Missionary Kid Monday: Moving

{For more on this series, click here}


After my traumatic sixth grade year in California was over, it was time to go back to France for another four year term.


We moved to a different region this time, to Grenoble. At first we stayed in a conference center in the Alps, owned by our missionary organization. It was about an hour away from the city, and the winding road ways were a NIGHTMARE for my motion sickness.

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We were only supposed to be there temporarily, but my parents were having an awful time finding a house to rent. They were looking for something big, in order to accommodate large groups of people (youth groups, Bible studies, etc.), but they also needed something very affordable.


They saw dozens of houses. Some of them they even liked but were outbid by someone who was willing and able to pay more rent. 


They prayed and prayed, but became very discouraged. My siblings and I started school, and still... no house.


Then one day, after about six weeks of dead ends, they came upon the perfect house. But the rent was way too high.


So my dad knocked on the door to talk to the tenants. He asked them to tell him every single thing that was wrong with the house (everything from the non-working fireplace to the minor inconveniences). Armed with that information - and much prayer - he was able to negotiate with the owners for a more reasonable rent. 


And that is how we came to live here:

It doesn't look like much on the outside, but there are four stories in there (plus the basement), several bedrooms, a spacious living room, and a great backyard with a cherry tree. I can still taste those cherries! Every summer we would get gobs and gobs of them!


Do you have a favorite childhood house?