Here's a copy of the email I sent out today to our praying friends - thank God for praying friends! Today has been a really hard emotional day!


Hi prayer warriors -

As most of you know, we have had a lot of trouble selling our house in TX. This has been a huge financial burden, but we've had it on the market all summer hoping it would sell. Through some research I did this week, we found out that due to the market in that neighborhood/area, the listing prices of the houses has dropped considerably. There are four other houses exactly like ours, all priced at least 10,000 cheaper than ours on down to 37,000 cheaper than ours. There are about fifteen houses total of comparable size (or even larger) that are all cheaper than ours. We cannot rent the house out to cover the mortgage either. The rent we could even hope to get someone in at would mean us losing about $500 a month with no guarantees at the end of the leasing period that the housing situation had rebounded. Our debt situation during these past two years has grown considerably worse trying to cover all the bases of two houses. We are to the point that something must be done. We are going to drop the price of our house to try to be competitive. If it sells at this listing price, we will have to come up with at least 9000 at closing. And there are still other houses 20,000 below that prices so we may have to drop it further.

We feel convicted not to turn to short sale or foreclosure or bankruptcy at this time. ("The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously." Ps 37:21 Also Prov 22:7, "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." and Luke 16:10, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldy wealth, who will trust you with true riches?") This is a hard decision as just giving in would be the best case scenario for just us. Unless we are led to do otherwise, we are going to move forward with trying to sell.

As a side note, my dad is still paying for the IL house. It has still not sold either. They are having to reduce the price on it considerably as well and are facing a loss.

The point of all this is obviously a request for prayer for both of the houses.

However, my biggest request at this time is, due to our situation, we feel that we have no other choice than for me to go back to work. Unfortunately, I held out too long and didn't apply to school systems earlier this summer - we kept praying the situation would improve. At very least, I am going to try to substitute every day. I am looking at Metro and Sumner county right now for options. The ideal situation would be for me to find a teaching job. This would give me the most income for the time spent away from the kids. Obviously it is into the school year, but we are praying with classes reshuffling, numbers, etc. that there will be a need to hire some more teachers at this time. I would prefer to teach in Sumner County to be closer, but I am looking at Metro as well. Please pray that God will grant me favor in finding a position. I know some people in Metro Schools, but I don't know anyone of infl uence in Sumner County schools. So, if someone knows someone who knows someone or if anyone hears of a position open, please let me know. Just pray for God's favor in this area specifically.

I have enrolled the kids in Tuesday Thursday MDO at Long Hollow, and today I enrolled them in Monday Wednesday classes for MDO at Bluegrass Baptist. This would give us more flexibility than a daycare with Jason being off on Friday and summers off for me. Also childcare will only be about $450 as opposed to $800 or so in a traditional daycare and in a Christian atmosphere. The challenge to this plan is the hours of MDO are 9 or 9:30 until 2 or 2:30. Pray that Jason and I can work our schedules out as far as being able to get the kids to and from school. Pray mostly for my heart as I am giving up being a full-time mom. This is truly my passion, but I pray that God will allow us to get this situation under control within a short time so that I can go back to my role as MOM! I know ultimately that my children are His children first and foremost. I know He has their welfare and best interest at even a highe r priority than I, and wiht so much greater wisdom. Pray for the kids' adjustment in this area as well. I don't know how they'll do with being away four days a week in addition to our regular Sunday schedules. I especially worry about Everett. Maybe I worry more about my attachment to him being so young... :) Kids are often more resilient than we give them credit for. Also pray that I am able to reshift all the commitments in my life to make room and time for both our family and work and my commitments at church.

I know many of you have heard about the house situation until you are sick of it. I'm sorry to go on about it again. I just so cherish anyone's prayers I can get right now. I do pray that in a great way, God will be able to be glorified in this. I read a section in a book Wendy Taylor gave several of us entitled Come Away My Beloved by Frances J Roberts. It has been such a blessing. The section is based on James 1:5 and goes as follows:

My child, do not expect the trials to be lighter than in the past. Why should you think the tests would be less severe? I test all things, and there are ares of your life that as yet I have not touched. Do not look for respite. The days ahead may call for greater endurance and more robust faith than you ever needed before. Welcome this, for you must surely know how precious are the lessons learned through such experiences. Even if you are unable to fully anticipate them with joy, you can certainly gain an appropriate appreciation of them in retrospect.
Apply your heart to learn wisdom. This goal transcends every other aim, and any other good that comes out of a pressure period is an added blessing in excess.
Seek Me above all else.

Our journey with God through our calling has been one of struggles, sometimes uncertainty at what He is doing or seems not to be doing, but praise God that He always gives JOY! Psalm 84:10 says, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." No matter what trials we face in the courts of God, one day is better than thousands and thousands elsewhere! (Now pray that I can keep this attitude all the time!!) :)

Thanks again for your prayers in advance. Sorry for the long email. I love all of you.

Sarah Underhill