1:35 AM, Saturday morning, Long Island, NY. Can’t sleep. Three long, tiresome days of hunting, still no house. Every house that remotely fits our criteria requires more money to move in than we have in hand. Flight to go back to AZ leaves later this afternoon. Looks like I am going back without finding a place to live in NY. Still no renter in AZ. U-Haul comes on Tuesday. Should I cancel it? Is God really calling us to NY? I feel my vision and dreams slipping away. What about all those people praying for us to find a home – what will they think when I come home without a house? Will they doubt you too? God help me to sleep so I can regroup in the morning.
7:00 AM, Saturday morning. Wake up. Wow, it really helped to get a little sleep. I need to leave for airport at 1:30. Is it even possible to find a house and put down a deposit before I go back to AZ? First order of business: get up, make coffee, and spend some time praying and seeking God for vision and focus.
I was very distressed late Friday night when it appeared that I had failed in finding a house in NY. This really caused me to doubt and question our calling. I now have a new appreciation for David when he wrote: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Sometimes, even people who are truly seeking the Lord can feel as if God has abandoned them! However, like David, this feeling should drive us to cry out to God rather than forsake him.
After spending some time with the Lord on Saturday morning, I felt refreshed. I was convinced that we were indeed called to NY! I also decided that the $8,600 that God had provided for the move in costs up to that point was our limit. (In NY, the tenant pays a brokers fee, first month’s rent and a security deposit. On a modestly priced NY home that rents for $2,500, that translates to $8,600 in move in cost.) So, I called our realtor and asked him to make low offers on the two houses that did fit all of our criteria, but were too expensive. The offers were rejected.
11:30 AM. The phone rings, it is our realtor. “John, I just got a call from one of our other brokers who wants to put her investment home on the rental market. I told her not to bother, because I have the perfect renters! Can you get here right away? This house is perfect for you and is in your price range!”
With one hour left before I had to go back to Arizona, God provided the perfect home for us! Not only does it fit all of our criteria, but it is completely renovated with brand new flooring and brand new appliances! Also, it is only a 13 minute walk to the train station, has a guest room and finished basement, and is in a fantastic school district. It is way more than we could possibly imagine, and within the money that we had!
We are very excited because this home is extremely strategic for ministry. It is very close to several of the churches where we will be helping to train leaders, and also close to a church plant team that I will help coach. It is also in a very multi-ethnic area. The school that the boys will attend is 47% Asian! It is also a great neighborhood where we are looking forward to meeting and reaching our neighbors.
Thank you for your prayers! God answered our prayers more wonderfully than we could ever imagine. Now, we must trust him for a renter for our Arizona home. We have had many people look at it, but still no takers. Would you please pray that God would provide renters before we leave for New York this weekend? Thanks!
Love,
John and Caryn
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