Work in progress.

After we got married and moved in together in mid-2018, Shaun and I decided to start looking for a more permanent future home together. The condinium I stayed in that Shaun moved into had a rental above that which we could afford comfortably.

During that time, my grandmother offered for us to stay in her house instead. She did not need it anymore, as she is staying with my mom. It is a small terrace house nearby the condominium we were currently staying in, and it was the house that my mom and her siblings grew up in when they were little. The only catch was - that there is a family staying there already whose tenancy only ends late 2019.

Normally, you can just give a tenant 2-3 months notice to move out with a letter explaining that you are terminating the tenancy and pay a small penalty. We decided to commit this to prayer and we started planning how we would live differently in my grandmother's house. However, after many complications ranging from lost tenancy agreements to harsh conversations, we had to wait out the tenancy's full term to the end of 2019.

Honestly, we were quite disappointed and we kept asking God why. God didn't give us an explanation so we just decided to accept His decision and trust that God had perhaps something better planned. We recited Bible promises that God will never withhold His best from us.

However, over the next year, we did not manage to find "something better" and continued to stay in the condoninium that we could not afford.

While all this was happening, Shaun and I were reading Adventist Home as part of our family worship. When we were done with the book, the quotes that touched our heart impressed us to move on to reading Child Guidance, and subsequently led us to reading Country Living as well.

We found these quotes especially challenging to us:

It was not God's purpose that people should be crowded into cities, huddled together in terraces and tenements. In the beginning He placed our first parents amidst the beautiful sights and sounds He desires us to rejoice in today. The more nearly we come into harmony with God's original plan, the more favorable will be our position to secure health of body, and mind, and soul.— The Ministry of Healing, 363-365 (1905).

I could not sleep past two o'clock this morning. During the night season I was in council. I was pleading with some families to avail themselves of God's appointed means, and get away from the cities to save their children. Some were loitering, making no determined efforts. CL 6.6

There are reasons why we should not build in the cities. On these cities, God's judgments are soon to fall.— Letter 158, 1902.

The time is near when large cities will be swept away, and all should be warned of these coming judgments.— Evangelism, 29 (1910).

In harmony with the light given me, I am urging people to come out from the great centers of population. Our cities are increasing in wickedness, and it is becoming more and more evident that those who remain in them unnecessarily do so at the peril of their soul's salvation.— Manuscript 115, 1907.

Let no temporal advantages tempt parents to neglect the training of their children. Whenever possible, it is the duty of parents to make homes in the country for their children. The children and youth should be carefully guarded. They should be kept away from the hotbeds of iniquity that are to be found in our cities. Let them be surrounded by the influences of a true Christian home—a home where Christ abides.— Letter 268, 1906.

There is not one family in a hundred who will be improved physically, mentally, or spiritually, by residing in the city. Faith, hope, love, happiness, can far better be gained in retired places, where there are fields and hills and trees. Take your children away from the sights and sounds of the city, away from the rattle and din of streetcars and teams, and their minds will become more healthy. It will be found easier to bring home to their hearts the truth of the Word of God.— Manuscript 76, 1905.

Guiding Principles in Choosing the Location—In choosing a home, God would have us consider, first of all, the moral and religious influences that will surround us and our families. AH131.1

As the location for a home is sought, let this purpose direct the choice. Be not controlled by the desire for wealth, the dictates of fashion, or the customs of society. Consider what will tend most to simplicity, purity, health, and real worth.... AH131.4

Time Now to Move From the Cities—Take your families away from the cities is my message. AH 139.3

The time has come when, as God opens the way, families should move out of the cities. The children should be taken into the country. The parents should get as suitable a place as their means will allow. Though the dwelling may be small, yet there should be land in connection with it that may be cultivated. AH 139.4

God Will Help His People—Parents can secure small homes in the country, with land for cultivation, where they can have orchards and where they can raise vegetables and small fruits to take the place of flesh meat, which is so corrupting to the lifeblood coursing through the veins. On such places the children will not be surrounded with the corrupting influences of city life. God will help His people to find such homes outside of the cities. AH139.6

At the same time, I was involved in the team that was working on the Church School project and was tasked with looking for a land that was suitable for a church school.

In my searches for a land, I found a place called Planter's Haven in Seremban. It is South of KL, about an hour's drive away.

While it was too far away for the church school, the concept of Planter's Haven intrigued us for our personal home. It's a gated community that was full of greenery, with big plots of land for you to build your own houses and tend to your own gardens, and lakes and horse ranches scattered in and around the community. We paid it a few visits, but ultimately, it was too expensive for us. The lifestyle it boasted was of rich families with million dollar houses. With a heavy heart, we decided to move on.

This encounter however, sparked in us an interest for the possibility of building our own future home. This, coupled with what we were reading from Ellen White, encouraged us to continue looking.

The next place we found was a new development called The Valley - basically a cheaper version of Planter's Haven.

However, upon visiting the place, we found the plots of land too packed to one another and too industrial. It was still undergoing development and it had more plans to expand and grow and even build neighbouring shop lots and business centres.

Its vision was not one that we shared. We decided to move on as well, and pass on this location.

Our search of The Valley in Karak also led us to a neigbouring community called Orchard Heights, which we also visited, and we were pleasantly surprised.

It reminded us a lot of Aenon, but with less infrastructure and without the matured SDA community. We had never considered moving to Aenon because Sister White advises SDAs from congregating all in the same area.

Do not crowd into one place, making the same mistake that has been made in Battle Creek. There are hundreds of places that need the light God has given you.—Fundamentals of Christian Education, 495 (1904).

However, the plot of land we went to see had a bit of a water retention/flooding problem and was too close to the oil palm estate for our comfort.

We visited Orchard Heights a second time with 2 other agents to view other lots that were for sale. However, in our last appointment, we got lost, and even the agent was unable to find the way to the lot. We passed by a house where we saw an elderly couple who were doing some gardening so we decided to wind down our car window to ask for directions.

This was how we met Uncle Yee and his wife, Maria. (They are two of the nicest people that we have ever met. They are kind, quick to forgive, and so hospitable. We had spent more time with them over the course of our next few visits).

While asking for directions, they recommended another lot that was for sale to us - Lot 63.

(this is not the lot, but the neighbour's lot, and a happy selfie with other neighbours)

We went back to Orchard Heights a few more time after that. We began to love the place (Orchard Heights), and the land that we saw more and more.

This was a very new experience for us, and we were like fish out of water. We spoke to older couples for advice. We re-read Country Living over and over again. We went on Audioverse and listened to every single sermon relating to country living. We even listened to all the country living forums on Audioverse.

We prayed everyday together and also separately for God's will as to whether He led us here.

The sermons on Audioverse advised us - go look for land you like. Just drive around, and even if it is not for sale, if it's empty just ask the owner if they would be privy to sell it to you. We tried doing that - we drove around and inspected other land for sale, but there was either no other land we liked, or it was a 100% not available because there were already people living on it.

So we were back to the original plot of land that we saw.
Lot 63, the land on hill, with really nice owners.

We went back again, this time with the owners of the plot. EGW and the Audioverse sermons teach us to be honest and forthright. And after being transparent and explaining our situation, the owners were willing to help us by lowering their price.

Besides that, the sermons on Audioverse and Sister White's writings also teach us to ask for free or cheap land.

Land around this size normally sells for around 400k.
We said alright, let's ask for 200k. That's about the max we can afford.
Even though we were expecting a miracle, the owners said no.

We went back and forth, and finally we reached an agreement for 300k. That was a good price for normal buyers, but for us, it was still a big challenge, because we are poor.

We asked God, why is it not cheap or free, if that is what the counsel says?

After some time, our decision to move to the country and to buy this plot of land grew cold. We began to doubt ourselves, and the journey we took coming here. This was a big, semi-permanent decision that could change our lives forever.

In my personal prayer journal, I told God that I did not want to move away from KL where my ministry was, but nevertheless, if God wills it, I will go. I asked God to show me just 1 more time, if this is where He wants us to go. Shaun did not know about this prayer of mine.

The morning after I said this prayer, Shaun excitedly messaged me to tell me that Uncle Yee (the uncle that we met when we wound down our window to ask for directions) gave him a call just to catch up and ask how we were. He said something very interesting.

Uncle Yee asked us if we jinxed or charmed Uncle Ranny (the owner of the lot) because he (Uncle Ranny) doesn't want to sell the land to anyone else, even though there are other prospective buyers that want to offer a higher price for the land.

That was the answer and the sign for us. We contacted Uncle Ranny to confirm our purchase and went ahead to speak to a lawyer.

• We are still poor, we have little savings.
• We don't know when / how soon God wants us to move there, because it's just an empty plot of land now without a house.
• We have been doing extensive research, but when the rubber meets the road, we basically don't know how to build a house.
• No plant has ever survived our attempt at gardening.
• We don't know what this means for my ministry or for Shaun's business.

But we do recognize, that God was somehow directing us to go to Karak, Pahang, and so we will go in faith.

And regardless, it's still one step closer in the right direction.

We have many unanswered questions still.

Why did we not get a piece of land that was free or cheap?
We think it may be because Uncle Ranny needs the money or God wants to show us another miracle by giving us the money.

Why didn't God open the way for my grandma's house before?
We are set to move into my grandma's house at the end of 2019 after the tenancy ends anyway. Why couldn't we move in earlier to save more money on our current rental?
We think it's because God knew if He let us move in earlier, we wouldn't start looking for a country home.

Why such a place with no SDA church nearby and so far from our family/church?
Perhaps God wants us to start a new ministry to the unreached there.

We're still in the midst of coming up with the money to purchase the land. We're not sure how we will do it.

Now, we're applying for a loan without any income. Maybe this will be the next miracle.