S
strawberryfizz
Guest
When it was almost New Year, I woke up on the morning of December 27, 2011, shocked by the news that we were advised to vacate the house we've been renting for almost 4 years by March of 2012. My impulse was to negotiate, or to at least understand why because all we were told was that they needed to use the place. The thought of having to move for the fourth time since we got married was already horrible, more so at a time when we practically had nowhere to go and no means because we opened a business not so long ago. Straight from the bedroom that morning I went to my parent's house, telling them about our painful demise with much sobbing. It was pathetic but at that moment it felt like it was the darkest morning for us. My family tried to comfort me but at the same time, they were all in a hurry to leave for a beach outing as Dad simply said, "Do not worry, God is in control." At that point, those words just seemed to bounce on me. I admit, my faith was shaken to its core. Days later, my friend and I tried to go around to find an inexpensive apartment but there wasn't any nearby. Most of the places were at 12k-15k. We could not afford it but at the same time, we can't get a place far from downtown because it would be difficult to commute once the car is sold. Alone in our room, I wept violently as I pleaded for God to help us. Little did we know that God had a far greater plan that was mind-blowing. Apparently, Edward's parents had a property located just about 5 minutes from the downtown area but it had been used as a collateral for a loan in the '90's. What was amazing was that the businessman holding the title never transferred the title to his name because he intended to return the title upon payment of the loan. Interest not included, it was still quite a huge amount. We prayed just before we spoke to the guy and amazingly, he agreed to return the title just as long as we would pay a very minimal amount monthly for about 13yrs! That was the first miracle. Initially, we only thought of a small bachelor's pad as that was the fastest option given the amount of time we had before the set deadline. But then again, God never settles for less and nothing ever happens without His knowledge and permission. In other words, in God, there are no coincidences. Our Pastor who's also an excellent Architect designed a beautiful Zen house that was going to be built fast. The same day we spoke to him, he got a call from one of his foremen who was asking for a project and so, everything just fell into place. As we anticipated moving out, we decided to sell almost all of our appliances to lessen the load and also to add to our funds. We were just astounded that it only took less than a week to get everything sold! By the end of Feb. however, we were again saddened by the news that our landlord meant we could only stay till end of Feb. The house was far from over. We had to plead for extension but we were given till March 21 at the most. We didn't want any more trouble so we agreed. God knew how stressed we have been, running here in there for the construction while Edward still had to report for night duty and I had to be at Dropzone till 3am. We would come home daily at around 3 to 4am which would be such a disturbance every single day if we opted to stay with my parents, not knowing exactly how long that would take. God led us to a new hotel just a few meters from where we used to stay which is still within downtown area. And through the compassion of some of our dear friends, that's where we stayed for almost a month! All the expenses seemed insurmountable but God never failed to provide through my family whom He has also blest at just the right time because if this happened to us earlier, it would have been impossible. Then came the finishing part. Guess that's why they call it "finishing" - coz it threatens to "finish" whatever budget is set. Yet God is indeed greater. Far beyond what we can imagine. Almost every detail in this house is because of God's amazing favor - from amazing discounts and sufficient provision to dumbfounding access to whatever we needed to buy or do. And so we share this story as a living testimony that where everything constantly changes, God remains the same. He still makes miracles today. And he can do it for you like He did for us. Not because we deserve it, but because He is God. He knows what is best, He is sovereign, and He is love. Our house took a little longer to build than expected but it's still way faster than the usual construction of such size and beauty. And seeing it now, even the passersby are amazed. We ourselves are amazed, it all still feels surreal. We wanted to settle to where we used to be because it was our comfort zone. But God took us out of it. It was not easy at all. But seeing where we are now, I'd say, it was all well worth it. We have learned so much. And more than that, the experience drew us closer to God, to our families, and to each other. So to Mom and Dad, Papa and Mama, our brothers and sisters, thank you all for the love and support. Thank you also most specially to Pastor Yves and Aileen Magdamo for your kindness and for all the time you spent with us. God bless you more! Thanks to all our friends who supported us in many ways. We are so blest to have all of you in our lives.Truly Lord, in Your sovereignty, You make all things work together for our good. Now we have a home we can call our own. A place where we can share our experience of Your greatness, a new place where we can bond with friends and loved ones. Great and awesome are You, Lord!
Our house, built last Feb.19, 2012 and was finished in April 19, 2012
Our house, built last Feb.19, 2012 and was finished in April 19, 2012
