When we "embarked" on our journey to purchase a new flat & sell off our present, we remembered to submit this matter to God in prayer. We asked Him to lead us with wisdom & to protect us along the way.
Finally we found a unit that we liked & purchased. We were thrilled that our own unit was sold off that very night itself. We thanked God for such perfect timing.
Few weeks down the road, our agent started warning us of a few potential problem, and asking us to be prepared for the worst case "scenarios".
Number 1, my CPF money (from the sale of the flat that's under my bro's & my name) may not be transferred back to my account in time for the purchase transaction of our new flat (to be under my husband's & my name). If this is the case, we'll need to take up a "bridging loan" of an estimated 15-20K. We'll have to come up with this amt, either thru our own savings, otherwise through a bank loan (& paying for the interest which'll be incurred during the 2-3 months loan, which I feel is totally not worth it).
Number 2, our (new flat's) seller apparently is in no hurry to do the submission & complete the transaction (in contrary to the impression we had during our agreement meeting). If they really dragged this process, by the time our flat's sale is completed, & we had to move out, we'll have no place to stay... until our purchase is completed. The gap period is about 1 month, and we still want to have some renovations done, which will be another month. Total gap period of 2 months, me, hubby, 2 kids, & my bro who'll continue to live with us.
We were not really stressed by either situation, but was a bit upset that things were not going as smoothly as we'd wanted it to be. Praying about this matter, I regained my trust in God, that He'll take care of us & our every need, what comes may. What is the worst that can happen to us?
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Luke 12:22 onwards.
Then come the time for our son's primary school registration. I submitted this matter to God to0, believing that God knows what's best for him, & our family, despite what I think.
I had my eye on a popular neighbourhood school which is really close to our new place. However, I was dismayed to find out on registration date, that the school needs a confirmed letter of our (new) address. Failing to produce that, our son will get zero chance of getting in. As the school had literally filled up all vacancies & more (whose address are within 1 km of the school) are still applying. This means, the school will definitely go into a balloting phase even for those with a confirmed address within 1 km. We definitely don't stand a chance if we're applying with our current address.
So, we went to the 2nd nearest school from our new place. The school still has lots of vacancy... & I was glad to know that they'll be going single session from next year onwards, meaning school will start at 8am instead of afternoon sessions (12:30pm ?) which is the case with primary 1 & 2 students in other schools.
I put away the disappointment of the earlier "rejection", & decided to give thanks to God for the way things had turned out. As it was, Natalie's (my 3yr old daughter) nursery classes for nx year will start at 8:15 am. The timing is perfect for both kids, & I'll have almost a whole morning to myself from nx year onwards! Hallelujah!!! hehe...
Back to the flats, the delay in the transaction completion (for our purchase) meant that we don't have to worry about coming up with the 15-20K bridging loan. 1 problem solved. Now, we need to seriously look for a place to stay for about 2 months.
Since my 2 kids are still young, & given our present small flat, they still sleep with us till the present. So, renting a whole unit (with minimum of 2 bedrooms) will actually be a waste. We needed only 1 room, yet with the freedom & privacy of a whole unit. This, I found to be a really challenging task.
God reminded me of his presence in my life, & asked me to once again submit this matter to him.
My agent is quite worried for us, & urged us to try to discuss for early move in with our seller. My neighbours on the other hand, lamented at the "bad luck" we had regarding this matter, & helped us to look around for a short term rental anywhere.
Short term rental, with 2 kids in tow, is really a challenging task as I found out. Most want at least a 6 months tenancy, or if we're just renting a room, a maximum of 2 persons only. Many rejected us outwardly the moment I said that we have 2 young kids with us. Quite discouraging really.
Then I came across an online ad, by a landlady for short term rental. We visited, discussed, & decided to go for it. You see, the room is rented out by a young Chinese (from China) couple, who owned a unit in a condominium near our present place.
The landlady, readily agreed to rent us the room, for 2 months, with 2 kids in tow, & even allowed me to cook! (Many other owners preferred that I don't cook). The bonus: 1) this couple works during the day, so we'll literally have the whole unit to ourselves. 2) there are swimming pools, tennis courts, gym etc 3) it's within walking distance to the nearest MRT station 4) it's still within our present neighbourhood, meaning my son can continue his kindergarten in the same school. His school bus has agreed to continue the service for us at the same rate, even though it's considerably further. 5) it's a familiar neighbourhood for us, but a station closer to town ;)
Talk about the goodness of the Lord! As I looked back, I realized that everything has fallen nicely for us afterall, despite the "hick-ups". Sometimes I asked & wondered, why did God allowed all these to happen? Why don't He just make things smooth sailing that way I'd wanted them to be?
This is simply another testimony of God's faithfulness in my life. How He wanted me to depend on him, every single step of the way, big & small matters. This dependence, creates a thankful heart in me, knowing that I'm truly well taken care of!
All the happenings of late reminds me of this verse from
Psalms 16:6 "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." I can truly claim this verse, with a wonderful testimony of God's faithfulness & promise to match!
If things are not going smoothly for you right now, I hope this will encourage you, to turn to a loving God for help & guidance.
