Bates Family Travels: Finding a House!

So we were desperately looking for a house. Brandon was taking long days to search by bicycle for houses. Talking to people and trying to find out if they knew anywhere we could rent. It was very frustrating when day after day he went out and came back with no real prospects. So I went with him about 5 days into the search. We rode in the hot sun for hours and it became so frustrating we both gave up. We had been praying and praying that Jehovah help us find the right place and we weren’t able to find ANY place. It felt very much like it did when we were in Guyana and searching for houses. We were exhausted and decided to go back to the Ward’s and reevaluate the situation.

We decided that we had done enough searching and we were going to leave it in Jehovah’s hands. Brandon said we were all going to go in service as a family the next day. I hate to admit it but, we were thinking well maybe we are supposed to live somewhere else in Panama and not in Puerto Armuelles, but it didn’t make much sense to me because the Wards are an amazing family who our children were forming close bonds to and there were so many things specifically about Puerto that made us choose here that I couldn’t imagine leaving from not being able to find a place to live…

So as planned we got up the next morning and all of us were dressed to meet for service when OUT OF THE BLUE a Panamanian man came to the Ward’s gate. He said in Spanish that he was there to take us to see the house. We had no idea who he was, or what house he was talking about. Brandon said no, we are going in service. Ken suggested that since we had been praying, he had a vehicle and was offering to take us to see a house that we go! So we jumped in his truck hoping it would be a house that would work for us.

We had been praying to Jehovah specifically about what we felt we needed. We wanted a tiled floor, at least 3 bedrooms and a one floor house. All things that are common here but, not necessarily in every house. The man took us about 5 minutes away from the Wards to a house that to our amazement had everything we had wanted. It is an older house but, it has everything we need and the landlord is wonderful! We moved in the next day!!!

It is a completely unfurnished house, so it has been a bit of a challenge getting organized with owning so little but, we are getting by. Each thing we bring into the house for organization makes our lives that much easier. We have been able to get some hangers, some small shelving units that allow us to live a little bit less out of suitcases =) The Wards gave us a small table for the kitchen that has been such a help. We had to purchase a refrigerator, stove, a washer and beds. I still need to get curtain rods, curtains, and more creative ways to store things but, we are settling in slowly.

It’s been hard, frustrating, rewarding and awesome all in the same day! I think that is how life is when doing need-greater work! Jehovah gives us what we need when we really need it and we keep chugging along! We are so happy to be here!!!!!

Here's some pics of our house...