Have you ever noticed that God always prepares you mentally and emotionally for changes He plans to make in your life? I mean major changes that you would have a difficult time just running headlong into.
He makes you think of things..like a new idea. Or you just start pondering "what if...." until, in your heart, you would be willing to do something different..out of your comfort zone..
For instance... back when our company decided to 'sell off' the manufactuing aspect of the Austin plant, we were not really given an option other than to re-locate..or lose your job. For months, I had been missing the north where I was raised. I missed the seasons, and I really hated the heat, the bugs, and was unhappy at work. The main issue I had that was that my parents lived in Illinois and I had not been able to visit them as often as I would like, which really bothered me. Because of the distance and busy-ness of family life, I hadn't seen them but maybe once every 5 years. I really would have liked to move back north where I could be closer..just to be able to visit on a regular basis. They weren't getting any younger and had stopped traveling . It wasreally weighing heavy on my heart. I missed my side of the family. But we had just bought a new house and were quite entangled financially..so it was an 'impossible dream'.
Then...BOOM...one day there was an announcement that the division was moving to Rochester, Minnesota.
Normally, I would have been frustrated and angry that the situation was so unfair and that there was no option but to move...but I was excited. Everybody else really didn't want to leave Texas...there was a LOT of grumbling going on. But you know..God was in it..He made a way that would have been impossible for me to try to arrange. Everything that seemed impossible suddenly became changeable!
He had not only prepared my heart by giving me the desire to move..He arranged all the 'circumstances' in my life to line up so it would happen!!!!
Well..there were other issues..like selling our new home..and where were we going to find a place to live? Have you ever tried to move to a new town when a whole mass migration was going on?? I mean there were at least a thousand people trying to re-locate at the same time. We were given ONE WEEKEND to fly up there and house-hunt!! Boy, talk about 'making it work'. We quickly realized that was another impossible task. The weekend we arrived (St Patricks Day...1997.).there was a snowstorm that had just dumped about 2 feet of snow on top of 5 feet that was already there.! Talk about visuals!! Welcome to Minnesota! Because of the weather, we were only able to look at about 5 houses, and check out the city. We returned to Austin without a clue as to what we were going to do. All the housing was waaaaay overpriced..(the realtors knew what was up) and there were NO APARTMENTS!! Nobody up here rents! well....they do now..but back then..no) I flippantly mentioned to my husband that we should just buy an RV and live in it. It would be much easier. Plus, it would be fun.
So when we got back, I got to talking to one of my engineering friends at work and told him about the situation. Bless his heart. He was beaming..He started telling me about a friend of his who owned a campground on Lake Zumbro, just north of Rochester. Great place, he said. Seasonal camping..park your camper on a lot..right on the lake..electricity, sewer, fishing..all for only about $700 a year.! He gave me the name and address of the place and my heart just leapt. I had never heard of such a thing..seasonal camping..and I loved camping!!! My mind was racing. When I got home, I told my husband all about it and the idea that since we were arriving up there in July, we could just live in the camper until we could find a place. That would give us at least 3 months to check out the area, and see where we really wanted to live without being in panic mode. (ugh! buying a house on 2 days notice??? That would be like going shopping and grabbing the first thing you see on the shelf! But this was a HOUSE..!!! we would be stuck in it..) .Of course..I didn't think we could afford a camper and the moving date was fast approaching.
Well..on Memorial Day, we were at the family gathering enjoying the fun, food and fellowship..and I suggested to my husband that we go visit the nearby camper sales place to see what they were like and how much they really cost. I had discussed the idea with him and he seemed to be a little skeptical. He didnt think we could actually live in one that long, let alone afford one. But we went. Family outing to Hill Country Campers. I was pleasantly surprised. We looked at what they had on the lot. When we saw one that had a slide-out dining room, I was in love. Yes it was small, but it was really nice and would be quite comfortable. While I was looking, my husband was talking cost with the salesman. He found out that the monthly payment would only be about $120. That was a dream come true!! SOLD!!! Right on the spot we bought it. Thankfully, we already had a pickup that would haul it. That turned out to be the most enjoyable summer we ever shared. After about 2 months of camping and making new friends from the local area, we found a beautiful farmhouse on 10 acres to rent, and it was only $500 a month.
It was amazing how things lined up and worked out for our good. In retrospect, I see the hand of God in all the events of that move. (even the events surrounding our aquisition of that pickup truck..which was a controversial subject in our household at the time..) But every last detail was miraculously prepared for us..even though at the time I didn't recognize all of it. Even now, as I recall all of the events, I am amazed.
our God is an AWSOME God..He maketh a way where there is none... Praise His Name forever more!
...to be continued
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