Armstrong Family Home Story

In January 2010 Team Armstrong decided to move to Bishop's Stortford.  With a six month old baby and a house that wasn't selling we were limited for choices as to where to go.  We were fortunate to have amazing friends who put us up (and still able to call them friends!) for 6 months while we were trying to find our own place.  In a town where rental properties are snapped up at the speed of light and rent is extortionately high, we were becoming despondent as to whether it was really God's plan for us to be in this area.  Then, after many disappointing viewings, we came to look at Thornbera Road. Late in the day and knowing that there were 10 more people lined up to view the next day I felt a nudge from Holy Spirit saying 'take it now'.  What I could've put down as my impetuous nature or my sheer determination to have a house where the wallpaper wasn't falling off or the garden was big enough to do a cartwheel in, I believe was the start of our amazing journey with God and His plans for our family home. 

All the paper work signed we moved in a few weeks later and started making it our home.  However, when you have a young family and having moved house 6 times myself before I was 10, four times internationally; I couldn't escape this sense of unease at not being 100% secure in my home.  Our landlord, who for the record is absolutely lovely, could have asked us to leave at any moment and we'd have been back at square one trying to find a home to suit our family.  During this time I was balancing happiness at building a family home and making fantastic relationships with those in our community, with the uncertainty of putting down roots too deeply for fear of having to move.  But God spoke to me a lot about finding my home in Him and being a citizen of heaven whilst also healing those feelings I carried of never feeling like I fitted in anywhere after having moved so much as a child.  Because He is such a gracious Father He wants us to know security and peace.  I was chatting to God about it one day whilst I was in my living room and He showed me a picture of an anchor going through our living room and with it He reassuringly spoke the words "this house is yours for as long as you want it".  Whoa! What amazing timing.  I was feeling unsettled and God knew what I needed to hear.  

Over the next few years as we came to love the street and town more, and also welcoming a new member to our family, we were constantly faced with the reality that we lived in an ageing house which required large sums of money spent on it to be made a better and safer place to live.  We were faced with the real possibility of having to move out on more than one occasion and each time we considered moving away from the town realising that it wasn't necessary for us to live in a town where neither of us technically 'needed' to be, for commuting needs for instance.   

  

These possibilities came and went and we still lived on at Thornbera Road, making friendships with neighbours and seeing our children move into the local primary school where many of the children in the street go as well.   

The big turning point for us came when the roof started leaking in the summer of 2015.  Heavy downpours turned our kitchen into a pond and we, along with the landlord, recognised the need for long overdue building work and renovations rather than anymore temporary fixes. It was time for him to sell...but we couldn't afford to buy! We weren't in a position to be able to put a deposit down on a mortgage and were therefore looking at the possibility of moving out and into more expensive rental accommodation, most likely on the other side of town.  In the 5 1/2 years since we have lived in Bishop's Stortford, both rental and purchase property prices have increased dramatically, and this would have added an additional stretch for us being able to save money for any future house deposit.  

Sure enough, we were served two months' notice to move out. This put us in a dilemma. We still had faith that God would provide the deposit we needed, but at the same time with a young family to look after we knew that it was sensible to start making arrangements to leave. Some more amazing friends offered for us to move in with them as a stop-gap whilst we sorted out something more long term and we began to box-up our possessions. In honesty we only got as far as packing 5 boxes, such was our reluctance to move as well as dogged faith in the goodness of our God’s provision. 

Remembering what God had told me a few years earlier I told Him "I don't want the house as it is but I do still want this house".  A little balshy some may say but I know my Father has my best interest at heart, is good and is also totally generous. You can but ask, eh?! But we couldn't have the house because we couldn't buy it.  Ha ha! All things are possible with God.  We have been blessed with financial gifts from generous family members throughout our marriage but I specifically said to God "I don't want to have to beg for, or borrow this money".  I know He doesn't see me as an orphan who is driven to scrambling for scraps under the table, He is excitedly waiting to pour out His best on His children.  And if you know anything about current mortgages you know we're not just talking about asking for £500 in this instance!  Fast forward two months and we had received  the exact sum for the deposit that we needed to secure a mortgage on our house without asking anything from anyone - except God.  

With the deposit in place, there were still hurdles to overcome. We asked God that since He had provided so generously, He would also make everything else fall into place without more stress for our family. We still weren’t sure that our landlord wanted to sell for definite, having suggested he may move back into the house and do the necessary renovations himself.  So when the time came to speak to him, with our deposit secured we called him with an offer… only to hear an international dialling tone and discover he was away on holiday!  The timing was laughable really.  Later that week I had a dream, well it was more a nightmare since I woke up sweating and fearful.  In the dream we were in our home looking out at 2 cars full of what I can only describe as classic mobsters, sinister looking with dark glasses.  There was a real sense of panic as all we had time to do was grab the children and run.  I know that God doesn’t speak through fear but that He does speak through dreams so I was unsure what to make of it all.  Because I had felt panicked I told the enemy in no uncertain terms to “get lost” and asked God for His peace as well as praying once again for our house to become our home.  When I explained the dream to a friend the next day their interpretation was that it seemed like there was element of being wrongly chased and robbed of our house.  The fact there was panic and fear meant that we could believe leaving this house may not be God’s best for us.    

Fuelled with this conviction and encouragement that we were not to be fleeing our home I also remembered the advice to ‘go back to what God had last said when you feel like He’s being silent’.  This helped me draw on all the encouragement and prophetic words that God and other people have shared over many years. This being that God really wants to bless our family with a home, which we will in turn bless others with.  A week later and we were able to speak to our landlord and ask the big question.  He said he needed time to think about the offer and would be in touch by the end of the week.  Cue more waiting with now only 7 days until move day, only having packed 5 boxes. 

I spent the next few days declaring what I knew God had said to us, declaring His goodness and singing the refrain “You’re never gonna let me down”, which is now a favourite song in our house!  I knew that even if we had to move out that He was not going to let us down, trusting in His goodness and provision longer term even if I couldn’t see it immediately in front of me.  Then, 5 days before our moving date, we heard from our landlord that he’d be pleased to accept our offer to buy the house.  AMAZING!  Such a mixture of emotions; gratitude and joy with relief as well as excitement and perhaps still disbelief that this journey was nearly at completion.   

The miracles kept happening...a gap between our income and the affordability of the mortgage was plugged with a significant pay rise and Rob's student loan finally being paid off – amazing timing.  We were given the generous gift of the Stamp Duty. Our solicitors were fantastic, an added bonus given the stories we’ve heard of some people’s experience, and everything has progressed without drama.  

We still have another journey of faith to walk with God in that He will provide a way to fix the kitchen as now we have no additional savings to complete the necessary building work addressing the original leak.  But we don’t believe God’s brought us this far to give us second best and are waiting with excited hope that there will be provision for this next stage in the near future.   Now that the purchase has completed, we are reflecting on how much we have learnt on this journey. That God is a lavishly generous Father. That He has a plan for every one of us. That when it seems like nothing is happening; He is working for us; that His timing is perfect.  That our prayers are ALWAYS heard and that God answers when we call out to Him. We know that He is sovereign and only ever good.  We would love to celebrate this amazing story with you so if you’re ever about then pop in for a cup of tea, come and enjoy dinner with us or join us for a glass of prosecco as we enjoy our ‘new’ home.