JOURNEY #3

     It is now 2021 and God speaks to us again. Early in February my husband and I sat in our respective chairs and began discussing how we both felt that God was stirring our hearts to move out of state again even though we had been in that present home for only one and a half years.

     In the two previous journeys, I explained how God had given us a certain word:  “Granite” to guide us on the first journey; In the second journey, it was a Bible verse, Genesis 12:1.  I call these “BUZZ WORDS”.

     On the third journey, God gave me the buzz word “ZION”. Early on in February of that year 2021 I began seeing and hearing the word “Zion” over and over in various places– just as in Journey #2 I had heard Genesis 12:1 in many different places and events. 

     Since we had decided we were definitely leaving Idaho, after thirteen (13) good years there, I began cleaning out stuff and getting things ready to go. Now here comes the clincher: on Friday, April 9th, 2021, while cleaning and sorting my miniature plastic file cabinet, I found an address label in the very bottom drawer under everything–one single label. 🤪 I had designed and printed labels in the year 2000 or 2001 with a Bible verse on it:  Psalm 125:1. It reads like this: “Those who trust in the LORD shall be as Mount ZION, which cannot be removed but abideth forever.”  Wow! This was approximately 20 years old!!   Of course, I was definitely convinced. I showed it to my husband, and we were ready to get going. 😎

     So, we searched  quite a few places, especially Eastern Tennessee with the word “Zion” somewhere in the address or locale but found nothing. 

     Very intently, my husband who was excellent at perusing the internet, continued his search of other properties, most especially in the state of Arkansas. We had lots of trouble finding suitable properties there.  Then the unthinkable happened… Sadly, my brother-in-law, who resided in Arkansas with his wife, passed away. 😒 That was that! Our search for property in Arkansas ended right then.

     Continuing his search in various states, my husband came across a lot in Bolivar,  Tennessee.*  We proceeded to put an offer on it and even posted money in the bank for the purchase. However, the owner declined our offer.  Bummer 😞…or so we thought! (More on that later).

     Tennessee was our final choice over several other states that we had searched through.  The reason we finally chose Tennessee was because we had a daughter that had lived in Tennessee five years before. When we went to visit her and her sweet newborn baby boy💕   in 2017, we liked what we saw in this state and kept that in mind.

     Then on June 4th in 2021, one of our granddaughters called from Augusta, Georgia, and said, ” Grandpa, I’m stranded, my car is broken down and I’m kicked out and locked out of my trailer house!”  😯 So, what does Grandpa do?  He goes to the next town and buys a car dolly!  We packed up our stuff and headed right out to Georgia.  On the way Hubby says, “I want to stop in Bolivar to see the lot we almost bought.”  So, we navigated in that direction.  ➡️

     We did find the lot, but it had sold.  We then headed over to Walmart to buy some tea. 🍵 There was a lady, Janice B, standing in the aisle and I approached her. I asked her if she lived in Bolivar–a tiny town– and if she liked it.  She replied, “Oh yes, I’ve been here for over 30 years, and I love it!”  😊

     I proceeded to tell her about our “venture ” and “adventure.” And how we did not get to buy that certain lot.  Janice proclaimed, “Well, that’s a God thing! You don’t want to live on that street… It’s not a good neighborhood! But I know of a house for sale, and I know the realtors, too. I will take you to it.”  Though late at night, my husband and I agreed to the idea and followed her in our truck with our tow dolly behind us. 

     Janice called the realtors.  They came out and showed us the property–a very unique one indeed–with which I fell in love with, and Hubby agreed. We put an offer on it, and it was accepted by the sellers. We were very serious about this and were convinced that this was the right move to make–no pun intended 😉.  The following morning, the realtor came to the motel, and we put down a deposit (earnest money in the amount of five thousand dollars) on the house.

     In the meantime, Granddaughter calls back and excitedly exclaimed, “Grandma, Grandpa, I got my car fixed and I just got back into my trailer and packed up all my stuff. Now I’m heading to Bolivar!”  😁

     Many hours later, our granddaughter did arrive at the motel where we were staying in Bolivar– exhausted, tired, worn out.  We went ahead and put her car on the tow dolly.  Quickly she climbed in the back seat and knocked out for hours. 😴 Finally, we were heading back to Twin Falls, Idaho. ↖️

     Needless to say, we never made it to Georgia!  Originally, we had planned to scout out all of Tennessee from east to west in search of the “perfect property”, starting at Augusta, Georgia but decided towing a vehicle clear across the 432 miles was too cumbersome.  In light of that, we ended up only looking at the one house which we felt God led us to and bought it!!  😯

     After returning to Twin Falls, Idaho, I continued the sort, discard, and pack process – – the usual procedure when moving.  In the meantime, I asked the Lord, “When it is time to make the big move, please bring me a card or letter or something with the word “Zion” on it – – whether it be in my mailbox, on the ground, or someone hand it to me, whatever!  Lord, please confirm the time frame in this way.”

     In July, as I continued the process of pack, sort, discard–Lo and behold!  as I was going through stuff in my office closet, I found a letter.   Inside the letter there was a CARD from Zion National Bank!  Another big WOW!  😯

     I showed the card and letter to my husband, and we agreed it was time to go.🤪  We then hooked up the big trailer  that was already loaded and he headed to Bolivar, Tennessee↘️ by himself.  He rented a storage unit and had help getting all the goods into the unit. He returned to Idaho with the empty trailer so that we could reload it.  With that, we were well on our way to our next journey!

     Escrow on our house in Idaho closed on August 13th, 2021, after listing it just a month before on July 12th.  Subsequently, our house in Tennessee closed on September 13th, 2021. 

     We were now where God wanted us to be. 😊 While we had thought that it was a “bummer” to not get the lot in Bolivar that we had tried for, we found out that God had a far better plan for us.

     The hidden meaning behind the Zion name:  the name “Zion” is often used to describe a place appointed by the Lord where his followers can live and serve God. (Scripture refers to Zion as the “City of Holiness “and a “City of Refuge” where the Lord protects his people from the evils in the world.)

     While we did not secure a home with “Zion” in the address or town, we did find the Zion Yahweh had for us.  😊😊😊