horizons of hope: Unless the Lord

i saw this sign at a store in the city
and had to get it for obvious reasons.
it now hangs in our living room.
gotta have HOPE up on our walls!

It's hard to believe that the last time I wrote was in September! Please don't think that my lack of sharing has meant that nothing of worth has been going on around here. We have had many short term guests in the past months, and the Lord has been at work in the midst of these short but sweet visits. I try to write only when I feel truly led to do so--and thus, why up 'til now it's been quiet.

In September we received an email that brought me to tears. The young woman who I was closest to in the brothels (where I used to minister once a week) contacted me. She told me that she had quit her work, had left her boyfriend (her p!mp), and was now in hiding-- as she was working a normal job and trying to get her life back together again. This was a HUGE step for her to take! She was asking for my help--as her job was seasonal, and once it would become winter, she would need a new job, and a safe place to go.

For this girl to get to this point is only because of the work of God in her life. Since I met her three years ago, I have consistently seen Him at work in her, and have seen her respond in sincerity to Him. Just so you know, statistically speaking, research states that once women in prostituti*n come to accept Jesus, it takes an average of six years for them to finally quit their work. It's a process. I have watched this process with this dear one, and to receive her email was like a dream come true for me. I always believed that she would come here one day--but I didn't expect it so soon. Again, this all happened in September.

Anticipating her possible arrival, I began to get antsy for us to finish the women's wing of our home. A year and a half ago, I wrote about our needs for the women's wing here, and was generously given most of the bedding for the two rooms from a women's Bible study in California. However, we were still in need of everything else--furniture and flooring and wallpapering and lighting...and, and, and.

The thought of having this dear one come soon got me wanting to MOVE and do something to get these rooms done. And although we didn't necessarily have the funds or even the clarity from the Lord to begin working on these rooms, I wanted to proceed. I figured that if I began to pray and do some homework (like get estimates on the flooring and wallpapering) that we would see what we could do.

I tried to get an estimate on the wood flooring--

but couldn't find a sample I liked.

I got a good estimate for the wallpapering--

but couldn't find a wallpaper I liked.
Ugh!

This is rare--beacuse I know what I like, and usually I have no problem finding what it is I like and want. I came to a dead-end, and in frustration brought it all to the Lord. I opened my Bible at random, and my eyes fell to this verse:

Of course it would have to fall on that exact verse, as it's one of the two foundational scriptures for this ministry (if you look in the top right hand corner of the blog, you'll see it, and if you scroll down below the theme song, you'll see it again). This verse stopped me in my tracks and I knew what I had to do--STOP all striving and trying to help the Lord build His house, and surrender it all into His hands. It was actually a big relief.

I still, however, continued to pray for our needs:

2 leather couches for our living room

A bed for our perhaps soon-to-come guest

Flooring, rugs, a bed side table

A reading chair for our bedroom...

A couple of months later, in November, we received another email. This time it was from my husband's sister, who lived about 5 hours north of us, and was in the process of moving.

The email subject line:

Furniture?

Of course you know what's coming.

YES, she was wanting to know if we wanted their

2 leather couches for our living room

(exactly the kind I wanted)

A bed for perhaps our soon-to-come guest

(yes, in the exact size and color of wood I had prayed for)

A bedside table and rugs

(just like the ones I'd been dreaming of)

A reading chair for our bedroom,

and M O R E

In December we drove north, and came home with a huge moving truck stacked from top to bottom, FILLED with answers to prayer and also answers to secret desires of my heart that only God knew that I wanted or needed, and He provided it generously.

At one point while we were practically emptying my sister-in-law's home, I almost began to cry. The reality of the Lord providing in such an over-the-top, tangible, I heard your prayers, girl, kinda way was overwhelming.

It's like He was saying,

I love you.

I know you.

I know what you need for the house.

I know why you want it.

I know you want to have the rooms all perfect

for your hope-to-be-here-soon guest.

I know.

Just continue to do your part--

dream BIG!

pray

HOPE

and believe,

and I will do mine.

I will build this house

and I will get the glory for it.

our new sofas, and unexpected coffee table too,
have turned our living room into a cozy place of beauty.
we are so grateful! can you find the HOPE in this pic?

Unless the Lord builds the house,

it's builders labor in vain.

We now have one of the women's rooms almost completely furnished, which is really exciting. The new bed is all dressed in her white glory, footed by a beautiful rug. The room needs an armoire, a chandelier, and wood flooring (as the current flooring is unfinished), and it will be just about ready to go. We have invited this dear one I told you about, above, to join us in our home beginning February 1st, and we are waiting to hear back from her with a final decision.

a little glimpse
of a dream come true bed

God's timing is incredible. Just this week we received a call from a friend and supporter of our ministry, asking if there was anything we are currently asking Jesus for. I shared about the guest room, and she replied, "That's good to know, because we felt the Lord wanted us to send you $_____ " (a certain amount of money...an amount that could very well cover exactly what we need done). I sobbed at God's faithfulness and goodness--at His tangible love for me and for our future guests--at His exuberant display of provision and answer to prayer.