God Flavored Beginnings - A Place to Call Home

I mentioned in my last post that God has pulled two key things together to make my transition to California possible. The first was the amazing story of how God brought Bekah Freelan to WBCL to carry on my work as Mid-Morning Producer. We just completed our first week of training, and I’m so thrilled to have this time with her! We’ve had plenty of laughs this week (and we worked too, of course). After showing Bekah the ropes, I’m convinced more than ever that she’s the girl for the job. She’s already won over the staff with her delicious caramel brownies. But even more than that, she’s got the gifts and talents to do the job well. Congratulations, Bekah, for completing week one with pizzazz!

The second amazing thing that God has done is regarding my living situation once I arrive in California. I must admit, the idea of moving again so soon did not excite me initially. After all, it’s only been a year since my last move. And having moved six times in the last decade, it just doesn’t sound all that appealing to me anymore. But relocating to the golden state where a warmer winter awaits and access to the ocean is so much closer than anywhere I’ve ever lived before, does help me pardon the inconvenience of transition a little more easily. Not to mention the close proximity of the Red Wood Trees! And now that God has again paved the way for a place for me to live once I arrive, I’m actually looking forward to it. Let me tell you how it all came to be.

One of my good friends, Michelle H., sat down at her computer this last March to check her old email account. She wasn’t familiar with the school I’m headed to, but the name rang a bell in her mind. So, she felt led to check an email account she hadn’t checked for about a year to see why Bethel sounded so familiar. She found an email from an old Taylor classmate of hers, Sarah. Guess what the email was about? It was the initial email Sarah sent to all of her contacts to let them know she was headed to Bethel this last year! So, Michelle connected with Sarah again because they hadn’t talked since college and then put me in touch with her incase I wanted to ask her any questions about Bethel. Of course, I did! However, I didn’t really get around to emailing Sarah until Memorial Day weekend because life was crazy with the initial stages of transition. By May, I knew I had been accepted to Bethel and I was beginning my search for a home in California. The same day I emailed Sarah with my questions, I included a little info on what I was looking for in a place to live. I had posted a “Young Lady Needs Housing ad” in the housing section of the BSSM website for students and also made connections with others I had been put in touch with including Sarah. I was quite overwhelmed by the responses I got – and quite thankful to have so many options!

Not two days after I made the initial contact with Sarah, I learned that she had an open room in the house she lived in last year. It was everything I had been looking for and more! So as you’ve probably already guessed, I said, sign me up! The landlord, Sharon, is in her early 70s and she rents three of the rooms in her home out to Bethel students. Each student gets to have her own room and there’s plenty of shared space including a pool in the back yard! I’ve seen pictures of the home and it’s simply lovely. Not only that, but there’s a mountain view from the house. These are the wonderful aesthetic things I appreciate about the house. But there’s so much more than that.

Sharon shares her home as a ministry to Bethel students so the cost of rent is very affordable – especially for California! I love the fact that Sharon has been a resident there for a while so she can tell this directionally challenged girl how to get around. I will have a GPS (thanks to Betsy and Gerson) but I can use all the help I can get when it comes to directions! Sharon attends Bethel Church as well and volunteers in the healing rooms on Saturdays. I love that she’s a part of the Bethel community and am looking forward to gaining wisdom from her. In addition, Sarah mentioned to me that people had suggested she should live with a second year student during her first year at BSSM if at all possible – that way she would have someone to help her navigate the first year program. She didn’t have that opportunity, but she said she would love to do that for me. What a huge blessing!

So there you have it – God prompted my dear friend, Michelle, to check an email account she rarely checks and that all started the ball rolling to lead me to my new home in Cali. A home that has all the aspects I was looking for and more. Once again, God is so amazing! He’s faithful and has provided in a way that is quite God flavored and beyond my wildest imagination. So, the next time you’re prompted to check an old email account or do something out of the ordinary, you may want to take into consideration the possibility of a divine appointment in the works. It could lead to something extraordinary! Thanks, Michelle, for being sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. And thanks God for orchestrating it all!