The Lord Has Made a Place For Us

So… we are finally in our new place. And I’ve been a little reticent to tell you all the details about it because I feel like it’s so nice missionaries shouldn’t be living here! It is so amazing how the Lord just provides in His supernatural ways – sometimes you don’t even realise He’s moving, until you stop, look around and think WHOA. That was God.

This is the view from the 3rd balcony off our bedroom! We can see a tiny bit of ocean!

We started out looking for a place to live in Cape Town and decided it was rather expensive, and we could pay less and get more if we lived outside the ‘big city.’ We ended up looking in the area of Gordon’s Bay, and Mark decided it would be a good idea to even further reduce our rent budget, which made me a little nervous.

We were hoping to keep our budget really tight on rent, so that we could pay off our car quickly, but when we spoke with letting agencies (rental agencies) and said, “We’re hoping for a fully furnished place for such and such” they often responded with, “Okay, that’s gonna be a bit tough.”  Finally one agency had a place for us to visit. It was a two bedroom apartment, but we were hoping for a three so Mark’s parents and other guests could come and stay regularly and we wouldn’t have to cart Asher around all the time. But this place had a sun room they’d closed in which was a perfect size to be a nursery, and I could peek through the window in the kitchen to check on him without bothering him.

It was still a little above budget, so we asked if they’d make an offer to the landlord for about 600 Rand (about $80 or £50) less than what he was asking, if we were to sign a twelve month contract. They asked, he accepted, and we moved in! So we’re paying about $350 less on rent per month than we were in Edinburgh – which is good because we have Health Care to pay for here, and the Bear is starting to eat a lot with that one tooth! AND they let us pay a lower deposit than the original figure. FAVOUR! (We’ve spoken to some friends in Cape Town who are paying a similar amount for a one bedroom!)

The best part...the view from our balcony!

So that’s all the backstory for the place we are now living in, which has blessed our socks off. Our living room and kitchen look out onto a little harbour directly below us, and then the Hottentots Holland mountains are in the distance. We have three balconies with beautiful views (and we can see tiny bits of ocean here and there). We’re a stone’s throw (literally!) from the beach, and there’s a grocery store across the street. We’re in one of the most secure complexes in Gordon’s Bay, which was a big part of our housing choice, where lots of people own properties that they lock up and leave 11 months out of the year. (It’s very safe, Mom and Dad!) There’s a big circuit we can run around the harbour in the morning, which makes a fantastic jogging trail…I mean seriously, do you want me to go on? So our little 2ish bedroom flat has blessed us beyond belief.  The only thing that would improve it would be a dishwasher!

We’ve settled down in Gordon’s Bay for the time being, and it’s good to be home! (More photos below!)

This is our living room/kitchen/dining area. (Asher's nursery is through the doors at the back)

Our flat is on the left -- on the middle floor with a window open.

And that's our boat! Not!

Tagged as: Cape Town, Gordon's Bay, Jesus, Missionaries, South Africa, Stories