Doubling and Downsizing

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3

This Saturday we will say goodbye to our beloved little 3 bedroom apartment on campus and move to a quaint little shotgun house downtown. Initially we were not planning on moving until our lease is up in December, but because of the rapidity of our adoption we made the decision to go ahead now and get settled. After a grueling search, we were finally led to a sweet little home just a block away from our church. We are thankful to be in the midst of “preparing a place” for our little ones and are reminded through this process how the Lord is actively at work preparing OUR home in heaven. As crazy as it sounds, though we will be doubling our fold in a few short months, we will actually be downsizing and moving into a smaller place. As we looked at house, after house, we finally decided to choose the one we’re moving into for a number of reasons listed below.


#1- We wanted to live within our means. We’re thankful that God has provided a good job for Justin, but in order for me to stay home with the babies we’re going to have to really watch our budget. We considered some homes that would have allowed for more space and comfort but in the end would have required us dipping into our savings each month. We didn’t want to do that.


#2- We wanted to live near our international friends. Since living in Louisville, we have tried to very intentionally spend time with friends of other ethnicities and faiths. It’s difficult to offer hospitality to friends and live life in community when you live on the other side of town. We’re thankful to be moving near some families we’ve spent a lot of time with over the years and hope that we will be able to better cultivate these relationships living near them.

#3- We wanted to live in a house. We could have rented an apartment that would have been a little more spacious for around the same amount of money we will be paying to rent this house, but we wanted a little reprieve from apartment living. We realize that our future will likely be filled with urban living and apartment dwellings, so for this short season we’re treasuring the thought of not having anyone directly above or below us. We’re pretty sure any neighbors we’d have in an apartment would thank us for this decision when our babies are up at 3am crying their heads off.

#4- We wanted a good landlord. We have met many shady characters along the way as we have searched for a home. The home we will move into has a kind, honest, and trustworthy landlord who has bent over backwards to accommodate our preferences. When he found out that we were adopting, he decided to lower our rent by $50 a month, and threw in the appliances for free! Being a carpenter, he has taken great strides to make sure our home is structurally sound, insulated, and functioning. This is important when you are moving into a neighborhood full of 100+ year old homes. We’re excited about getting to know him better, and are thankful for this huge provision.