Episode 1: The Dream and the Find
Ever since we arrived at YWAM Idaho, we sensed the need for a bigger house where community could occur for single YWAM staff living in Cascade. The base has a decentralized structure and most staff have to find their own housing which may be difficult in our tiny mountain town with a population just over 1000. Through our first year, our dreams for the place started to expand: we wanted to have a place to exercise hospitality with a nice guest room and a big kitchen and community space.We wanted some land to raise pack-goats for our backpacking DTS. We wanted plenty of rooms to rent to staff at a low-cost, we wanted it to be near the base location where our students would be, and we needed to be able to afford the place on our missionary-budget. That wasn't asking too much, right?
Through the occasional summer search, it seemed our needs/expectations were too high. Big places had big price-tags, and self-building such a place on purchased land would not work with our school running during the only time snow is not on the ground. So, we kept trying to create new solutions as our current home (28ft 5th wheel travel trailer) felt smaller and smaller and began having more problems (a broken slide-out, furnace on the fritz, woke up to 7 degrees inside one morning...).
One day while in India, Jonny decided to look online at houses back here in Idaho, and a big 5 bedroom place on 2.5 acres 7 minutes from our base popped up. The price seemed reasonable, though still out of our range, considering the surrounding mountain views, the size of the house, and a working well and septic. We doubted it would still be available in 4 weeks when we returned, but we trusted God with it. Surprisingly enough, it was still available when we made it back to Cascade and no offers had been made. When we walked through the place with the realtor, we discovered why. The place needed A LOT of work (estimated $50-150K worth of remodeling according to a contractor). It hadnt been lived in for a couple years, there were dead flies EVERYWHERE, there was nasty brown shag carpet in all bedrooms and all but one bathroom, it was missing siding on 2/3 of the house's exterior, 1/3 of the roof needed to be replaced, and of course there was a strange corner balcony in the living room (not to mention the American teddy bear wallpaper).
But despite all that, we could see the potential (great location close to our YWAM base, amazing views, plenty of room, nice land...). Plus, we had a peace about the place, like maybe God was in this decision. However, we didn't know how we could afford the place at the listed price, much less the needed renovations. Our expert contractor friend walked through it with us and told us that if we did most of the work ourselves, we could probably get it in decent condition for 25-50K. Our parents got behind the vision and offered to loan us money and the negotiations began!
From this...
To this!
Episode 2: The Purchase
The sellers were offended by our initial offer but they still countered at 20K less than the listed price. We came up 14K from our offer and they returned with 5K down on their counter. At this point there was still a 30K gap between our offer and theirs. We knew we were at the end of our limit as we made our final offer 20K lower than their last counter-offer and 45K less than the original price. We did not have much hope that they would accept, but we simply did not have the funds to go any higher and still be able to make the necessary repairs. We relinquished it to the Lord knowing that if it was His will, He alone could make it come about, and we guessed it would not be in our timing. An hour after we surrendered it to the Lord, we got a call from the realtor saying they had accepted our offer!!! They accepted it under the conditions that the contents of the house also become our possession (ie. we get to deal with the leftover junk). We later discovered that this meant the house came with a big 10-seater solid wood dining room table with all chairs, as well as the entire daylight basement full of building supplies/materials (wood, tile, windows, cabinets, sinks, a toilet, ect.).
On December 27, 2016 we officially became homeowners of 176 Goslin Loop, Cascade, ID! Some of our friends have affectionately termed our place "The Disciple House" because of our passion for discipleship and desire to utilize the 2700 square feet for developing Christ-centered community.
It is a major fixer-upper and at first we were feeling overwhelmed by the amount of projects needing to be done and our complete lack of knowledge or experience for doing them. But, when we are incapable, God comes in as the all-capable One and receives all the glory out of our story.
The basement full of supplies
The dining room table (and American teddy bear wallpaper)
A friend of ours volunteered to be our contractor and developed a schedule and budget for our house. Being the middle of winter, and with temps dropping below zero on occasion, one of our first priorities was to get the place heated up. Our YWAM base had heaps of extra new insulation for us to use (they had a semi-truck load donated at one point). We just had to get to it half a mile from the end of the plowed road through 6 ft deep snow at our camp. With just a knee board and some webbing, Jonny harnessed me up to pull the load while he pushed from behind. We worked hard to get the first load out clearing a path through the snow and keeping it steady as it kept wanting to topple. When we finally got the first load back to our car, a group of snowmobilers showed up and agreed to help us out. They got the rest out in one go (it would have taken us at least 2 more grueling trips), and they even offered their trailer for us to load it in and dropped it off at our house an hour away when they were done for the day! We left rejoicing that God had provided for us! The next day, we went to work insulating our entire attic at no cost and immediately noticed the house temp rising. Quick mention: on our second to last rolling out of insulation in the ceiling (literally, we were minutes away from being done), Jonny's foot slipped off a truss and he fell through the ceiling. Thank God that his arms caught on the way down and he didn't fall to his death (although he happened to fall through over the living room balcony so he possibly wouldn't have dropped all 16 feet). Once again, I am thankful for the Lord's protection over our lives.
Hauling/snowshoeing the insulation from the camp
Snowmobilers to our rescue!
Jonny-sized hole in the ceiling
Episode 4: The Carpet
We have been diligently searching Craigslist for most of our needed materials. One day we traveled to Boise to make some Craigslist pick-ups and God richly blessed us! By the end of the day, we had 3-4 bedrooms' worth of practically new carpet and carpet pad, 2 ceiling fans, and a light fixture and we had only spent $45! Here's the story: when the guy selling us the carpet found that we were YWAM missionaries, he exclaimed that he was familiar with our base director and had even been to our camp a few times. He invited us in to meet his wife and kids. We sat in their living room and all shared testimonies of the goodness of God our Father and what He was doing in our lives. Even though they had posted the carpet for $500, they ended up deciding to donate it to us and proceeded to ask what other supplies we needed. They ended up giving us a nice ceiling fan fixture with a remote for our living room and offered to haul the carpet up the mountain to our house in their trailer for us next time they head our way! We prayed for one another and once again left rejoicing, amazed at the generous provision of the Lord! The two other stops for another fan and light fixture resulted in lower prices than listed and thus we returned home having only spent $45 on our house. Others have also donated to us a clothes drier, a queen bed with frame, a twin mattress, a book shelf, a couch, and 4 bar stools.
Piles of carpet and carpet pad donated to us!
Episode 5: The Wood Stove
We also knew we needed to purchase and install a wood burning stove because our propane bill was through the roof and wood heat is much more cost-efficient and effective for the layout of our house. Multiple people had advised us that if we were purchasing a wood stove to do it right the first time. What they meant is that it is worth it in the long-run to choose a stove based on efficiency not cost (ie. do not just get someone's old donated stove because you will be paying for it big time in wood consumption). So, Jonny did the research and decided the best stove for our house would be the Blaze King King stove. We decided to bite the bullet and buy it new along with all the double-wall chimney pipe because it was the safest, most efficient, and longest-lasting option (plus nobody sells those things on Craigslist anyways because once you get one, you do not want to get rid of it!) Not to mention, our budget could allow for it since we were getting so many other big ticket items donated at this point(see previous episodes). So, we ordered it all and it was delivered to our door the next day. Looking at the forcasted 4 feet of snow in the next 9 days, Jonny decided we needed to get this thing installed asap...but he did not know how to do it and could certainly not try it alone (I'm too short to be much help installing chimney pipe with a 16-foot ceiling). Some great manly friends of ours agreed to help, and the next day Jonny was cutting a hole in the top of the roof in the middle of a snowstorm! The men were loving the adventure of it all while I was inside praying for their safety and cooking up a hot meal for them. After two days, the wood stove and all its chimney were installed to code and no one was injured! I'd like to mention here that we were now very thankful for that odd little corner balcony in the living room which made it so much easier for the guys to connect the pipe through the ceiling. Actually, we have no idea how it would have been done without that balcony. We see God's hand in placing it their years ago for who-knows-why until this very purpose. Now, once the dry-walling is finished up there (which a professional friend has also donated his expert skills in doing), the balcony will be removed and the wood re-purposed elsewhere in the house.
However, having not known we would be buying a house in the winter, we did not use the previous summer to stock up on firewood, and it is not cheap when you have to buy it in the middle of winter! But, once again God provided as our friends (read fellow YWAM staff) blessed us with a cord (thats a truck plus a trailer-full, for you San Diegans like me who did not grow up burning wood for heat because we had the hot sun 24/7/365) of Red Fir (top-tier wood for burning)! And another friend (also fellow staff) gave us a couple car loads of their firewood.
When we moved into our house I was wearing all my winter coats inside because we were out of propane (and had to wait a few days till they could refill) and the house was 41 degrees inside! Now, with our woodstove blazing, it is a cozy 71 and Jonny is wearing T-shirts around! Outside the snow is falling and I am so thankful for how God has been my Jehovah Jireh.
Jonny cutting the hole in the roof in the middle of the snowstorm
Andy and Jonny working on the roof
Josh and Jonny utilizing the balcony to install the chimney
Don't mind the mess, but the stove is in!!!
This is approx. 1 cord of Red Fir: 2 rows fully stacked!
Blazing hot!
Disclaimer: I realize I talk a lot about money and possessions, but please know that I do this because they are tangible stories of the faithfulness of God. I keep it all with an open hand knowing the Lord gives and the Lord takes away but blessed be the name of the Lord. We also happen to be missionaries living solely on the support of others; so, with a monthly budget of $2000 or less depending on what comes in, we feel the need to be thrifty and resourceful. Also, I've been learning about being a good steward with everything in my life. The definition of a steward is managing someone else's property. For me, that Someone is God. All I have, and even my very life, is His and I am responsible to do what would please Him with it. Same principal applies to our finances and to the disciple house: they are not ours to begin with, they are the Lords and we are blessed to be His managers of these things.
