Howdy All Y'all!!
We just moved to the fine state of Texas & it's been a warm welcome to the Bates Bunkhouse & all we do! God's given us this land for a new start and believe you me, we are very excited about all the prospects!
Since I'm in Texas, we are gonna brag a bit as that is okay down here! Now, don't worry 'bout it, not a sin a'tall to brag when you are braggin about God's goodness and witnessing to all what is possible with God!
As many of y'all know, we were having financial difficulties in Colorado due to the political side of things & state of the economy there. The Bunkhouse was facing some mighty big challenges, not all of which had to do with the weather. Which, I might add was a might frightful what with snow from the end of May & starting up again on Oct. 8th! Didn't blog much at that time...just didn't HAVE the time. Dealt with downed horses in fencing due to ice, snow & living in Windy Hills on hilly/mountainous areas. Anyone following me on FB knows exactly all that went on.
This is to give all y'all hope in whatever situation you may find yourselves in. God answers prayers if we just stop imposing OUR ideas on Him! Yes...guilty as charged. Apparently God did not want us to be in the Amarillo area as we had planned but Thank You, Lord, we are at least a bit closer to cousin Billie Sue & in the state where she lives and Uncle Bobby Ray as well.
So, here's the tale. We had been struggling & looking for a better life as all good pioneering people would do. We contemplated Nebraska, Wyoming & even the Dakotas but decided that was WAAY too cold for this here So. Cal. country girl! Now, I say country girl because that is what I loved & when I was a girl, there was still a lot of country out there. Mainly ranches & the like, but I loved it & enjoyed many a warm day in the summer with temps well into the 100's. So, Kelly said, "If you don't like those northern areas then where else?" With a glint in his eye & a little smirk on his lips, I knew I had to come up with something & fast. So I shot back with, "I don't know...maybeee...hmmm...Amarillo!" You have family there & we always liked it when we traveled through there. Well, that began the whole thing & Kelly had looked for a time in that area for a job but nothing transpired. About a yr or so later, a job posting came up with Union Pacific RR in Ft. Worth with his job description...there aren't too many Boilermakers left, so figured it might be an answer from God, so he put in for it.
That's when the whirlwind hit! Kelly always says, "When you pray for God's will & are patient, just hold on when His will comes into play as things take off & you feel like you're hangin' on to a wild ride!" LOL! SOO true! Kelly put in for the job (even though we were very hestitant due to distance, climate with our asthma/allergies, etc.) He got notified within a wk that he had 2 days to make it down to Ft. Worth to interview for the position. Plane tickets were too expensive with the short notice, so we all drove down with him. He was notified while we were still in Ft. Worth that he got the job. We drove home to Colorado and began selling or giving away nearly everything we had. We had already talked to 4 realtors, all had said the same thing...that we would be lucky to sell & even if we were able to sell, we would most likely lose money in the deal. Well, the money we had put down on the house came from yrs of saving & some was retirement money to be able to live in a high dollar area in a broken down house that needed lots of work. It had appraised in Aug. 2010 for $350,000...that was without all of the upgrades completed! But, we were looking at half that according to most indications, which would mean we would not only lose, but lose BIG...over $100,000!
Once we had completed the upgrades, our dear rodeo friend came over to see if there was any hope...the news was still bad. Our friend is a Texas born man & Kelly's Mama being from Texas, they had a similar temperment of good friends being able to debate a subject loudly without getting hurt feelings...so they were leaning across the table, both adamant about their positions. Our friends, favorite expression is, "In my over 30yrs in this business".... "Kelly, I'm tellin' ya...it ain't gonna happen." Kelly just as determined said, "Jace, if God wants it to happen, it'll happen." Well, we just kept selling things on craigslist & I thought...why not just throw the house up there as well? I did and got 16 hits back, 4 of which came to look at the house. One guy came back twice. We had to list the house as we had to be down in Ft. Worth on March 19th (the Feast of St. Joseph btw) for Kelly to start his new job. So, I called the office & told the gal that I needed him to get paperwork ready. That same day, I got a call from the guy who looked at the house a second time & he said he was writing up an offer. I called the office back & said I have an offer, what should I do? We met with our friend & he said he could NOT BELIEVE IT! Infact, he told us that he would handle the paperwork for just 1% so he could be the guy who could tell the story to others!!
So, our house sold & Kelly transfered down here to Ft. Worth, Texas! Not only did it sell, but we got $45,000 above cost & were able to put 20% down on this house, which had appraised for $30,000 above what we paid and that is without remodel as well! So, our savings & retirement money has followed us here & is in this house!
Amazing what God does when we continue to pray & look not for our own will, but His! He is an awesome God who only wants the best for us! Of course, we live in the world & are meant to suffer, but only enough to place us close to His Son on the cross & to forge us into steel from a less than perfect metal! Suffering is daily & we all carry our crosses, but know this, God wants the best for you as a loving parent always does. Learn the lesson that is being taught & faithfully follow His will!
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