Those were the words uttered by 48-year-old, Marsha Thompson, one of the recipients of the National Housing Trust’s (NHT) Perth Phase Two Housing Development in Manchester.
The journey home for Marsha was an interesting one, as her property search initially led her to a home on the open market. On the day of the viewing, she fell ill, and said it was so bad she ended up cancelling her visit. As fate would have it, she got a call the very next day informing her she was selected for a two-bedroom house at the NHT’s Perth Housing Scheme.
“I called the gentleman (realtor) and said, ‘I am no longer interested.’ It was such a good thing too, because the house at Perth is much more affordable (with a smaller interest rate), so my mortgage is less than I would pay if I got the house on the open market,” she said.
She chalks up her homeownership experience to date as ‘merely a fulfilment,’ as she said God was simply keeping true to a promise he made three years ago.
God said he would do a new thing and I wasn’t sure what that new thing would be. I wondered if it would be a promotion, a car, a house, I wasn’t sure. But when I saw how things took place, how he orchestrated every move on my behalf, I just know that he had his hand in it,” the Clarendon native said.
Marsha said though her initial application for a Serviced Lot at Perth Phase One was unsuccessful, she does not see it as such, instead she calls it a delay, a delay wrapped in several blessings.
“I was delayed but not denied. During my waiting, God was moving on my behalf. Blessings kept pouring in,” Marsha said.
These blessings came in the form of new appliances and refurbished furniture, all taking place on the heels of the message of being one of NHT’s newest beneficiaries. The trained Teacher said she received the news from a friend, who told her she saw her name on the NHT’s website. She was ecstatic, so much so, she completely missed seeing her name despite being sent the link.
“To this day, I still don’t see my name,” she said with a chuckle. She admits that the achievement of your homeownership goal may involve some amount of waiting and requires patience, as well as sticking to the financial plan you set out with.
“I used the waiting period to save. I made a lot of sacrifices, but I tried to ensure I saved and my savings helped me quite a bit. It is important to have a friend who will keep you accountable. My friend in the banking industry set up something so I could only put money in, not take it out. And that really helped,” she said.
Thompson explained that along her journey, she remained persistent and that is her advice to all prospective homeowners, ‘remain persistent.’
“Waiting can be painful, but not when you waiting on God. I prayed to him on September 1, and I said ‘God, if you want me to have a comfortable house then let me get that house at Perth.’ On September 2, I got the call that I was. God wanted me to have it, and He made it possible. All I know is delay is not denial,” she said.
