Apartment search update: Part II

So we have an update about something…. which is that we kind of... sort of.. have. AN APARTMENT! In case you are wondering, yes it is the one featured in our last post.

Our entrance (not our motorcycles but that would be cool!)

Signing the papers…

Getting the key!

We are excited, for many reasons including the following: 

• We have prayed and planned about serving the Lord in Paris for over seven and a half years. Before we were even married we started talking about this and now it is really beginning and we can’t wait to see what God has in store.
• We haven’t had our own apartment in two and a half years, we often joke with people that every place we have lived in since being married has been smaller than the last. And that for the last two and a half years we have lived with family, friends, and in training centers with dorm-style living. We wouldn’t trade any of these experiences for the world, but we are looking forward to having our own place to call and make home again. And thankfully, this place is actually a little bigger than the last 2 or 3 places we have lived in!
• As I mentioned in the last post, it can be tough to get an apartment in Paris, especially one that meets most of your criteria and is still in budget. We encountered several hesitations from agencies about our income, our line of work and the fact that we haven’t been in France very long, our current level in the language, and just general competition. But despite the potential obstacles, God provided us a place we believe will be great for our work and lives. 
• Lastly, we believe this area is a strategic place for us to go. We will share more about that soon but just a sneak peak is to say that there are around 250,000 people living in this area of the city and only 3 small churches exist currently. There is much work to do. And we are blessed to have found a place very near to some teammates so even from day one we are part of a small community, which is so important. 

It is especially interesting because two weeks ago, we were having lunch with teammates talking about our apartment search and we had no expectations that we would find one for weeks or even months. After that meeting (the same day) we visited a couple places with our teammate Detlef, and after we didn’t really like those, we tried to articulate what we were looking for. The next day, Detlef called us and said “I’ve found your apartment.” I have to admit, at this point I was feeling a little skeptical and guarded, not that I didn’t believe him but I didn’t want to get my hopes up too soon knowing how much of the decision was out of our hands. But we made an appointment and went and looked at it on Friday. We liked it, expressed our interest and gave them our paperwork. And late Monday evening (about 2 business days later) we found out we could have the place if we wanted it. Last Wednesday, we signed the papers and we can start moving in as earlier as April 1st. 

Honestly, it feels a little surreal. And we know that this is just the beginning. It’s not about having a place in the city, it’s about making disciples and starting new communities of followers of Jesus in the city. Now that we’ve found a place, please pray that we would make a good start there, making the most of every interaction with the people we will meet.