One big thing that is new in our family is that we bought a vacation house in Ohio's Amish country.
We rented this house over two years ago, and this spring we found out that it was up for sale. My husband thought it would be a good business venture to purchase it and use it for vacation rentals allowing us to enjoy it at the same time.
Over the years we have taken several vacations to Ohio's Amish country, and we knew we would enjoy going back over and over. My seven children and I spent about five weeks there getting it set up over the summer. We went not knowing who we would find to do fixer upper projects, to keep the yard, and to clean after guests. We were praying for direction, and once we got there the Lord brought us in contact with just the right people. He is so good and so faithful!
During our five weeks there we had an Amish man rip up all the carpet and restore very old wood floors. My oldest daughter did a lot of painting, and we worked hard at setting up house. There are still many more projects we would like to do over time, but it was exciting to see all the progress in just five weeks.
Recently my husband and I were able to take a short weekend trip back, and he was able to see all the progress we made during the summer. We had fun visiting with friends in Ohio and shopping for little things here and there to spruce up the house a bit more.
I LOVE fall, and seeing the colorful leaves in Ohio thrills my heart! At the start of 2017 we had no thoughts of buying a house in Ohio whatsoever. It came about so unexpectedly and yet I see the Lord working His purposes in it already. Not only are we enjoying times to get away to a quieter and slower pace, we are also building friendships and having the opportunity to minister to the people staying in our home. We are trying to be intentional in letting the presence of the Lord be felt when a guest enters our home. We purposely left christian literature and other things around the house to be a blessing to our guests.
It was so shocking to us that the first guests the Lord brought to our home was a family with seven children who homeschools just like us!!! What are the chances??? It felt like a sweet confirmation that we are in the right place and doing the right thing with this new Ohio adventure.
Truly I cannot wait until the next trip. There is something very serene and peaceful there, and I love all the sweet community happenings, the incredible thrift stores, the bakeries, quilt shops, beautiful sprawling farmlands, tall silos, the friends we have made there and so much more! I truly LOVE my home away from home. :) Before we bought a home there, I would visit and feel so sad about leaving. I never knew when I would have another opportunity to return. Now that we have the house I still feel sad when we leave, but I know that I will return and it helps that I have that to look forward to. The Lord is good and gracious, and we desire to use this home to bless those He brings our way.
This has been the fastest year of my life. So much has transpired that the year has flown by. How can Thanksgiving be two weeks away??? I have so much I look forward to posting here. I hope you enjoyed reading a snippet of our Ohio adventure. Blessings to you all!
Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,
or declare all his praise? - Psalm 106:1-2
No comments:
Post a Comment