Isn't it beautiful?

This is the rest of the story of God's Gift from Katie's perspective. Read the beginning of the story as Sue recalls it in God's Gift.





GOD'S GIFT II
(From Katie's point of view)

This is the testimony of just a portion of miracles that have occurred over the past few years. It's called God's gift because that's what Sue and I have decided to call it. Because that's what it is. It's a new home. A new family. A framily. A new beginning to a new life.

I left an abusive marriage in August of 2000. After spending a short time in shelter, my friend, Sue took us (myself and my two children) in at her place. It was a small, two bedroom trailer. We were so happy there. Soon, I found a rental place for my family. It was a nice place out in the country. I knew that God had provided this place for us. If only temporarily. Aside from the tragedies related to my separation, we were very happy to be there. However, work and church were over an hour away. It was getting expensive on gas and we were missing a lot of church. In Novemeber 2000, after talking with Chuck and Dave, the pastors at church, we determined that it would be best for Sue and I to move in and share expenses and try to find a place close to Northbrook.

I knew that God would provide a place in His time. Sue did too. Sometime around the first week of May, Sue made a comment off the top of her head. She said, "Who knows, maybe God will call some missionaries away all of a sudden and they will need somebody to take over payments on the house. Maybe God will bring us together and we will rent from them." On May 14, 2001, Mother's Day, I met those missionaries!!!!! I had forgotten all about what Sue had said that day.

It all started in Church. After services, I went to say goodbye to a Mario and Pat as they were moving. Mario told me that I had come a long way since I first started at Northbrook the previous fall. Then he looked me in the eye and said, "God is going to bless you!" I smiled and thanked him, having no clue as to how serious he was. It was Mother's Day and I didn't want to just go home and celebrate by doing nothing special.

Sue was out of town because of the death of her Aunt Pat. Little did I know, this was all part of God's plan. That morning I was bummed. I wanted her to be able to spend the day with my family. I hated that we were so far apart but, I was going to make the best of the day anyhow. If Sue had been home, we would have had different plans and I wouldn't have met these wonderful people God had in mind for me to meet.

As I began to try to make plans for the day, I thought......"Hmmmm, what will we do? I'd like to have lunch with the kids at a nice restaurant, but, Justin is so picky. He only eats Pizza and I am NOT spending Mother's Day at Pizza Hut!" I believe at this point God was laughing at me and thinking, "Wanna bet?" Why do I believe this? Well, I was hoping for an invitation from a friend at church so that I'd have another adult to converse with and maybe have some good fellowship. That didn't happen. Then, I thought about asking a specific person, Janet, out to lunch. She had been a very special friend and source of support throughout my difficult times throughout the year. But, then I thought, "No, it's Mother's Day, maybe she wants to be with her family." So, I decided to spend the day just with me, my son, and my daughter. We all walked out to the truck and were loading up. And surprise, surprise! If it wasn't Janet, parked right next to me! I asked her, "Where can I take a picky eater for lunch?" She said, "Well, we're going to Pizza Hut. (God adds: LOL I told you!) Why don't you join us?" I was so happy to have an invitation that I decided to go to Pizza Hut after all. Coincidence? I doubt it.

A few moments after sitting down, a couple came to our table. By this time, others from Church had also come to have lunch and stopped by to say hello. I was so incredibly blessed! I couldn't wait to tell Sue all about my very special Mother's Day. The couple, Guy and Tammy, were talking to Janet about how they had suddenly been called to missions and were in a hurry to sell their house. Janet said immediately "This could be a God thing!" She then turned to me and asked me if Sue and I were still looking for a place. I told her that we were but we just wanted to rent. I didn't think either one of us would even come close to qualifying for a home loan so we didn't even consider buying. Tammy said that they had just discussed renting the place the night before. Then, they invited me to come and look at the house. So, after dinner Janet led the way.

As I walked through the house, I was flabbergasted to say the least. I just knew God had this particular house for us. I just knew it. But, as I looked around, I began to come to the realization that it would be way too expensive. However, Guy and Tammy told me how much about they thought it would be. It would be a little more than we had expected but, I just knew God wanted us to have this place and that we would be okay. After having a wonderful time of fellowship, we left. I couldn't wait to get on the phone with Sue and tell her the good news. She wasn't available when I called.

When Sue finally returned my call later that night I was ecstatic. I exclaimed "Remember those missionaries that you mentioned a couple weeks ago?"

She replied, "Yeah."

Next, I said, "I just met them!" Then I went into the details. She didn't get very excited because of the expense involved. I didn't let it get me down. I knew that God would take care of everything.

When Sue returned home from her aunts funeral and all that was involved with that, eventually, the subject came up about the house. We scheduled a time and Sue went to see it. I believe she loved it as much as I did but, she didn't know what I knew (about how God was bringing it all together) so, she didn't have the enthusiasm I did. She just saw the expense of it and thought it would be too much. She was cautious not to get her hopes up. She was wise.

About a week later, our hopes were crushed for the first time. Tammy told me that they were advised to sell rather than rent, so they wouldn't be able to rent the house to us. It was a let down but, something inside me told me to be patient, it's not over yet. He had a different plan in mind (Our thoughts are not like His).

Tammy told me she had seen some houses for rent in the classifieds. She told me to go get a paper and check it out. So, I did. I called about one particular one that was very close to church. This was when God brought Shirley, Sue and I together. Shirley told me that she would have to run a credit check on Sue since everything would be done in her name. When she did, She told Sue that Donny (the loan officer at Wells Fargo that God led us all to), said that Sue's credit was excellent and that she should be buying a house, not renting. So we went to look at the rental property prior to church on Wednesday night. At this point, buying was an option but Sue didn't know if she was ready to make a commitment like that. The rent would have been the same as the other house, but, it wasn't as nice. When we got home we were flabbergasted to find that the realtor that checked our credit and recommended the rental house, was from the same realty company as Guy and Tammy! Another coincidence? Probably not.

So, next we decided to look into Sue buying that house (the home of the missionaries)! We met with Shirley about it but, when she told us how much the payments would run, we decided not to go for it, but to look into something lower in cost. Besides, there was already an offer in and that made the chances even slimmer. So, disappointed but excited at the idea of being able to buy, Sue and I went out with Shirley and looked at some other places. But, we kept comparing everything to that original place. Nothing could compare with the value. By this time, we figured the house was already sold anyhow. As the weeks passed, we looked and looked some more. I took time after church on Sundays and wore myself out searching the papers and driving to look at houses. Some of Sue's Wednesdays off were spent the same way before church.

Then, on the second week of June, Sue and I were going to a conference in Memphis. It was called Woman to Woman by Beth Moore. She is my favorite writer of Bible studies. We were so excited about this. It was another gift from God because Sue's old Church in Iowa had pulled together and paid for our tickets and hotel. They really felt that Sue and I needed this conference. We did.

Two nights before the conference, I was praying with Sue just before bed time. It was about midnight. I was having some awesome fellowship with my heavenly Father. I thought Sue might have been too, until I heard her snoring! (*Sue adds, "I was tired!"*) The fellowship was so sweet that I just kept going. Praying out loud. Tears in my eyes. Then I heard God's heart speak to mine. He said "I have plans for you, Katrina, I want to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future!" I got so excited! I knew He was speaking to me. I knew that those words were in the Bible and I had to find them. So I got out the Word of God and began searching. He spoke to me so much through Jeremiah. No, not the bullfrog! The prophet! Jeremiah the prophet! From the Old Testament, you know? God spoke to me about leading me from my captivity and making me free! I realized that I might be disturbing Sue, who fell asleep on MY bed! So I went into the bathroom to continue. I found the scripture in Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 11. It reads, " For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." NIV.

I had no clue what an impact this promise would have on me at the Beth Moore conference. Everything that happened went right along with God's promise. It was all about a heart change. Going from where you are, to the next level God wants to take you. I decided that weekend that I wanted to commit my life to nothing but ministry. I had done this before but I was so young, and immature, I thought I was just dreaming it up. I didn't believe I was anybody God could use in the way I felt called to be used. So, I really didn't pursue it. But every time I had a doubt during this seminar, Beth would come back with something like "Don't put limits on God! He wants to do far more for you than you could ever hope for or imagine!" then there was the time she said, "If God can use an idiot like me, then He can use anybody!"

There was so much more that confirmed and reconfirmed to me what God's calling on my life is (see my testimony). I had doubts. I thought, "But, I have to support my kids. How can I do that if I am in college?"

Then I heard His heart speak to mine again, "My child," he said. "Have I not taken care of you this far? Have you had needs that I haven't met? You serve Me. I will provide for your family as I always have."

So I answered, "Yes, Lord."

I was so filled with the spirit of God I didn't know how to contain it. Strange enough, I couldn't really talk about it either, at least not for a couple of days. (*Sue adds: Katie not talking is reason for concern. Anyone who knows her will tell you she is never at a loss for words. The only thing I know that can make Katie speechless is God Himself!) I was in awe, speechless. I just sat quietly most of the way back to the hotel. I pondered everything that was said that night and the previous days. I never felt so close to Him. I have tears as I write this. I still feel it. There are moments when every day living draws my focus away but, He still remains.

After the conference, Sue and I stayed up discussing and doing another Beth Moore Bible study. We had such an awesome time of communion with God. The best in a long time. The next day, after Church, it was back to the drawing board. Another week of endless searching through page after page in the classifieds to find a place to live. No results. Then, on Tuesday I came across an ad on a new subdivision. On Wednesday, Sue, the kids, Mandy (our friend), and I went to check it out. It was a very nice home. But still, it was very small with an even bigger price than the one God chose for us. It seemed as though Sue had made up her mind and would make an offer on the house the next morning. It was in the price range, a nice home, brand new and she would be the landlord and allow kids and pets. This time, I couldn't get enthused. It seemed like so much less house for so much more money. The yard wasn't landscaped and corn was growing in it! (*Sue adds: "I like corn!"*) I tossed and turned all night. I couldn't sleep. Little did I know, Sue was having the same problem sleeping. I finally got up and began writing my thoughts in my journal. I wrote about how there were too many things that worked together just right on Mother's Day. I couldn't let it go. I just knew that God wanted us there. I felt uneasy about this other real estate person and that God wanted us to go through Shirley. I decided that I would call in the morning when Sue wasn't around to see if the first house was still up for sale. I was going to take that as a sign. Then I was going to see about making a lower offer on it to make it more affordable.

Well, before I had a chance to get on the phone, Sue was online checking to see if the house was still listed there. It was, so, she called about it and it was still for sale. The other loan didn't go through for the first offer! Then, before Sue even asked if they would take a lower price, she was told that they would probably accept a lower offer! I had no idea that when I got up that morning at 5:30 am to write in my journal about all of this, that Sue would have bought that house by the end of the day!

We were leaving for breakfast when Shirley called and said that they were willing to work with us. We went to sign papers, the loan was granted for the exact amount that the Seller's agreed on, earnest money was put down, and Sue was congratulated on her purchase! ALL IN ONE AWESOME DAY!

It was such an awesome day. Shirley shared with us that Donny was excited for us and that he could tell that we loved God. Shirley was just as excited as we were! We had revival right there in the office! Lots of tears, testimony, and hugging! But, God wasn't finished yet. Nope, not yet.

There were still inspections and loose ends that needed to be tied up before anything was definate. The loan had been preapproved but, there was still the matter of appraisal and FHA inspection. Donny called a few nights later. He was so excited. He called at 8:30 p.m. to tell me that the appraisal went fine and the loan got the final approval and the house was truly ours! I was so excited! I wooohoooed so loud that I had to apologize for probably hurting his ear! I called Sue at work and she was just as excited. Donny told us to go ahead with our inspection and we did. The inspection went well and God even had a hand in that! The inspector was running a special and doing them for only $100 instead of the normal $400! When we met the inspector at the house, which was the following Wednesday, he told us that the special was only for so many feet and we exceeded it but since he didn't tell us that, he was going to give it to us for the price he quoted on the phone!

Sue and I have never seen anything go more smoothly than purchasing this home. We are blown away! I forgot to share something in the beginning of all of this. The first time I walked through that house, I visioned having Bible study meetings in the living room. I couldn't see that in any other house we looked at. I tried, it just didn't feel right.

I want to share how I know that this home is God's gift. He wants us to use it for His glory and His kingdom. He provided for us to do that. But the reason I knew from the beginning that He chose it was because it had met all of our needs and desires. From the bedroom with the full length mirror for Tiffany, to hardwood floors, to the green carpet in the master bedroom for Sue, and the bar in the kitchen for cake decorating for me. Then the back yard was fenced in for the dogs and a tree perfect for a tree house for Justin. A patio in the back under beautiful shade trees for the yard swing and a nice storage shed for all our things, for tools, the lawnmower....etc. It has two bathrooms, a beautiful neighborhood, wonderful neighbors, and streets the kids can play in! I knew because it is just like God to know our needs so well and meet them so perfectly, above and beyond anything I would have ever hoped for or imagined! A fulfilled promise. One week from the day He made it! Wow He works fast!

This is His doing, His blessing, His love and tender mercy. We, well, we just sit back and catch the blessings as they fall, praising Him every step of the way! I stand in awe!

Back to God's Gift