I recently sent an email out to many of my friends and family asking for prayer and wisdom about an opportunity that has come up for me. I realized a few days after I sent the email that I have several wise friends in the blogging world, so I decided to post the email here and get more people praying!
As many of you know, I own my house here in Philly and over the years have put a lot of work into it. In fact, many of you have been a huge part of that work, whether through hands on labor, financial support and/or prayer support and encouragement. I LOVE my house!
Unfortunately, there are 2 big problems with my house. First, the block it is located on is less than desirable for me. Many of you have heard my stories of countless all night parties, loud music during the day, drunken fights and even shootings. While I understand that many of these things are common in my neighborhood, it seems to all be magnified on my block. There are a few kids on my block, but none that I have been able to develop any relationships with, and none whose parents will allow them to come to Kids Club. My desire and passion is for the kids in this neighborhood, and I would love to see my house become a welcome place for kids in the neighborhood.
Another problem is that my house has only 2 bedrooms. This was perfect when I was living alone, or even had a roommate. However, Bonita and Linda have now been living with me for over 5 months and this seems to be a permanent arrangement. They are currently sharing a room that honestly is barely big enough for one person, much less 2 teenage girls who are VERY different from one another. :) I also have a friend, Ashley, who is staying with us for an indefinite amount of time (she is sleeping in the basement currently). She can help me pay the bills (which is a HUGE blessing now that most of my bills have more than doubled with the girls staying with me...and I don't get any financial assistance from their mom nor have I gotten a raise recently, haha), and we all love having her around so we would love to have her live with us for as long as she would like.
My parents recently came to visit me and the realities of how difficult it is for me to live on this block really came to light. I rarely get to sleep through the night because of the loud parties (I call the cops at least once a week), and I had to have the girls stay with their mom while my parents were here because there just wasn't enough room in the house for everyone.. In the 4 days that my parents were here I had to call the cops twice because of drunken fights happening in the street. (My parents were here for the 4th of July, so that made things a little crazier than usual, but only a little).
While my parents and I had a GREAT visit, my dad asked me to seriously consider/pray about moving. Not out of Philly or even Kensington, just away from my block. He was able to see something I couldn't; how worn down I am physically and emotionally from not having a sanctuary in the midst of the chaos. It was very eye opening to me.
I told him I would pray, but I honestly didn't see any solution. I don't make a ton of money, and the idea of finding a decent house at a decent price that didn't need a lot of work (I'm way too tired to start from scratch again with a house!!) didn't seem possible. In fact, as I started looking around, I became more convinced that I wouldn't find anything. The only houses in my price range were shells in need of full rehab. The cheapest "move in" condition house I could find within 5 miles of my church was over $100,000 (ahhh living in the city!).
Then, out of nowhere, an opportunity came. There is a family in my church here in Philly that recently moved into a new house and are looking to sell their old one. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house on a MUCH quieter block (although its only 2 blocks from my current house). Each bedroom is big enough that the girls can still share a room but actually have space of their own, and Ashley could stay living with us, and continue to help with the bills. If and when Ashley ever decided to move, the girls could then have their own rooms.
The house also has about 200 more sq. feet than my current house, giving us all more space in general. Plus, the basement could eventually be finished as well. The house actually on the same block as several members of the church as well as many Kids Club kids. It does need some work done (like a new kitchen, haha. At least I've already done that once!), but its all cosmetic. The electric, plumbing, structure, etc. are all great. Oh, and it is right across the street from Willard Elementary school, where almost all of my Kids Club kids attend. I LOVE the idea of seeing the kids every day as they go to and from school and all the opportunities that will open up to meet new kids. All of this, and, they are willing to sell it to me for a very reasonable price....which is incredible.
PLEASE know that I am not writing this asking for any financial support. I simply need prayer and wisdom as to whether or not this move is from the Lord.
I would HAVE to sell my house, and at a decent price, in order to afford this new one, and the idea of having to do that terrifies me (I don't know anyone looking to buy a house currently). Plus, I would have to qualify for a mortgage (again, I don't make much money, haha). I KNOW that God can take care of all of these things, but all of these things really stress me out and cause me to doubt. I want to make sure this is from Him, otherwise, I will move forward and fall flat on my face!
So, I am asking you to pray with me and share any wisdom the Lord may give you. I don't have any kind of timeline, right now I am just seeking and listening...and I'm asking you to help me in that..
I can't even begin to express to you what a joy it is to have the support and encouragement that each of you have provided. I can't say enough how lost (and NOT in Philly) I would be without the amazing support team that God has provided in you.
I will keep you updated, and PLEASE share with me anything on your heart!!
Thank you all so much!
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