I still have the contract!

For a little background on this story click here.  As you read in that post we were having a hard time and that want was a new apartment.  Presently we live in about 700 square feet and we really were determined to make it in our present apartment after Wilson.  But as his things expanded, we realized in the next two and a half years K will be very near a teenager and Miki will be as big as K and Wilson will be a toddler, we knew we wanted a bigger place. We began to search for a bigger place.  Not only did it have to be bigger it needed to keep us in a neighborhood close to the girls school.  After contacting several agents and scouring the internet we found a great place that we knew would fit our family.   To make a long story short, after being denied (see above post) I talked to many folks in our company to receive approval on an apartment we really liked and it was granted.  Now this is where things got interesting.  I contacted the agent and said hey lets sign that contract we negotiated a week ago,  so he set up the meeting with the landlord.  I arrived on Friday at the apartment to sign, very excited.  I sat down and the Landlord had one little change to make so we could not sign. We had to wait till Tuesday.  Tuesday came and Jen and I went to the new place with a deposit and three months rent as well as the commission for the agent.  We signed the lease, took some pictures, and left happy.  About five minutes later the agent called and said there was a little problem, could I come back.  So I walked back to the apartment and walked in on the landlord and agent arguing about something (Serbian you know I'm still lost).  I sat down at the table and the agent gave my money back then the landlord tore up the contracts.  I thought this was an appropriate time to ask a question.
ME: "uhmmm what just happened?"
AGENT: "we are arguing about money"
ME: "since I have my money back and the contracts have been destroyed, I am assuming no apartment"
AGENT: "we will work it out and you will get apartment soon"
ME: "uhmmm OK"
So I left and told Jen don't pack yet babie...
A few days later they got their problems settled we met did the whole thing over and I still have the contract!!!!

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The Night The Lights Went Out In Belgrade

DISCLAIMER: for all my friends around the world who deal with power outages all the time please know this post is not a complaint about no power just observing the way the culture works. 

The apartment below us is doing a complete renovation.  I mean they have removed walls, all the floors, new everything.  Well it has been quite disturbing with all the noise and racket, but Monday night was crazy.  About 6:00 I heard a huge rukus then Jen say "the stove stopped working".  I flipped a few breakers and nothing happened.  I noticed it was not just the stove but all the power was out.   I opened the door to check the main breaker box a floor below us, only to be greeted by a hall full of smoke.  A small panic set in, but I played it cool and told Jen I should check to see if the building is on fire and we need to evacuate.  When I got downstairs, there was no danger but there was one large charred breaker box and all the men in the building investigating.  I did not understand much but quickly figured out the remodel crew had knocked out the power and caused a small fire.  When the men noticed I was standing there they told me it was a small problem but someone would have it fixed in a short time.  Now this was a big deal for our building the men stayed by the box for like two hours, all the women were on the balconies watching for the electric company.  I was told stories of disaster, how this always happens, how it will never be fixed etc.  About 2 hours later the electric company had come and we were good.  I was surprised how quickly it was fixed.  The incident really gave us insight into the people and how they think.  The kids loved it they read by flashlight and I got to meet some more neighbors.

It's a BUM GENIUS!

A few posts ago I said I would tell you about our experience with cloth diapers.  We first heard about these from some friends and thought it may be a good idea.  Once we figured what pampers were gonna cost for Wilson, we decided it may be worth the "effort" to try cloth.  The diapers were provided as a grant, so there was no cost to us.  I have to admit I was not excited about cleaning cloth diapers but those dollar signs were big for the disposable ones.  So this is the diaper we were sent:

 

As you can see this is not your dad's cloth diaper.  It is made of a space age microfiber shell with a removeable liner.  It closes with velcro, and has snaps to adjust the size.  This one diaper is supposed to fit the boy till he is potty trained.  It's a pretty amazing little diaper.  So far the cleanup has not been to bad and the diapers come super clean in the wash.  You do one cycle on cold then wash again on hot, hang the shell to dry and dry the liner in the dryer.  The diapers are also extremely fashionable and come in a variety of colors.  All in all it has been a good experience.  We are saving money, not creating extra trash and Wilson looks cut to boot. 

My Wants His Will

Last week was an incredibly hard week.  Maybe the hardest one since we came to Serbia.  What made it hard, my (our) wants not being fulfilled.  To make a long story very short, Jen and I did not get something we had hoped for we hoped for.  Honestly it was something that would have made the next  2.5 years much easier on all of us. The part that made it really difficult was not  the not getting it, it was that a decision maker simply decided we could not have it, no logical reason, just no.  That is really hard to swallow and it got me thanking about wanting.  Where does wanting come from, why is it so powerful?  Why are we so dissapointed when we don't get what we want?  After alot of prayer and searching I really thank wanting is from God.  If you look back at Genesis, pre sin, Adam wanted to be with God, and do all God wanted him to do.  God put want in us, the want to praise him, to see him Glorified, these are all good things to want.  But when sin entered the picture our want shifted from what God wanted for us, and what he gave us the desire to want, to what we wanted, what would please us.  And many has this made may mind stir this week.  Who wanted this apartment, me or God.  What was his will in all this?  Would he really close a door in a way that was so hurtful?  So many questions and so few answers.  All that to say, I really still want that apartment, but more then that I want God to show me exactly what and where he wants me, and sometimes no matter how we try, that's just hard.

PERSPECTIVE

I've been thinking alot about the current government situation in the states.  It is incredibly sad that our elected leaders can't peacefully make a decision.  But what I have mostly been thinking about is all the things I have read on blogs and facebook.  I agree this is a terrible situation, military families should never worry about when the next check is coming,  but living where I live and watching the government function here, I still am very proud to be American.  See here the government is fighting over when to have elections, they have a coalition government which means everything is a compromise.  Media is restricted, corruption is pretty common and the list goes on.  We still have the best system in the world, it's not perfect but it is good.  The best part is when it does break, we as voters can make the change and fix it.  I want to encourage you to pray for our leadership, even if you don't agree.  It's a great lesson God is teaching me now.  He is sovereign, and in control.  All things work for his good and for me sometimes what I think is good is not and thats hard o deal with.  So all that to say, pray alot and know that God is in control of all situations.  Be proud to be an American, you don't have to be proud of the leadership right now.