A story of God answering the prayers of two families

[otseng]

This past Sunday, I was able to give the sermon to the English Ministry of Atlanta Taiwanese Presbyterian Church. And I'd like to share it here as well.

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A story of God answering the prayers of two families

This morning, I’d like to share with you a true story about two families and how God answered their prayers.

Aaron’s wish was coming true. She was able to go on a Disney cruise with her mom and 2 sisters and brother. This cruise was a welcome break in her otherwise challenging life. For 12 years since her birth, Aaron’s been afflicted with a disease that has no cure. She has to live with unpredictable sudden pains or even worse, a stroke. And she’s prone to infections, ulcers, and organ damage. She is one of every 500 African-Americans that has sickle cell disease.

After the cruise, she was looking with mixed anticipation to getting back to Atlanta. She was going to undergo an experimental treatment for a bone marrow transplant. And it would require many weeks in the hospital and 6 months recuperating at home in her bed.

But, after the cruise, there was an unexpected shock to her family. When they came back to their rental home, they found a note on the door that said it had been foreclosed and that they were being evicted. This came as a total shock to her mother cause she paid her rent on time every month.

Apparently what happened was that the landlord was not making his payments. And not only that, he fled the state. So, the bank took over the house.

But, if they didn’t have a stable place to stay, the hospital said that her daughter could not undergo the treatment. So, not only would they not have a place to stay, the treatment was in jeopardy.

The mom however believed that God would provide. And God did.

Some neighbors got upset that she was going to be evicted even though she did nothing wrong. So, they contacted the press and hired a lawyer. Her story was carried by the Atlanta Journal and CBS46.

And with the attorney’s help, the bank decided to allow her to stay rent free until the lease ran out in a couple of months.

But, then there was another problem. The house had a terrible mold problem. There was a creek running right behind the house and water was seeping through the foundation. So, mold was growing on the walls, the furniture, and the clothes. And also some rodents were starting to make their way into the house.

The woman was praying that somehow she’d be able to stay in the house and fix the mold and rat problem so that her daughter could get the operation.

On the other side of town lived another family. They had been trying to sell their old house for several months. But there were no serious buyers interested in the house. And they had already bought a new house and so they were making mortgage payments on 2 houses. Only two parties had scheduled a showing to see the house, but neither of them had showed up. And with the winter season approaching, the house would probably not sell for another half year at the earliest.

So, the home owner was getting anxious and praying that the house would somehow sell quickly.

But, God had something else in mind for both of these families.

The single mother didn’t want to move too far away since she had to spend a lot of time in the hospital. She also didn’t want to move her kids to another school. However, there were no other houses for rent in the area that the single mother lived in. So, someone suggested for her to call houses that were for sale and ask if they’d be willing to rent to her. She ended up calling 25 people.

When the homeowner answered the phone, a woman asked he’d be willing to rent. He hadn’t really thought much about renting it out. And then she explained her situation with her daughter, the foreclosure, and the mold. When he heard it, it sounded so bizarre that he was skeptical and suspected she was trying to trick him. He was thinking to himself that this was too weird to be true. Then she said that she was going to be on TV that afternoon on channel 46. Also her story was online at AJC. So, after reading the article online and seeing her on TV, he wasn’t quite as skeptical.

They had scheduled to see the house that night. And when she saw it, she immediate liked the house. There was plenty of space for her and the kids. And she liked the fact that it had no carpet. She explained that all her family members have allergies, and they couldn’t have any carpet, smoking, or pets. And when the homeowner also said that he’d leave the furniture for her to use, she said she was about to cry. Because of the mold problem in her old house, she’d have to get rid of all the old furniture and she wondered how she’d be able to get new furniture. And at the same time, the homeowner had been wondering what would they do with the old furniture since they had already bought new furniture for their new house.

She wanted to move in within a week. However, the house was not in move-in condition. There were still a lot of things left in the closets, cabinets, and garage. It’d take several days just to clean it all out. But fortunately, both of his parents and his in-laws were visiting at that time, so he put them to work to help clean out the house and the yard.

After several days, the two agreed on the conditions of the lease. Then on Oct 31, she handed over a check and the next day she moved in.

So, just two weeks prior, both families had wondered how their own problems would be solved. One party with a daughter about to go into the hospital and being involved in an eviction and then a mold problem. The other party with a house for sale that seemed would not get sold for a long time.

And it eventually turned out to be solved in a way that either did not expect.

So, what’s the point of the story?

Well, I could say that God might not answer your prayers because he has something better in mind.

Or that no matter how dire the situation, God can pull through.

Or that it’s not so bad to buy a new house and still have your old house on the market.

Really, I think the main thing is I’d like to ask if you would be willing to help a single mom going through a difficult situation right now.

Here is a practical chance to demonstrate our faith through our works.

James 1:27 The religion which is holy and free from evil in the eyes of our God and Father is this: to take care of children who have no fathers and of widows who are in trouble, and to keep oneself untouched by the world.

Perhaps it’s just as simple as a note of encouragement.

Or to volunteer to help feed her kids when she’s spending time with her daughter in the hospital.

Or to donate to the fund that is in her child’s name. (Aaron Washington Fund — donors can contribute at any metro Atlanta branch of Washington Mutual Bank.)

If you could take some time to help a single mom and her kids, I think God would bless you in return.