God Provides Housing

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. -- Hebrews 11:6

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. -- Matthew 6:33-34

People present so far -- Project leaders, team leaders, D-group leaders

The project leaders (Jeremy Aylett, Neal Nelson, Kyle Seal) of aXis tried for about six months to secure housing in Asheville. They had been told numerous times by The Grove (an apartment complex that housed the aXis project in 2006) that we would likely be able to stay there for the summer. On Saturday, May 24 (three days before I left) Jeremy called me and told me to be in prayer about housing for the project, because The Grove was giving them mixed signals. I prayed about the situation, and left as planned on Tuesday, May 27 to head to Asheville.

As I made the 11.5 hour, 630 mile trip, I listened to some great Christian music and got excited about the summer and the spiritual growth that lay ahead. As I traveled, I didn’t know if we would even have housing when we arrived, but I wasn’t worried. As we (Christina, Nicole, Philip, and me) encountered heavy rain for about an hour, I put my hope in the Lord. It’s wonderful to not have a spirit of fear, because I know the Lord is with me, and for me. My hope is in Heaven, and not this world. I have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ, and nothing can separate me from His saving grace (Romans 8:35-39).

Upon arriving at the infamous Ridgecrest, our place of stay for the night, we all grabbed a bite to eat and had a meeting. During the meeting, the project leaders explained the housing situation, as well as the plans for the night and the next day. Jeremy informed us that the arrangements with The Grove had fell through, and that they had been searching for housing for three days. Jeremy accidentally stumbled upon (aka God provided) an apartment complex very close to UNCA (University North Carolina Asheville). First, let me say that it’s hard to get a two month lease for 30 people from another state. Not only did we get four rooms, but the landlord was about to get three of the rooms furnished within a day! The final room would be available and furnished Monday, June 2. In three hours, more was accomplished than in the previous six months! God’s timing is incredible.

As mentioned above, seek first His kingdom, don’t worry, and have faith. For without faith, it is impossible to please Him.

Thanks for your support, and please pray for the project and the people of Asheville.

Matt Wilson