Never in My Wildest Dreams
Jan 6, 2019 | by Nancy Newbrough
When our family of six moved from another country to Texas in August 2017, the events that made it possible were circumstantial. I questioned if we were doing the right thing, if this was God’s direction for us.
We landed safely and found minimal accommodations. After we began attending The Fellowship for a few weeks, I submitted a prayer request asking God to provide affordable and decent housing for us.
I had met a young woman at the school bus stop where we waited for our children to be picked up and dropped off. She engaged me in conversation and I found out two of her children were in same grades as two of mine. She was also very quick to profess her faith in Jesus and that helped spark conversation each time we met. When she invited us to her church’s anniversary program, we happily accepted.
Somewhere along the line, she mentioned that the Lord had called her family to Rwanda to continue a mission work there. Wow ... we were just really getting to know each other. Little did I know that ours was a lot more than just a chance meeting!
One afternoon at pick up time, she asked me to come to her house to see if there were things I might want as they were giving away a lot. I replied that we did not have a space of our own yet. But she insisted I just come for a look.
Several weeks later, I got a text from her inviting my husband and me to come over. We went at the agreed time and her husband started talking about why they asked us to visit. He said that while they were praying about listing their house for sale, the Lord clearly laid it upon their hearts to rent it to us. They asked us to pray about it, too!
This seemed the answer to our prayer, but my excitement waned when I realized it is a 4-bedroom house. This would affect the rental price. We asked for time to think about it and went home and made a list of things to discuss. The rental cost was the number one item!
When we met again, our first question was about the rental payments. The husband smiled and said we should first go over all the other items on the list. Then he revealed that they wanted to gift us with ten months of free rent in the house and after that, the rental amount they named was about $500-600 less than the going rate for houses of that size in the area. How could this be? How could we have found such favor through a random stranger that I had met in a very unlikely place? Only God!
As if that was not enough, we were also offered a vehicle which we badly needed. The price they named was $2,000 less than what we would have had to pay elsewhere for the same vehicle with comparable mileage. They did not want an upfront payment – just that we pay it off in equal installments for 24 months. We were overwhelmed by their generosity and gratefully accepted both the house and the vehicle.
When the time came to pick up the key to the house for moving in, to our utmost shock in the kitchen area, we discovered both a fully-stocked pantry and refrigerator. There was two full months’ supply of groceries as well as household items, utensils, and all the things we would have needed to buy to make the house comfortable.
As we began to explore one room after another, it was like being on a "treasure hunt!" There was something left in each room for our use that would have cost us hundreds of dollars to purchase. The laundry room was fully equipped! There were beds, furniture, sheets, curtains, etc. For the children -- lots of toys, games, and even Scripture clippings had been left! With our own belongings, the overflow was so incredible that I was able to ship some items to a start-up orphanage in my home country!
Never in my wildest dreams had I envisioned such an answer to my prayer! I submitted my request in April 2018, and by July - we were in our home! Our God can truly provide “exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine!” All glory to Him!
A.R.O.
So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?”or“What shall we drink?”or“What shall we wear?”… your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:31-33