A home. . . for the kids no one else wanted.
He even gave me a name for it.
The Meadows
In the beginning it was about troubled teens but through the years, God has shifted that vision to a different population.
Down's kids. . . wheelchair bound children. . . AIDS babies. . . physical and mental handicaps. . . terminally ill children. . .
I've talked about it before on here. Waiting for the fulfillment of the vision God gave me and our only-could-be-from-God calling.
Our hearts still lie with teenagers, but due to the unexpected blessing of biological children, and our hope to add to our family through adoption of babies and toddlers, we have determined that we need to put the behavioral issues off until our kids are old enough to not be adversely affected by what that brings into our home.
We've been talking about The Meadows since we began talking marriage. Not a week has gone by that we don't talk about "Someday, when we have The Meadows. . . "
However, because we have been focused on building my husband's masonry business and all the financial struggles that come with that, "Someday" has felt very far away.
But lately. . .
lately, "Someday" has felt very, very close. As if it is ready to break through and the dream I was given 17 years ago, is about to begin it's fulfillment.
In some ways, it makes no sense.
Why now?
I'm pregnant with (another unexpected, miracle) pregnancy that has been full of morning sickness and bleeding. A new baby is coming that will take sleep and time and cause our family to find yet another "new normal".
But God's timing isn't our timing and His timing seems to be drawing so very close. Although we aren't fully sure of this timing, we know our hearts are becoming very full with, "It's closer than ever. . . !"
This past weekend seemed to bring it even closer. For my birthday on Sunday, we had hopes to go to our State Fair, something I have always wanted to do, but never done. But a "financial summit meeting" (:-) on Saturday, showed us we couldn't do it.
And I cried.
*blush*
(Blame it on the hormones. )
We went to a little po-dunk Farm Days instead.
It wasn't the State Fair, but it was still full of whimsy and good old fun none-the-less.
Alpacas that were as fascinated with my daughter as she was with them. . .
Sights visually pleasing to the eyes, reminiscent of a time long ago. . .
Miraclegirl's (and my husband's) first-ever horse ride!
As we were walking through everything, my husband nudged me.
"Hey Mel. Have you ever heard of Glove House?"
I looked over.
"No. . . "
Now mind you, just that morning my husband's card to me had talked about the next 35 years of my life being the best years of my life and years of great ministry.
After I read the card, I had gone to have my alone time with God and surrendered, as I do every year, my life to God and telling Him I trust Him to fulfill the vision He gave me, in His time. I re-committed to the concept that it's not about what I want, but instead, about me being a conduit for His ministry through me.
Abandoned Surrender
The same heart cry I've been uttering for years.
"I abandon myself so that I may surrender to you!"
We walked over to the Glove House booth.
It was a not-for-profit, therapeutic foster parenting agency. What's more, they just started a program with the population we feel called to foster -- special needs children!
Talk about a Divine Encounter!
We had a time of prayer together and the man even prayed for our miraclegirl and this coming baby, and how the vision God has given us will play into their lives in addition to ours as their parents.
I felt like our dream moved one step closer.
The following day, we returned to a place
(that incidentally, is a mere 5 miles from The Glove House)
that we "found" several months ago and can't quit thinking about. It's a church building, built more like a fellowship hall than an actual sanctuary/steeple church, that is up for sale. If converted, it would make the perfect, one story, handicap accessible house for our vision.
The former pastor's wife let us in.
Wouldn't you know? Her and her husband, who passed two years ago, took in troubled teens for over twenty years! So when she heard our vision, for both our family as well as the property, her face lit up with hope that we were the couple that would be buying it.
She let us have the key and then left. For four hours we walked and talked and dreamed and drew up potential floor plans.
For the first time, since God gave me the vision for The Meadows 17 years ago, I was actually talking about building it! It was an amazing morning for me. It was the feeling of a 17 year old dream beginning the first stages of becoming a reality.
Between all our discussing, when my husband was busy measuring or figuring something out, I'd walk outside and look out over the view from the front yard and just talked to God in my heart telling him it felt so much like The Place for His vision.
The building layout, easily converted into a one-story, handicap accessible home. . .
The peaceful, rural setting. . .
The land that comes with it, enough for a garden, greenhouse, and chicken/goat shed. . .
Everything seems perfect.
We aren't sure where this is all going yet.
The asking price is considerably more than our budget allows, especially because it's a fellowship hall that needs conversion to an actual house, which adds to our total cost.
The church's prayer has been "Fill this place or sell it". It has not been filled, so they continue to try to sell it--so far without even one offer in the two years it's been up for sale.
I told them both prayer would be answered if we bought it. We'd be buying it and filling it.
It's a time of waiting.
Waiting to see what God will do.
Is this the place for Him to fulfill the vision He gave us? It feels that way in my heart, though the financial circumstances seem to dictate otherwise.
The church knows our dream.
We know their prayers.
So we do some legwork while we wait.
We find out potential taxes. . .
We price drywall and paint and carpet and bathroom appliances. . .
And we pray. . .
and dream. . . .
and wait some more. . . .
With our hearts and minds turned ever towards the God who is calling The Meadows into being.
The verse God gave me over the weekend, is Acts 5:38b-39
If this plan is of men, it will come to naught. But if it is of God, no man can thwart it. They'd only be fighting against God.
If this is the place He has in mind to fulfill His vision, then He is going to miraculously move in the situation and it will become ours.
Until we see how He fulfills His vision we remain surrendered
we remain faithful to our daily tasks that we have
we remain in unceasing prayer
we remain in abandoned surrender to Him
