Joseph bought a house Thursday! It is exciting to see how the Lord brought it all together.
Years ago, Dad and Mom laid forth a “vision” (meaning goals for their future) to my brothers which included purchasing homes debt-free. Each one has taken this goal seriously, working to save their money and praying about the house the Lord would have for them. Nathan, in 2001, bought his home. Christopher, in 2009, bought his home. Joseph, now in 2012, has also bought his. Houses are not bought debt-free easily as everyone knows. It takes years of hard work and saving to accomplish it. My brothers have taken the vision as their own, looking forward to the day they would be able to purchase their homes.
Joseph has been praying for a house, and one day last week, he felt prompted to look online, and found this one, which had only been listed an hour earlier. He was immediately interested and contacted the realtor. Joseph, John, and Jesse did the walk-through tour, and after praying and consulting with Dad (he was with the bus in Salina), Joseph made an offer. It was countered, and Joseph returned with his counter. The seller agreed! The house is about a mile from our house.
Thursday morning, Dad and Joseph met with the realtor at the title company, and Joseph presented his check. After signing his name on several papers, the process was done.
Joseph’s dream has been to either fix up a house or to build one. As it is, the house needs a lot of cosmetic work: from new windows to flooring, to painting, to bathroom work, and more. It is perfect for Joseph! Joseph will continue to live here at home until the Lord calls him to get married.
Truly, we marvel at God’s goodness. Each of my brothers’ house stories is different. Over and over, we have seen how the Lord has provided. Their years of saving and preparing have enabled them, with God’s grace, to achieve their goals.
So, with excitement, we share this with you. Don’t let the world tell you that it’s impossible to purchase a home debt-free or to raise children who won’t rebel. With God, all things are possible. With the Lord Jesus and His Word, it is possible to raise sons who can provide for a single-income family, who can live out the “vision” set before them, and who can live for the Lord Jesus. May each of us be found faithful!
With love,
Sarah
Here are some initial pictures. More will be coming as the work progresses!
John and Anna stopped to pose for a picture. The kitchen already looks much different than it did on Thursday. Remodeling has begun!
Congratulations, Joseph!
“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Congratulations Joseph! 😀 May the Lord bless you! I am sure this is an exciting time for you (and the family as well). 🙂 Wow, what dedication getting right to work on repairs/remodeling! Way to go! 😀 I agree, the backyard looks great!
blessings!
~Miss Rachel~
Congratulations!!
YAY! Congratulations, Joseph! I know you’ve worked hard for many years to see this day.
We have the same goal for our sons. Our oldest son (12) started a lawn care business last year with my husbands’ supervision and the Lord is really blessing. It is a lot of hard work; we’ve heard many comments on how great it is to see a 11/12 year old boy out working hard in the heat and humidity and doing a great job. Most boys his age have no interest in working; they are lazy and entertainment driven.
Wow!! Congrats. Can’t wait to see the “after” pics.
What an amazing story and testimony to doing it the Lord’s way! We have never met anyone else to live this way!!!! Thank you for sharing!
Oh my gravy! That is fabulous! What a great little starter house that will serve him well!
Congratulations! Way to go, saving and wisely purchasing. Blessings!
Joseph that is so wonderful, that you will have a house for when you need it for when the Lord provides you a wife. To be debt free is such a wonderful thing, not having to worry if you will have a house or if you can not make payments. You house looks so nice, even now, and I know you will make it look so very comfy and inviting. May the Lord continue to bless you and your family.
Congratulations!! From the pictures, it really looks spacious love how the whole family comes together to help.
So thrilled for Joseph! Praise the Lord for His provision!
Congratulations, Joseph!
Congratulations, Joseph! I’ll look forward to a grand tour and have fun guessing the street until I know the address.
Love you.
How wonderful. I really couldn’t think what it would be! Hooray!
Hi Joseph!
Congratulations on purchasing a house! Your self-control and disciplined saving are to be commended! May God give you great joy as you renovate and one day occupy this house! And keep you safe along the way. You are a child of the Most High God and are walking on favored ground! Enjoy!
With love from NJ
The K Family
Wow! That’s great! Nice house! Remodeling. You were just right-perfect for Joseph! God is so good!
Congratulations! May God bless all the work in your new home.
Wonderful news! Yes, with the Lord’s direction, all things are possible…even living debt free! Congratulations, Joseph! What a huge blessing that will be for your future wife. 🙂
~Jessica
Congratulations Joseph! That’s a really big and wonderful step to take. I love the big, shady backyard.
Is it close to the rest of the family?
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Within a mile.
Wow. By the end of the month you will have had two babies _and_ a new house in your family. Some would say “Action Packed”.
Congratulations.
Wonderful news! Congratulations!
May the Lord continue to bless you and your family.
It looks like a great house and it’s impressive how much Joseph has already done. What will he put where the back porch was? It’s great he can do the remodeling himself, saves a lot of money!
Congratulations Joseph! How very exciting and fulfilling. Enjoy every minute!
This is wonderful news. I have a question though- what happens with the house while he waits for the wife the Lord sends him?
If he is living at home, will the house sit empty, be rented out, etc?
Also how long did it take to save for it? We have 2 boys still at home 17 and 18. Is this an achievable goal for them or do your boys start at 10 or 12? Thanks
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The house will wait “happily.” The boys did start early, but real gains weren’t made until the last 4 or 5 years. So yes, your boys can do it. Might consider reading Preparing Sons together as a family and discuss it as you read.
Hooray for Joseph! And double hooray for the parents who encouraged him to do it. I bought my house when I was single, too—it was a wonderful place to fix up and dream about the future.
Will Joseph rent the home out while he waits on the girl of his dreams or will you let it be vacant? It looks like a lovely home. In SoCal due to so many foreclosures, vacant homes are targets for thieves who steal the copper plumbing and fixtures.
Why is he tearing down the porch, and will he rebuild a sun room out there?
Congratulations to him.
The kitchen looks to be generous in size which is always a plus in my book.
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The house has a security system.
Congratulations on Maxwell baby #2 next up the arrival of baby #3. Joseph would not be able to live in the house as it is and right now it does appear in need of much work and effort to get it up and running to par. Joseph is gonna have his hand full just like Christopher and Nathan over the next few year getting their babies into shape so to speak but I can see great potential and great possibilities with all three of the babies that will make their appearances in June of 2012 and I think all the guys over age 16 years of age can take a part in helping out with all three babies Joseph’s in particular. Joseph in particular can pretend he is Mike Holmes of “Holmes and Homes”.
Congratulations on purchasing a home, Joseph! God has blessed you with parents who gave you a vision of using your income wisely. This is a great example for other young men that the Lord will provide, if they follow His plans! How many young men your age have a home, debt-free? Most will struggle with student and credits card loans for many years, sadly.
Many blessings and may your home be a place of ministry, for God’s glory!
Congratulations Joseph!!! I can only imagine the remodel you will do and how beautiful your new home is going to be. How will you schedule in your remodel time, and will Johm and Jesse be working with you on your home? Very exciting time in your life. You are such a good example of what a young man can accomplish on his walk with the Lord.
Blessings, Mrs. Mari
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It’s a family effort. Pictures to follow.
Congratulations Joseph!!!
Wow, so, so neat!! As I shared this post with the children, our oldest said “The Maxwells are in the season of reaping!” Amen!! Congratulations, Joseph!
One of the things that impressed me most about my husband was his financial discipline. Although he wasn’t able to pay completely for our home, he was able to buy it with a large downpayment at the age of 22. Praise God for the wisdom and vision you had and for the discipline you invested. By the way it looks wonderful!
God is so good. Congrats Joseph, and thank you for being a role model.
Congratulations, Joseph! You are a wonderful example to other young men, my son included, of how to follow the Lord’s leading and to use your talents and treasures wisely for His kingdom. Thank you for sharing and we’ll be praying for safety and wisdom as you remodel!
That home appears to have a lot of potential! We also bought a “fixer upper” and I remember how much fun it was to pick out appliances, take down walls and lay tile how we wanted it until we were perfectly happy with the final product! I was much happier with that house than I was with our more recent “turn key” town home….
Congratulations! As a dad of four young boys this is a VERY encouraging story. Thanks for sharing!
How exciting for Joseph! Congratulations and have fun getting your house in order! 🙂
Congratulations! So blessed to have such wise and faithful parents to exhort you in the right paths! Look forwards to seeing the updates as you go!
God is awesome! He does instruct us and teach us the way we should go – He guides us with his eye! (Psalm 32:8) The Lord leading you to look online ONE hour after the house was listed is such a great testimony of the Lord directing our steps! God is so good! Thanks for sharing!
Your seed shall be mighty upon the earth, wealth and riches shall be in your house! (Psalm 112)
Congratulations, Joseph! I sure wish my husband would have had the foresight to buy a home prior to our marriage — we are still paying off the mortgage 15 years later (ugh!). Was there a reason you ripped out the kitchen floor? I thought the tile was nice! Also, the covered patio/sun room out back you didn’t want to keep? I am full of questions, I know! Hope you are having fun with this latest (big!) project!
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Questions answered in most recent post.
Lots more pictures please as the house comes along! Congratulations!
What wonderful, exciting news! 🙂 Congratulations to Joseph and I pray the Lord’s blessings on you in this new venture. ~ What a marvelous example you and your family are setting for many other families. 🙂
WoW! That is really exciting to buy and immediately start reconstruction.
Congratulations. I’m sure you have worked hard waiting for this time to come.
Thanks for the encouraging story. With God all things are possible! So glad that you share your lives as an example of His faithfulness and as an encouragement to all of us.
Congratulations, Joseph!
AWESOME!! God is so good! I am so proud of Joseph for all of his hard work, patience and planning. Please tell your dad that I have spoken to my son about this, and he iloves the idea and is very interested. Right now, we are praying for the details as the kids’ dad is not on board and will not bring the kids into the city during the summer when they are with him. This makes even a mowing business difficult. But, we are learning creative ways around this.
Love you all!
Lori
Congratulations Joseph!
I think your example may inspire my brothers!
Very exciting! Can’t wait to see all the after pictures. Thanks for setting such a good example, may the Lord bless you and your new home.
Great job Joseph! But I’m curious. If the Lord had not called Joseph to be married for several years, even after the renovations were done, would he still continue to live with his parents?
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He said he would have continued to live at home and waited on the Lord.