When we put the house up for sale in May, we knew it would sell immediately. After all we were selling the home to allow us to go overseas for a year as volunteers with One Mission Society. The housing market seemed at a lull, but we knew that God could sell a house in any market, so we prayed and we waited.
We are booked to being Spanish language classes at a missionary institute in San Jose, Costa Rica, on September 4th. We’ll then proceed to Camp Pallatanga, in Ecuador, to volunteer for the rest of the school year, beginning November 4th.
We have done a lot of waiting this spring. We have done a ton of praying this spring!
Many people encouraged us to rent out our house, instead of selling. They wanted to protect us from fluctuating housing markets, but we were afraid to have our attention divided when we were overseas; we didn’t want to have to worry about our big old bungalow.
We had a lot of potential buyers come through our home, and we have become experts at “making it look like a show home” in short notice. We didn’t get a single offer on our house, though everyone “loved it”. We’ve organized all kinds things and packed them away in a storage container we have at our friend’s acreage. So we’ve been perched, ready to spring into action, as soon as the house sold.
The summer has crept by and last week we decided to try our hand at finding a renter. Now we can see that this was exactly how it was all meant to be. We have a renter/house-sitter who is going to move with her young family from Ontario to begin a new job in Edmonton. It seems that God had the house prepared for them to rent all along.
Suddenly, all of the details are coming together swimmingly. This morning OMS sent an e-mail confirming our flight information. This afternoon our “renter” confirmed that she does “have the job” in Edmonton and is ready to move.
We’ll fly out next Sunday morning, its time for us to really get packing! Thanks for your continued prayers!!!!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
A time of waiting
Today, we're going to get our home "looking like a show home". After two months of having the house on the market, the children know their show-home-jobs well. Hopefully it will even be dry enough to mow the grass, today! We have an open house coming up. We are so very hopeful that our house will sell this weekend. It is stressful, watching our departure date looming (some time the week of August 22nd) and not being able to pack up and finalize things here. We keep praying and trusting and waiting.
We have been very, very blessed and encouraged in our initial fundraising efforts. In the last month, family and friends have donated 25% of the funds we need to have into One Mission Society, in order to go to Ecuador. Its so encouraging to be approached by people wanting to be involved in our volunteer efforts in Ecuador. It is very exciting, talking with the missionary family who are already working at Camp Pallatanga. We are eager to get down to South America and be put to work!
This week, our two dogs went to their year-long homes. Our house is strangely emptier, without Dante and Tipper wagging around.
We've begun to haul things to our storage container. We're doing it a bit backward, putting in little things first, but we're grateful to have a container to put most everything into!
Don is currently working on a Spanish course through Athabasca University. Don and I spoke conversational Spanish 13 years ago. We love the intonation and cadence of the language. We'll do most of our language training in San Jose Costa Rica, from September 4th to October 14th, before heading onto South America. We can't wait to get underway!
Thank you for your prayers!!!
Dante and Tipper
We have been very, very blessed and encouraged in our initial fundraising efforts. In the last month, family and friends have donated 25% of the funds we need to have into One Mission Society, in order to go to Ecuador. Its so encouraging to be approached by people wanting to be involved in our volunteer efforts in Ecuador. It is very exciting, talking with the missionary family who are already working at Camp Pallatanga. We are eager to get down to South America and be put to work!
This week, our two dogs went to their year-long homes. Our house is strangely emptier, without Dante and Tipper wagging around.
We've begun to haul things to our storage container. We're doing it a bit backward, putting in little things first, but we're grateful to have a container to put most everything into!
Don is currently working on a Spanish course through Athabasca University. Don and I spoke conversational Spanish 13 years ago. We love the intonation and cadence of the language. We'll do most of our language training in San Jose Costa Rica, from September 4th to October 14th, before heading onto South America. We can't wait to get underway!
Thank you for your prayers!!!
Dante and Tipper
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
moving forward in faith
Don and I are officially off work.
We are ready to register for spanish language training, book flights, and arrange for housing in Costa Rica (where our family will be in intensive language classes for six weeks). Our own home in St Albert has not yet sold, however we are currently moving forward in faith booking dates, courses, and flights. Your financial contributions and your prayers are VERY MUCH appreciated!
We are preparing to leave Canada in late August. Our language training classes run from Sept 5th to October 14th.
Thank you for visiting our blog!
Our OMS support account number is #08053
tax-deductible donations can be made by phone at
1-800-784-7077 or
through the OMS website http://www.onemissionsociety.org/give/express-donations
or sent to
One Mission Society Canada
132-293 Wellington St.
N. Hamilton, ON
L8L 8E7
We are ready to register for spanish language training, book flights, and arrange for housing in Costa Rica (where our family will be in intensive language classes for six weeks). Our own home in St Albert has not yet sold, however we are currently moving forward in faith booking dates, courses, and flights. Your financial contributions and your prayers are VERY MUCH appreciated!
We are preparing to leave Canada in late August. Our language training classes run from Sept 5th to October 14th.
Thank you for visiting our blog!
Our OMS support account number is #08053
tax-deductible donations can be made by phone at
1-800-784-7077 or
through the OMS website http://www.onemissionsociety.org/give/express-donations
or sent to
One Mission Society Canada
132-293 Wellington St.
N. Hamilton, ON
L8L 8E7
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Get involved
Help get the Murrays out of the country!
The plan is for our family to work at a family camp, in the mountains of Ecuador for a year. One Mission Society is the organization we are working under. We begin in September with language training at a missionary language institute in San Jose, Costa Rica.
We had planned to sell our home, and use the equity to fund our year volunteering abroad. We’ve kept our home “looking like a show-home” for a month (that’s tough on the five of us!).
We’re excited about registering for language training and booking our flights, but our house has not yet sold. So we’re prayerfully asking for help with funding.
Our OMS support account number is #08053
tax-deductible donations can be made by phone at
1-800-784-7077 or
through the OMS website http://www.onemissionsociety.org/give/express-donations
or sent to
One Mission Society Canada
132-293 Wellington St.
N. Hamilton, ON
L8L 8E7
We would REALLY appreciate your prayers as we endeavor to be actively involved in God’s work in Ecuador.
The plan is for our family to work at a family camp, in the mountains of Ecuador for a year. One Mission Society is the organization we are working under. We begin in September with language training at a missionary language institute in San Jose, Costa Rica.
We had planned to sell our home, and use the equity to fund our year volunteering abroad. We’ve kept our home “looking like a show-home” for a month (that’s tough on the five of us!).
We’re excited about registering for language training and booking our flights, but our house has not yet sold. So we’re prayerfully asking for help with funding.
Our OMS support account number is #08053
tax-deductible donations can be made by phone at
1-800-784-7077 or
through the OMS website http://www.onemissionsociety.org/give/express-donations
or sent to
One Mission Society Canada
132-293 Wellington St.
N. Hamilton, ON
L8L 8E7
We would REALLY appreciate your prayers as we endeavor to be actively involved in God’s work in Ecuador.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
June 2011 update
Thank you to the wonderful congregation of St Pauls Anglican church for inviting us to share our plans with them! What a lovely morning we had reconnecting with old friends!
Our plans are evolving as the summer draws near. We're now looking at a mid-August departure date. This should give us time to sell our home in St Albert, before heading to language training in the capital city of Costa Rica. Don's mom is planning to join us for the 6 six weeks that we'll be in San Jose for language training; "grandma" is going to take care of our three children, while we are in classes full days, each day. We are thrilled about this new development!
We anticipate heading directly from Costa Rica to Ecuador. We are excited about getting to Camp Pallatanga!
Our plans are evolving as the summer draws near. We're now looking at a mid-August departure date. This should give us time to sell our home in St Albert, before heading to language training in the capital city of Costa Rica. Don's mom is planning to join us for the 6 six weeks that we'll be in San Jose for language training; "grandma" is going to take care of our three children, while we are in classes full days, each day. We are thrilled about this new development!
We anticipate heading directly from Costa Rica to Ecuador. We are excited about getting to Camp Pallatanga!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
It's May already!
Our family is so excited about heading to Camp Pallatanga in Ecuador!
We are in the throws of getting organized . . . its a bit overwhelming, so we appreciate your prayers! One Mission Society (OMS) is doing a fantastic job of organizing all kinds of details for us: like cross-cultural training, language training, securing visas, prayer support, and communicating with those already in Ecuador.
We've been preparing to sell our house. Organizing home-schooling details. Finding a year-long dog sitter. Beginning to learn Spanish. And now we want to try to get organized to correspond with friends and family while we are away!!!!
Will we have internet in Ecuador? We hope so. It sounds like Camp Pallatanga has dial-up wireless internet, that reportedly works best from the end of the driveway.
We have lots of dreams and ideas about our year away. We also have lots of questions about the upcoming year. So we'll keep you posted.
Our plan is to leave this July, 2011, and return next July, 2012.
We are in the throws of getting organized . . . its a bit overwhelming, so we appreciate your prayers! One Mission Society (OMS) is doing a fantastic job of organizing all kinds of details for us: like cross-cultural training, language training, securing visas, prayer support, and communicating with those already in Ecuador.
We've been preparing to sell our house. Organizing home-schooling details. Finding a year-long dog sitter. Beginning to learn Spanish. And now we want to try to get organized to correspond with friends and family while we are away!!!!
Will we have internet in Ecuador? We hope so. It sounds like Camp Pallatanga has dial-up wireless internet, that reportedly works best from the end of the driveway.
We have lots of dreams and ideas about our year away. We also have lots of questions about the upcoming year. So we'll keep you posted.
Our plan is to leave this July, 2011, and return next July, 2012.
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