty comes secondary to the government.

It’s been frustrating to see people of faith acting in such a cautious, fear based manner. Especially 2 years later. We have laws to follow where we live, but instead of pushing the envelope and doing as much as we are permitted to do, it feels like the church is an extension of the arm of the government. Reporting asymptomatic cases, encouraging people to get tested . . . blah blah. I get that from work. I don’t need that from church.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free — and I’ve felt that in both CA and Texas. In Texas it was expected, but in CA the church has continued to operate as they feel led, in spite of any barriers that the government has tried to put in place. And they’ve been growing, while other churches who are masking or just meeting online are shrinking. People need to be in relationship with others, in person, and when we have faith in Christ who has promised us eternal life, we should be the first ones out there, ready to display the hope that we have.

I’m praying for peace and grace and the ability to love and forgive those I’m in conflict with. And praying for a change of heart for those who are still living in a Covid shadow. Above all, come quickly Lord.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the changes that have occurred in this country in the month of September allowing for more freedom, both personal and for businesses. I pray that they would continue to expand as we move forward and that soon, all Covid restrictions would be a distant memory. I ask that you bless this country financially as things begin to open up for tourists and for Expo 2020.

I pray for Josh’s company, that the leadership would be strong and steadfast and that they’d consider their employees and values as they make decisions. I pray that decisions would be made with long term consequences in mind and not be reactionary. I pray for my school, that the leadership would be able to take a stand against unnecessary directives, and not immediately bend. Bless them with wasta, the power to make things happen. I pray that the students would not be affected by the restrictions and limits on contact that they have to endure. That relationships will still develop naturally and freely and that kids and staff will feel seen and not hidden behind masks.

Help Josh and I to fight against our natural inclinations and negative feelings and be a light in our workplaces. Help us to stand out and be different in a positive way, one that draws others to you. Thank you that I get to see Camille every day, that she comes with her friends specifically to see me on her lunch break. Thank you that she is open and sweet and sharing with me. Help us to grow together as she grows older.

Let the next 6 months of Expo 2020 bring growth and prosperity to this nation. Thank you that the drive to open to tourism has benefited those of us who live here. I pray that the use of Covid testing and vaccine passports would be discontinued and that our freedoms would not be rescinded once Expo is over.

I praise you that we’ve been meeting for Bible Study in our home. I ask your blessing over our group and pray that no one would notice or care when we gather together. May no one see, notice, hear or care when those in your church are gathered for meetings or fellowship. Eliminate all barriers that stand in the way of your church.

Thank you for the blessings that have come from spending time together in person with other Christians and the deeper relationships we are experiencing as a result. Please draw those who are not meeting in person back into community with others. Erase fear from their minds and help them to place their confidence in you. I thank you that you are in control of every breath, every step, every heartbeat our bodies create. We live with the illusion that we are in control of our day, but the reality is that you are in control of every second. I praise you that you are a trustworthy and good God and that all that we have endured and continue to endure will work for good.

Please comfort those who are out of work because of Covid. I pray that there would be a demand for their skills and that while they wait, you would provide every material thing they need. I thank you for the stories of faith and the testimonies that have been shared of you providing for those who are still looking for work over a year later. Your faithfulness is unequaled Lord.

Teach me your way O Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart , that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11

Amen

My email inbox is full. It’s always full, but lately it’s been flooded with emails from Redfin, Trulia and Zillow as I’ve been house hunting and they keep prompting me to “take the next step on 3467 Cactus Drive!” or “214 Mountain View Ave may sell soon!” Yeah, I know. The real estate market is on fire everywhere you turn.

This summer we did a lot of house looking — drive-bys, google map street view searches, and narrowing down locations. We thought we’d settled on Phoenix as a good compromise between house prices and location. Close enough to drive to Southern California or an easy flight to Northern CA, but affordable enough to purchase a house that we could live in for only a few months of the year, whenever we were home on vacation. After this past summer, I need a home base. Caleb is looking to go to college in Phoenix so it would be local to him. And you know we don’t mind the desert so . . . why not Phoenix?

But then we come back here and the same old Covid grind (which I’m not going to complain about, but really, this city is ridiculous) got us thinking that maybe it’s time to move back to the US permanently. So I’ve shifted my search to Texas, a likely location for a job transfer. And if it’s a permanent move I can look for my dream house, not just a temporary house.

I lie. I don’t have a dream house, I have a dream yard/property. 1/2 acre or bigger with some trees, garden space, ability to have chickens, room for dogs to run . . . green. The house is secondary. I skip lots of the inside photos to get to the ones of the yard and then google street view to see what it really looks like from the outside. I also troll reddit forums for various cities and neighborhoods to figure out which areas I want to focus my search based on traffic/school districts/crime/taxes/etc. It’s just like my research for planning a trip, but a more expensive and permanent one.

It’s not for sure. But for the first time, we are looking at options back in the US. We’ll see what job opportunities open up, where they are, and how things change here as we make a decision. :Starts singing: coming to America . . .[Neil Diamond version]

This morning, since it’s the 20th of August, I had to pull out my phone and show my vaccine/PCR status to enter the mall. From now on, we’ll have to show it to enter anywhere except a pharmacy or a small grocery store (who knows what is meant by “small” — the baqala I guess?) Then I had to pull out my phone again on the 3rd floor of the mall to enter the movie theater where we go to church. They had to scan my QR codes proving I had reserved seats for the 8:30 service (and to have a record in case contact tracing needs to be done after the fact).

All of this “safety” protocol is about to do my head in and I was thinking what a hassle it is going to be to fumble with our phones when we’re out and about and wondering how long we will have to keep this up . . . but then I walked into church and saw that we can now sit in every row of seats and only have to have one empty seat between groups. YAY!! The government gives and takes away. . .

Yes it was a hassle that trampled all over my personal freedoms, but in exchange I got a little bit of normal back. Sad that I’m excited about small things, like being super happy that we can now sit at a table of 10 people in a restaurant (up from 4), but that just shows how restrictive life has been for the past 18 months.

I’ve been telling one of my children that instead of grumping and complaining about how hard everything is, try refocusing and having an attitude of thankfulness. I think I need to take my own advice.

I’m thankful that:

Josh has a job that pays well (even if it sucks the life out of him and takes up all of his time)

Oops, let’s try that again:

I’m thankful for a healthy body, to be free from fear, for my children and that they all know and love Jesus, for my future daughter in law who I love already, that Josh is coming home tomorrow, that I have the day off today and can go to the pool if I want or stay home and laze around all day marathoning tv shows, that I get to meet with my Open Lounge/Home Group IN PERSON this week, that it looks like the kids will get to go to school full time this year and have school sports, that I get to work out daily with my son who both laughs at me and encourages me, for the ability to work part time hours and still have hours in the day to pursue my own interests, for Amy who puts my house back in order every day, for Ropik who turns the sand in my yard into a vibrant garden, for a husband who thinks about me and does everything with my best interests in mind, for a phone and data plan that allows me to show my vaccine status to security any time I need to, for modern medicine that allows my brain to function properly with SSRIs, for medical insurance that pays for it all . . . and on and on and so much more.

I know this kid will never read my blog, but I hope he listens to me and takes my advice. There’s no better way to stop feeling sorry for yourself than to start listing all your “haves” rather than focusing on your “have nots.”