He Weaves our Tapestries in Beautiful Ways

By Angie Killian

On a beautiful August afternoon in 2020, my husband walked me to the backyard of a house in my hometown of Elk Ridge, Utah that I had fallen hard for and surprised me with the most amazing news: this home was going to be ours! As I took in the majestic mountain view of my childhood from the large deck, I was overcome with excitement, gratitude, and joy. He had put in an offer without me knowing, and we were under contract. Closing was scheduled 5 weeks away—the same day we would close on the house we were selling. I felt like I was living in a Hallmark movie, and it all seemed too perfect to be true.

We started planning our lives around this home. We packed up everything we owned and moved in with my parents, met and had dinner with neighbors, and, with the seller’s permission, even pulled weeds that had been growing while the house had sat vacant all summer. I started Pinterest boards for each of our three children’s bedrooms, and my husband sketched plans for the unfinished basement. I dreamed of every birthday party in the backyard, the towering Christmas tree next to the fireplace, my daughter walking down the open staircase on the night of her first prom, and the music I would write in the piano room that was tucked in the front of the home. It was all beautiful. I thanked God every day that he was blessing us with exactly what we had wanted and worked towards for so long.

On closing day, we got a devastating call from our agent. We would not be closing that day, or any day, on this home. The buyers of our previous home weren’t ready, and the sellers of the Elk Ridge house wouldn’t wait for us; they were taking our $6k in earnest money and moving on to a backup offer. Our picture-perfect plans came crashing down, and my heart shattered, leaving my soul completely numb.

We had been saving and dreaming for so long. I thought of all the times I had highlighted the word prosper in the Book of Mormon. “Insomuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land” (2 Nephi 1:20). Didn’t God want to bless us for our hard work, dedication, and obedience?

The next day, our agent called to tell us that our home was back under contract with a new buyer and told us that—even though it was the last thing we wanted to think about—we needed to find another place to live. She met us at a home in Salem down the street from the cemetery whose owners, ironically, had a similar experience to ours two days before.

As we walked through the home, all I could do is compare it to the first home, and I couldn’t imagine us living there. When we walked outside, our agent asked if we wanted to put in an offer. My answer was, “Go ahead; in this market, we won’t get it anyway.”

When she called to tell us that we were under contract the following day, I panicked. I wasn’t sure I wanted to live there, I knew nothing about the neighborhood, and I was worried that circumstances outside of our control would sabotage another closing. Most importantly, I wasn’t sure that this was what God wanted for our family; I had been praying non-stop and had yet to discern any kind of answer. I had tried to do things the way I wanted with the previous home, and I wasn’t about to make that mistake a second time.

After calling my husband to tell him I wanted to back out of the contract, he told me that we should both pray one more time, and, if we were still answerless, we could call our agent and cancel the contract. He said we didn’t have to move there, or anywhere, if I didn’t feel good about it.

When I got off the phone, I went directly to my knees and offered one last “Hail Mary” prayer to Heavenly Father. I asked Him if this home was supposed to be ours, if it would be a good place for us to raise our children, if they would have good friends, and if we would be happy there. I also told him that my emotions were interfering with my ability to hear Him, and I needed Him to be extremely direct with me.

Before I left my knees, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Someone I didn’t know messaged me through Facebook asking me about some clothes I had posted for sale. After arranging pickup, she said, “I live in Salem by the cemetery, so it won’t take long.” My heart stopped. I told her we were under contract on a home by the cemetery and asked her if she liked the neighborhood. She went on to tell me that the ward was amazing, there were tons of kids of all ages, and that we would love it here. I couldn’t believe it. As tears filled my eyes, the Holy Ghost testified that her message was a direct answer to my prayer.

We moved into this home a few weeks later. At first, it was bittersweet, especially because we had a clear view of the home every time we went to visit my parents, but it didn’t take long before we realized that this was exactly where God wanted us to be.

Our kids are thriving and always have someone to play with, and we have formed and rekindled meaningful relationships with our neighbors and ward family. It turns out, we love this home. Our children have adorable bedrooms, we have a darling Christmas tree (that stays up well into January because I love it so much), our little girl dances around the living room, and I have written some of my most beautiful music sitting at the piano that has become the focal point of our home. We truly are happy here.

I'm still shocked that Heavenly Father was able to answer my prayer through Facebook Marketplace, but I will always be grateful that he did.

This could have been the end of a very happy and faith-promoting story about trusting in God, but it gets better.

Over a year later, I got an email from a woman named Danina who wrote, “We have never met, but our paths have crossed in a unique way. I hope hearing our story will help you see God’s hand in. yours.”

She went on to tell me that in the summer of 2020, her family felt the spirit pushing them to move. They walked through a home in an area they loved by the Salem cemetery. It checked all their boxes, and they had a good feeling about it, so they put in an offer. That night, she and her husband tossed and turned and received the impression that this house was not supposed to be theirs; they were confused, but they removed their offer the following morning.

A few weeks later, a home in Elk Ridge caught their attention, but it was under contract. They submitted a backup offer anyway and continued to search, unsuccessfully, for another place to live. They even put money down on a lot near the Salem cemetery, but nothing really felt quite right. One night, her husband looked over at her and said, “We are going to move to that house in Elk Ridge.” She was hopeful but doubtful; he was completely sure.

Right before their design meeting for the lot they had a down payment on, they got a call that the Elk Ridge home had become available, and, two weeks later, their family moved into that home. She told me, “The move to Elk Ridge has turned out to be exactly what our family didn’t know we needed,” and they have seen miracles in their lives and their children’s lives because of their move.

Yes, the house by the cemetery that Danina’s family originally put an offer on is the home my family lives in, and, yes, the home in Elk Ridge where my Hallmark Movie moment happened is the home where Danina’s family lives. Even though she felt uncomfortable reaching out to a stranger and was afraid she would “rub salt in a wound,” I’m so glad she emailed me. It gives me closure knowing that God had a plan—for both of us—all along.

I have no doubt in my mind or heart that both of our families are exactly where we are needed and where we need to be. Heavenly Father truly does know what is best for His children—even when we think we have all the answers. He is involved in the details of our lives, and He weaves our tapestries in beautiful ways.