We have been approved for the Mutual Self Help Program. I do not know all of the details yet, but the rumor I am hearing is that we will start in September. I am crossing my fingers that September means a date closer to the 1st and not the 30th. I think we will have 10 families in our group.
Anyone interested in hammering in some nails this fall?
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Floorplan
We attended the open house for the recently completed homes in the Mutual Self Help program. It was helpful to be able to walk through the completed homes and see what the options look like. Although we have not officially been approved, we were allowed to select our floor plan and our lot. Apparently each lot is pre-designated with a house plan to ensure a variety within the neighborhood. Amazingly, the exact lot we wanted also happened to come with the house plan we are interested in. I'd say that is pretty amazing!
We are excited to move forward and our loan is currently being processed. If it processes quickly, we have been told we can join the group that has already begun the pre-construction meetings. That means we start building right away! However, if it takes too long, we will be the #1 family in the next group which will start in a few months. Apparently there are already 4 families in that group (including us) so if we have to wait, I hope we get 3 more families to sign up and get approved right away! I am crossing my fingers we get to start with this current group, but there may be advantages to waiting. I'm sure waiting a few months won't hurt much except for my patience. It would be nice to start before it gets too dark and cold, though.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Open House
Things seem to be moving along well for our Mutual Self Help Program application. Tomorrow we are going to the ribbon cutting and open house for the homes in the neighborhood we applied for. We will get to see the homes that just got completed. This group apparently started in December so it seems their group took about 7 1/2-8 months to finish their homes.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
God Bless America
I went to a conference a few weeks ago where the speaker discussed the personal accounts of Iraqi women refugees in Jordan. At the time, I did not experience a notable reaction to her presentation, but it did spark some very powerful thoughts within me that I just can't shake.
One of the overwhelming thoughts running through my head is my total lack of comprehension about why I have such an amazing life. I am blown away thinking about how fortunate I am. I do not believe the Lord has placed us in our situations randomly, but when you think of the odds of being born in such fortunate circumstances, all I can say is, WOW (and thank you)!
As Americans, we are very sheltered from the rest of the world and take our comforts for granted as the norm around the world, when in fact, most of the world struggles to merely exist. I sat and complained to myself the other day when I waited at the doctor's office for 2 hours. But I didn't even have to pay to go because my insurance covered the expense! I'm not worried about diseases like the swine flu because I am healthy, drink clean water, and have nutritious food to eat. Medicine that can save my life only costs $4!
The stories of these women were awful. One woman was delivered a garbage bag with human pieces in it. After piecing it together like a puzzle, she found it was her husband. Others wear the traditional veils just to avoid violent advances from men. And can you imagine sending your 13 year old daughter across town to work to provide for the family, requiring her to walk home alone at 3am? Massacres, terrorism, war, rape, kidnapping, poverty, epidemics, and natural disasters happen nearly every day and go unnoticed by me. I never even think about them. And I certainly never imagine anything like that could ever possibly happen where I live. What a blessing. How fortunate I am.
I want to resolve to be grateful. To stop complaining. To appreciate having a car, even when it takes me 15 minutes to get through traffic instead of the regular 12. To be grateful that I can see a doctor the same day I get sick, even if that means sitting in a waiting room for two hours. For having "big" worries that include mischarges on a bill or a dead zone on my cell phone. How terrible that "I have nothing to eat at my house" because my options are all canned or frozen and I can simply drive 2 minutes away to the grocery store. I cannot imagine literally starving or wondering where I will sleep that night. How lucky I am to worry about the extra 5-10 pounds I've put on when so many people would do anything for the abundance in food I have--or even my skinny shape.
Thank you God for blessing me with such bounty! And please bless those without! I admire their resilience, strength, humility, and gratitude. And help me to bless the lives of those who are not as fortunate as I.
One of the overwhelming thoughts running through my head is my total lack of comprehension about why I have such an amazing life. I am blown away thinking about how fortunate I am. I do not believe the Lord has placed us in our situations randomly, but when you think of the odds of being born in such fortunate circumstances, all I can say is, WOW (and thank you)!
As Americans, we are very sheltered from the rest of the world and take our comforts for granted as the norm around the world, when in fact, most of the world struggles to merely exist. I sat and complained to myself the other day when I waited at the doctor's office for 2 hours. But I didn't even have to pay to go because my insurance covered the expense! I'm not worried about diseases like the swine flu because I am healthy, drink clean water, and have nutritious food to eat. Medicine that can save my life only costs $4!
The stories of these women were awful. One woman was delivered a garbage bag with human pieces in it. After piecing it together like a puzzle, she found it was her husband. Others wear the traditional veils just to avoid violent advances from men. And can you imagine sending your 13 year old daughter across town to work to provide for the family, requiring her to walk home alone at 3am? Massacres, terrorism, war, rape, kidnapping, poverty, epidemics, and natural disasters happen nearly every day and go unnoticed by me. I never even think about them. And I certainly never imagine anything like that could ever possibly happen where I live. What a blessing. How fortunate I am.
I want to resolve to be grateful. To stop complaining. To appreciate having a car, even when it takes me 15 minutes to get through traffic instead of the regular 12. To be grateful that I can see a doctor the same day I get sick, even if that means sitting in a waiting room for two hours. For having "big" worries that include mischarges on a bill or a dead zone on my cell phone. How terrible that "I have nothing to eat at my house" because my options are all canned or frozen and I can simply drive 2 minutes away to the grocery store. I cannot imagine literally starving or wondering where I will sleep that night. How lucky I am to worry about the extra 5-10 pounds I've put on when so many people would do anything for the abundance in food I have--or even my skinny shape.
Thank you God for blessing me with such bounty! And please bless those without! I admire their resilience, strength, humility, and gratitude. And help me to bless the lives of those who are not as fortunate as I.
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