New Horizons and Prayers

I've been knee-deep in planning...so much so that I neglected to blog about God's next major leading in my life.

For the last couple years I've been dreaming about a place where I can offer up my home in hospitality to people who need a place to live or just a place to stay. That hasn't been a possibility in my life circumstances at the time. But things have changed. God has planted a huge blessing in the lap of my friend Stacey and I--he's given us an amazing apartment to rent and share. It's literally down the street from where we meet for Sunday nights. It's owned and recently built by a local pastor and his family. That's a huge thing in and of itself since the Christian community in this city is so small. Throughout the process of the last month it's been a privilege to pray with Stacey, pray alone, pray with their family, and know that they are also praying too. They speak our language and can understand the heart of desire that propels us into this house. This is truly an amazing blessing in so many ways!

Though we are getting into this house with no security deposit, no last month's, rent and no realtor fee (all those conditions are typical of renting in Boston), the rent still is $4200 per month. That's a lot of money and right now there's just Stacey and I. We need 3 or 4 more women to live in the house with us. Even more than that, Stacey and I want this to be an affordable place to live. We are beginning to raise support from people who want to join in on this monthly journey of faith and trusting that God will provide for this as-yet undefined ministry of hospitality, love, and discipleship among young women. Our desire is that our home would function as a family, living as a community of women who desire to grow deeper together in our understand of who God is, who we are in His eyes, and how relying on one another is the manifestation of God's Kingdom on earth.

I don't know who reads this blog, but there are a few of you out there. Please pray for Stacey and I. If you're called to give on behalf of this ministry, please email me for more information about how to do that. If you know or are a woman interested in this type of community living situation, don't hesitate to contact me.

Below is a slideshow of the house. If you link over to the photos on Picasa, there are detailed descriptions of the pictures.