It’s no secret that we are on the look out for our perfect home… this has been the case for about 5 years now!

It all started during the first year of our marriage when we decided to build a house just outside of Boksburg. The house would have been beautiful, the estate was gorgeous, but after some wise council from our parents we realized that the location was really not ideal. We then almost bought a one bedroom apartment with a beautiful view in Auckland Park (we were living out there at the time). Short sited much??? Our first pregnancy came soon after this and we would NEVER have coped being so high up in such a tiny space with a baby!

A little while later we bought Elmwood where we happily stayed for 3 years. It was comfortable, it was big enough at the time and it had gorgeous views but our family was growing and our busy toddler needed a garden – so we moved.

During our last year at Elmwood (after much looking around) we decided that building our dream home may just be our best bet – buying and renovating was a) too much of  a mission and b) expensive! And so our journey to building began.

We found an estate that we liked, a piece of land that we loved, it was close to family, still close enough to church and a reasonable distance from Tai’s school. So we signed he papers, planned our home (now if you know Phil you will know how much detail went into this part) and applied for our bond. …it was only partly granted and not enough to go ahead – I was shattered!

3 Months later we found an even better piece of land in the same estate, applied for our bond again (this time only needing the percentage that was previously granted) and waited on the bank. Again we were denied due to unfavourable land circumstances and enormous foundation costs. And again I was shattered.

Nevertheless we tried for a 3rd time, in the same estate and on a better plot of ground . This time, while gathering our paperwork the estate agent very rudely sold ‘our land’ to someone else. My heart did not break quite as badly this time – I simply felt that God wanted us elsewhere!

About 3 months ago, we found a house that we could see ourselves living in. It was picture perfect! Or so we thought… But, this time… our offer was declined by the seller. Looking back now and knowing how much our life is bound to change, buying this house would have been a big mistake. But I was heartbroken at the time – funny how losing something we think is perfect can make us feel that way…and then it’s not even right in the first place. I wish I had more faith in God and His plans for us regarding this.

This week we found out that the area we are now looking at building in is going to be turned into a full blown city – hospitals, schools, high rise apartment buildings – you name it. Now while this all sounds very exciting, I am not sure I want to raise my family in a city. I want to live somewhere quiet and beautiful. I want our surroundings to ‘nourish’ us. I want where we live to enrich our lives, for our children to grow up playing outside. I want security and space. I want nature and a home big enough to accommodate our growing family. I want to trust God more for what he wants for us and to be totally content in this time of waiting.

Where to from here… I have no idea…but I will keep you posted! For now, should you feel led, please pray for Phil and I as we seek God for His plan for our family. At the end of the day, we really just want to please Him 🙂