In February of 2017, we were in our final months of residency at WVU. (I say WE because I like to give myself credit for being "in" residency too! HA!) Josh had already accepted a job in DuBois, PA and we were beginning to look for a house.
We had one weekend to do some house hunting and after our search, it came down to one house that was for rent and one house that was for sale. They were on the same street, only a few houses apart. Josh loved the house that was for sale but I had a million reasons why it was not THE house. We went back and forth and ultimately the rental won out for a slue of reasons. So we moved, and after four months of living in the rental, the house down the street was still for sale. Josh brought up buying it again. I was like... AND MOVE ALL OUR CRAP AGAIN, HECK NO!! I also just had a ton of reservations. It was large and older and all I saw was a lot that would need cleaned, a lot that would need fixed, and too much wasted space. Josh would try to sell me on it becoming our "forever house" and never needing to move again and yada yada... jokes on me I guess since here we are in another different house in another different town! (I'm not bitter from all the moving, I swear. hehe!)
We were going back and forth on buying and I told Josh all my reasons for not wanting the house. I also reluctantly divulged another bit of info too. I shared with him, that back when we were first deciding between the rental and this house, God told me we should buy it. And that we were supposed to fill it with people. He didn't say when or how. But it was clear to me that it was our house.
I guess you need the bigger picture for some of this story but moving to DuBois was REALLY hard for me. I did not want to move there. There were a lot of different reasons but one being, I thought it was too small of a town to ever make any friends. When He told me the part about filling my house with people, I essentially replied with, "Yeah right, Lord. You don't know DuBois. There won't even be any friends or people to have over to this dumb house."
I had just finished watching the live stream of the IF: Gathering 2017 and Jill Briscoe was one of the speakers. She shared a quote that is forever etched on my heart and changed my approach to our move and that home.
Jill said, "You go where you're sent. You stay where you're put. Unpack. And give what you've got until you're done." I was like WHAT??!?! Ok, Lord. I hear you. I'll go where you're sending me just get off my back! This was also when He whispered to me that we were supposed to purchase this home and fill it with people.
Little did I know, there were going to be SO. MANY. PEOPLE. in DuBois. So many wonderful, important relationships were found there. Our house was always full. Dinners, Bible studies, gatherings on the deck. You name it. When The Table launched in November of 2018 and I had no idea what I was getting into and just went for it. I remember opening my front door and people just flooding in. I had no idea who was going to come but the Lord said to unpack and give what I had, and what I had was His word and a house I could open up. There were women walking in hugging me that I had never seen before. (You can do this in a small town haha!) In the month of February there were 53 people squeezed in my living room/ dining room/ kitchen space that were taking in the words of some of the wisest, most Christ seeking women I've ever met.
I just sat there in awe. Soaking up His faithfulness.
Fast forward to this past spring when the Lord decided He was calling us to pack up and move to Lancaster. We feared it would be impossible to sell our house. It was on the market for almost three years before we bought it. In a small town like DuBois, the market is never very hot. We knew we were supposed to go but why would God make us struggle with two mortgages, etc. When we met with our realtor, she gave us some tasks to get the house ready and she posted the house online with only a picture of the outside.
We got a call at 9:30PM, a few hours after she posted it, that someone wanted to see the house at 9:30 the next morning. We were in shock. And totally NOT prepared. I was wrapping up a Table meeting and some of my friends stepped up and helped us whip the house into shape. The couple came to the house the next morning and stayed for almost 2 hours. Twelve hours later, the house was sold. Ummm WHAT?!?! Won't He do it!!!
My only explanation, in my true, humble opinion, is that God rewarded our obedience. We knew that buying this house was an act of obedience. We knew filling it with people was as well. In the end, when He called us to move on, He showed up big and sold the house.
It was like He said (yet again), "Dana, why do you question my faithfulness? Why do you think I won't take care of every little detail? When I call and you obey, I work it out in ways that will make people say, ONLY GOD."
Man, I couldn't even make up a story that has more dots pieced together for His glory than this one.
Won't He do it.
Little did I know, there were going to be SO. MANY. PEOPLE. in DuBois. So many wonderful, important relationships were found there. Our house was always full. Dinners, Bible studies, gatherings on the deck. You name it. When The Table launched in November of 2018 and I had no idea what I was getting into and just went for it. I remember opening my front door and people just flooding in. I had no idea who was going to come but the Lord said to unpack and give what I had, and what I had was His word and a house I could open up. There were women walking in hugging me that I had never seen before. (You can do this in a small town haha!) In the month of February there were 53 people squeezed in my living room/ dining room/ kitchen space that were taking in the words of some of the wisest, most Christ seeking women I've ever met.
I just sat there in awe. Soaking up His faithfulness.
Fast forward to this past spring when the Lord decided He was calling us to pack up and move to Lancaster. We feared it would be impossible to sell our house. It was on the market for almost three years before we bought it. In a small town like DuBois, the market is never very hot. We knew we were supposed to go but why would God make us struggle with two mortgages, etc. When we met with our realtor, she gave us some tasks to get the house ready and she posted the house online with only a picture of the outside.
We got a call at 9:30PM, a few hours after she posted it, that someone wanted to see the house at 9:30 the next morning. We were in shock. And totally NOT prepared. I was wrapping up a Table meeting and some of my friends stepped up and helped us whip the house into shape. The couple came to the house the next morning and stayed for almost 2 hours. Twelve hours later, the house was sold. Ummm WHAT?!?! Won't He do it!!!
My only explanation, in my true, humble opinion, is that God rewarded our obedience. We knew that buying this house was an act of obedience. We knew filling it with people was as well. In the end, when He called us to move on, He showed up big and sold the house.
It was like He said (yet again), "Dana, why do you question my faithfulness? Why do you think I won't take care of every little detail? When I call and you obey, I work it out in ways that will make people say, ONLY GOD."
Man, I couldn't even make up a story that has more dots pieced together for His glory than this one.
Won't He do it.
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