A God Story

My parents reluctantly left their home of 26 years in the Austin, Texas area two years ago.  Their large home had become a burden to care for, and the bustle of Austin traffic was dangerous.  They moved to Stephenville, where traffic moves more slowly, and I am able to assist with daily needs.  The house they loved had been available for sale for two years without a single offered contract.  My father had not worried whether the house would sell because it is such a nice home.  Since they had loved the house, someone else would certainly love it, and buy it. It had been two years, though.  The realtor was continually suggesting the price should be significantly reduced.

On Sunday, January 20, 2013, my dad finally decided he needed help selling the house. He actually said his first prayer regarding the house sale, and requested God’s assistance in finding a new owner.  My parents signed a contract to sell the house on January 22, 2013.  The contract that they received had a letter attached, and a photo of a lovely family. (Letters to sellers, and photos of the prospective buyers, are very unusual occurrences in the real estate brokerage arena.) It is a God Story.

Here is the letter, dated January 21, 2013:

            Dear Owners of the Rimrock Drive home,

           

We thought it might be helpful to put a face with this offer.  We are the Olsons, a Christ-following family of four hoping to move to the Austin area ASAP to be close to my husband’s sister and parents, who migrated from Minnesota last summer. My husband is in sales for a national company and I am a former elementary teacher and current ‘stay at home mom’ to our 5 year old daughter and our 2 year old son.  Our first home sold much quicker than expected and we have been living with my parents in their home the last two months while we searched (hopelessly) for the perfect home for our growing family.  We have fallen in love with your home.  As a child that moved around a lot, my dream is for my kids to grow up in one home and bring their own kids back to one day.  It is truly the first one that I can ‘see’ us in for many years to come.  With the farmhouse style exterior and the ‘Jack and Jill’ bath for the kids, this home’s charm has crept into our hearts.  I have stayed awake at night imagining all the ways I would decorate and make it our own, despite warning myself against it.  My current job has taught me that if you’re going to be in a house for what can sometimes be days on end…you need to LOVE it.  We LOVE this house and would love to raise our family in it. Unfortunately, our budget will not allow us to offer the former asking price taking into consideration some updates we would like to put into the home. We have prayerfully considered the offer we make to you and are hopeful that you’ll consider entering the negotiation process with us.

                                   

Thank you so much,  The Olsons

My parents accepted the offer (which happened to exceed the amount the realtor suggested as a sales price) and the closing occurred within a month. It is a God story.

Dear God: Help us to be still, and know that you are God.  Thank you for answering prayers.

Sherilyn Svien

Stephenville, Texas