This is our new home for the next 2 years. It's a really huge house, also known as John H. Estill House. There are 5 bedrooms upstairs and 2 bathrooms to be shared among 5 tenants. The ground floor is separated into 2 wings. In the east wing is where Ray, our landlord resides. He has a big kitchen with a connecting laundry room, a dining area that somewhat opens into his office, a good-size guestroom, a large living area and of course, his own bedroom with mega sized entertainment unit (it must be at least 72" across the screen..., it's the largest I'd ever seen). He even has a mini-library housing all his classic collections in the landing outside his bedroom. Perhaps most impressive of all is the variety of China that lines his mantelpiece and all his shelves. He is no doubt an avid collector of Porcelain items and China from all over the world, making his home decor very Victorian.

The West wing is where Don and I make our little nest. The dark brown door on the right of the photo leads to our room from the foyer. Through the door, a landing separates our room from Chris's room, our ground floor house-mate. Then there is the master bathroom. Absolutely luxurious. A huge, enclosed shower area, enough to house 4 people showering all at the same time! This is a great delight for me since I love to shower with Don. Beside the shower room, a good-sized, jacuzzi tub sits, perfect for a good soak after a hot summer's day. Might be a teeny bit small for 2, but not much to complain since I love to have a good squeeze with Don!

How we got to stay in Estill House is a little miracle in itself. Before coming to Savannah, I had been calculating and re-calculating, even considered transferring money from one account to another (which I don't know why since all the money is ours and putting them altogether does not add a penny to our name! Arrgh! This is how the human mind plays tricks...that perhaps we might have enough to get through, that perhaps we sell this, do that and so on.) To no avail. Finally, I worked out that we would have enough to eat quite comfortably if only our rental budget could be lowered to about USD400 per month.

Unfortuantely, having searched through the internet for a possible place to rent, I knew that USD400 per month was really pushing our luck (Thank God we don't need luck as Christians!). One of the rental agents even replied in his email to me that with that kind of budget, it would be near impossible to find any decent living quarters. I prayed to God and asked Him what kind of journey He had in mind for us. I mean, surely, if a blessing like a scholarship could come our way, His blessings do not come with any sorrow. I relented in my questioning when I sensed His peace. All is well, He always reassures.

Then when we got to Savannah, within the 3rd day of our arrival, I was in correspondence with Ray and we went to view the unit. We were going to look at a carriage house behind Estill House, not knowing that he had rooms to rent too. The carriage house was rather old, and being USD550 per month excluding utilities, I felt it was too steep a price. I told Ray we were going to view another unit later that day, and since his was the first we were viewing, it was too soon for us to make a decision. He understood, but not before showing us all his other available rooms in Estill House and Kavanagh House (another house a block away...he's got so many houses, gosh!). The rooms were all actually within our budget between $350 and $375. There were additional charges for laundry and internet access at $8 each, but these still meant we would be within our budget. There were melodious bells chiming in my spirit...God, is this it?

I liked Ray immediately upon conversing with him. He is an elderly gentleman who sounded responsible, intelligent and attentive to others' needs. We were to later find out that he's already 66 years old and still running businesses in the West Coast of America, apart from investing in real estate down South in Savannah. This explains his keenness for listening to others, showing of respect to allow space for others to consider options and a certain magnanimous demeanor in his character. Not foolish generosity or charity, but wise management of funds. I wish I could learn from him one day how he manages his businesses.

After seeing the second unit that day, we unanimously decided we would take the room in Estill House, despite its size. The second unit smelt like a dog den, the toilet looked ready to crumble any minute and the floor was littered with bits of food. The man who received us at the door introduced himself as the landlord's friend and we were immediately thrown off his appearance. He had white paint down his jeans, had funny-looking teeth and looked somewhat gangly. I was sure if the landlord had such a friend, he couldn't look far off, and I didn't think I could stomach it looking at people like that everyday. So the second unit was out!

Upon reaching back to the Hep Yo Sef Inn, I immediately sent Ray an email to say we would take the $350 room. He told us we were just in time, as another lad had been around and he had told him he could not commit anything until he heard from us since we viewed the place first. Integrity, I like it!

Then things took an unexpected turn the next day when he emailed to say he would have to charge us $50 more as there were 2 of us. That meant $416. My spirit stayed silent for a while. That's $16 above our budget. Doesn't sound like God.

The first thing I remembered then was Justine's face. In my spirit, I saw him in caregroup. The Holy Spirit took me back to the time Justine said in his sharing, "You don't get because you don't ask." I put to task immediately to write an email to Ray, negotiating for the rental to be charged an extra $34 instead of $50, so that our monthly total rent would come to $400. I just knew in my spirit that Ray would agree. And he did. I knew God was as good as his word. He couldn't have left us with an extra $16 to pay.

In my spirit, I couldn't help but praise the Lord for He is faithful! And with that, I just knew that our 2 years in Savannah would be taken care of, with no lack or want. Incidentally, we went out to celebrate at the local food court after securing our shelter for the next 2 years. Finally, something other than bread and olive oil margarine! Praise God!