A Little Update

I have a lot of news to share with those of you out there. I think it's best to end with the good news, so let's start with the bad news. 

Maybe I shouldn't call it "bad news." I know God is a Redeemer and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). As I've seen with many struggles over the past year, my life has been nothing but enriched from a spiritual perspective. I'm not saying it's easy...quite the opposite actually. I've had my fair share of tears, stress, etc, etc. However, I trying my best to learn daily that when "bad" things happen & things feel completely out of my control, God still has control. Things may not turn out how I would have planned them, but I've decided to take God at His word. He knows much better than I do. And He has the power to redeem situations that are the result of fallen humanity.

With all that said, here is what is going on. We moved this past weekend. Everything went great. We were so excited to be closing one chapter in our life and opening a new one. This new chapter seemed to be paved with rest. Rest from the past year of craziness. We were supposed to be closing on our house tomorrow. To make a long story very short, I got a call from our realtor yesterday that the people that were buying our house backed out. What a shock! When we originally put our house on the market, we received 4 offers. The people we went with wanted our house so badly that they offered us over our asking price. So now, hear were are, already moved out, and having to start over at square one. Our, now vacant,  house goes back on the market on Monday. 

Please pray that we get buyers quickly and can close quickly. We would love to be able to enjoy the summer and not have to deal with any house drama. 

Now for the good news. We moved into the apartment, and, so far, are loving it. It's definitely small, but that means less cleaning! Hooray! Ellie said it best, "This apartment is so fun...even though it's really puny." I love that kid. I've just been pretending I'm at a beach condo and can't wait to be at the pool all summer. Our plan is to be here until we are out of debt. We are kickin' it Dave Ramsey style. 

Also, we found great loving homes for both our cats. I pray the cats will adjust quickly and the new families will enjoy them as much as we have. 

And last, but certainly not least...I have raised ALL my money for the Africa trip!! I can't believe it! Thanks to each and every one of you who prayed and donated. 

Almost There!

I'm almost there!

I only need 10 more people to donate $39 and join my $39 x 77 Fundraising Campaign. I can't believe I am so close to meeting my goal. Would you consider joining? 

Just a little over 2 months before I leave!

Amazing!!

God is truly amazing!!

Yesterday I received more than enough money to cover the amount that was due today for my Africa trip! In fact, I only have $550 more to raise. I can't believe it!

I sent a fex ex package to Visiting Orphans with much more money than I had anticipated sending. God is so good and truly does do miracles!

If you'd like to make a donation to help with the $550 left to raise, you can use the Chip In link on the right side of the blog to do so or mail your donation to me at:

Mindy Spradlin
204 Cavalcade Circle
Franklin, TN 37069
*You can make your check out to Visiting Orphans.

Update on the happenings in my life:
Many of you know we are selling our house in order to get out of debt. After looking at SEVERAL rental houses, townhomes, etc, I think we have settled on moving into an apartment. I was SUPER opposed to this at first, my mindset has definitely changed. We are wanting to rent something as inexpensive as we can. Our goal was to stay under $1,000, not be in a sketchy area, stay in Franklin if possible, be in a good school district, and have at least 1000 square feet. Most of the rental homes we looked at under $1,000 did not fit at least one of those criteria.

Long story short, I really like the Alara Farms Apartments in Cool Springs. We are going to get a 1,200 square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, apartment with great pool, fabulous fitness center, WONDERFUL school, great location, for $875/month. You can really beat that!

The down side, we won't have a yard and we will probably have to get rid of our beloved cats. This is actually really sad. Not so much for me, but more for the girls. They LOVE their cats. They are basically their children. The apartment allows cats, but for 2 pets, it is a $450 non-refundable pet fee. Nathan made the comment that we just can't justify spending $450 on our cats when we are really trying to get out of debt. Plus it's an extra $15/month in rent for them. That's not really the big deal. It's mostly the up-front cost. At first, I tried to convince him we should keep the cats, but I think he is probably right. $450 is a lot of money. Anyway, we're haven't totally made a decision on this, but will in the next few days. As crazy as it sounds, we're both trying to seek the Lord on this. We want to keep the girls' lives as stable as we can, but don't want to be irresponsible with our money. I'll keep you updated.

Anyway, thank you, thank you, thank you, to those who have donated and those who have been praying. Maye you all be blessed exceedingly this week!