More background…

We started over five years ago. After no one could find the 50 acres with the lake, someone decided it would be a good idea to get a real estate professional working with us on this project. By that time, it had become my responsibility to lead the team who was looking into our permanence. Lots of people have contributed to this effort over the years. All of them have been talented, passionate and have left their mark on this process. I have been fortunate enough to remain engaged for a long time. Others have as well.

One of these others was our real estate professional. We’ll call her Liz. The first time I met with Liz I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t sure that we were ready for this step. It meant that we were really serious about finding a piece of property – not just dreaming stuff up in meetings. Liz immediately reassured me with her friendliness and her interest in our situation. Not just the real estate stuff, but our whole situation. We spent a lot of time just talking about church and family. We still do. Liz also reassured me that her services would not cost me anything. This was particularly welcome news since I did not even know if I had a budget at that point. This was uncharted territory for me and the church.

This turned out to be one of the best decisions we have made in our quest for permanence. Liz has proved to be capable, flexible, determined and encouraging. Together, with the help of many other people, we did broker a real estate deal that closed in 2005, and has been a source of amazement to me ever since. We have continued to work together to find the right people to work with us in developing this property. We continue to talk about important things like spirituality and family.

I hope we always will.