The Significance of Thirteen
Thirteen.
Thirteen years old. The age I was when I realized my dad’s disease was going to be fatal.
Thirteen years since my dad lost his battle to Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Thirteen summers we’ve gathered on August 7th to celebrate his life.
Thirteen years ago this week my mom got a phone call. The person on the line let her know that an anonymous donor was asking about the remainder of the mortgage on her house. The house I grew up in just outside of Minneapolis city limits.
She let them know the details and within 24 hours, the $80,000 mortgage was paid in full. There wasn’t a hint as to who would have done something quite so generous except these words from the middle man:
“They care deeply about your family, and I feel like you should know this… they are not wealthy.”
These last thirteen years my mom was able to take a year to recover from 9 years of caregiving for my dad and his ailing body. She was able to find a good job that pays her bills and gives her flexibility to do ministry. She was able to help my brother and I get through college. She has given countless hours of her free time to support the circle of people that surround her life.
But these last thirteen years, she never would have been able to stay current on a mortgage payment on her own.
The mysterious donor changed her life… my brother’s and my life too.
But that’s just the beginning.
Four years ago I shared with my mom a vision. “I want to live in community with others and encourage and support each other to live on God’s mission together”.
At that time, I was almost 7 years into my twenties as a single woman and I knew that this time of life can feel like an in-between time or a time of waiting for real life to start.
What I had experienced was that is was a time of questions, confusion and challenges. But it was also a time of empowerment, vision, and action. It was a time of becoming, and I wanted to follow God’s lead in creating a space for that to happen for others coming right behind me in life.
I began to look for a place to rent that up to seven of us might be able to live intentionally in Northeast Minneapolis where my church worships, lives and serves.
My mom called me one day during this search,
“I want to help you buy a house.”
“Oh mom, I would never ask you to do that. I can save up for a couple years.”
“We can leverage the mortgage on my house, you know that’s not my money anyway.”
My mom didn’t see the generosity of her house being paid off as a gift for her alone. This is evidenced by the thirteen people who have lived in her house in the last thirteen years.
So I was able to buy my house three and a half years ago.
In a couple of weeks Hannah will move in – bringing the current total to thirteen different women who have lived there with me since 2010.
A little over a year ago, there was another conversation with my mom:
“Mom, I know I said I would never ask you to do this, but would you pray about investing in another house with me?”
She called me back the next day, “God said yes”.
The mortgage on her house still had equity to be leveraged. We closed on the third Williams’ women house a month later. A triplex, which was full of individuals and couples living on mission within weeks.
I think back to when my dad was sick, there were multiple times when I would hear people ask him the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
Clearly wanting to know his thoughts on contracting a fatal illness at the age of 41.
I would always see him respond with compassion in his eyes, “We’ll never know for sure. But I think it is so the world can see how people with God’s hope respond to hard things in life. No one would have the chance to see that if we never faced adversity.”
His words are burned in my mind and in my heart. Thirteen years later… and forever.
Generosity is how the family of God responds when a man’s life is taken at only 50.
Giving sacrificially is what hope in Jesus produces.
The generosity of this one person, willing to inquire about a mortgage, was blessed by God to multiply more than I could have imagined thirteen years ago.
It changed my life… and has impacted the lives of the thirty two others who found home when it was needed.
Thirteen years, three homes, thirty two people and four dogs.
I believe God has only just begun…
Thirteen.
Thirteen years old. The age I was when I realized my dad’s disease was going to be fatal.
Thirteen years since my dad lost his battle to Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Thirteen summers we’ve gathered on August 7th to celebrate his life.
Thirteen years ago this week my mom got a phone call. The person on the line let her know that an anonymous donor was asking about the remainder of the mortgage on her house. The house I grew up in just outside of Minneapolis city limits.
She let them know the details and within 24 hours, the $80,000 mortgage was paid in full. There wasn’t a hint as to who would have done something quite so generous except these words from the middle man:
“They care deeply about your family, and I feel like you should know this… they are not wealthy.”
These last thirteen years my mom was able to take a year to recover from 9 years of caregiving for my dad and his ailing body. She was able to find a good job that pays her bills and gives her flexibility to do ministry. She was able to help my brother and I get through college. She has given countless hours of her free time to support the circle of people that surround her life.
But these last thirteen years, she never would have been able to stay current on a mortgage payment on her own.
The mysterious donor changed her life… my brother’s and my life too.
But that’s just the beginning.
Four years ago I shared with my mom a vision. “I want to live in community with others and encourage and support each other to live on God’s mission together”.
At that time, I was almost 7 years into my twenties as a single woman and I knew that this time of life can feel like an in-between time or a time of waiting for real life to start.
What I had experienced was that is was a time of questions, confusion and challenges. But it was also a time of empowerment, vision, and action. It was a time of becoming, and I wanted to follow God’s lead in creating a space for that to happen for others coming right behind me in life.
I began to look for a place to rent that up to seven of us might be able to live intentionally in Northeast Minneapolis where my church worships, lives and serves.
My mom called me one day during this search,
“I want to help you buy a house.”
“Oh mom, I would never ask you to do that. I can save up for a couple years.”
“We can leverage the mortgage on my house, you know that’s not my money anyway.”
My mom didn’t see the generosity of her house being paid off as a gift for her alone. This is evidenced by the thirteen people who have lived in her house in the last thirteen years.
So I was able to buy my house three and a half years ago.
In a couple of weeks Hannah will move in – bringing the current total to thirteen different women who have lived there with me since 2010.
A little over a year ago, there was another conversation with my mom:
“Mom, I know I said I would never ask you to do this, but would you pray about investing in another house with me?”
She called me back the next day, “God said yes”.
The mortgage on her house still had equity to be leveraged. We closed on the third Williams’ women house a month later. A triplex, which was full of individuals and couples living on mission within weeks.
I think back to when my dad was sick, there were multiple times when I would hear people ask him the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
Clearly wanting to know his thoughts on contracting a fatal illness at the age of 41.
I would always see him respond with compassion in his eyes, “We’ll never know for sure. But I think it is so the world can see how people with God’s hope respond to hard things in life. No one would have the chance to see that if we never faced adversity.”
His words are burned in my mind and in my heart. Thirteen years later… and forever.
Generosity is how the family of God responds when a man’s life is taken at only 50.
Giving sacrificially is what hope in Jesus produces.
The generosity of this one person, willing to inquire about a mortgage, was blessed by God to multiply more than I could have imagined thirteen years ago.
It changed my life… and has impacted the lives of the thirty two others who found home when it was needed.
Thirteen years, three homes, thirty two people and four dogs.
I believe God has only just begun…
I love this, Steph! Love your heart and the way you direct us all to God’s mission. Keep going! 🙂
This is great Stephanie! God really has just begun! 🙂
~Sarah
Stephanie,
I saw you at a retreat at Trout Lake Camp last Fall, and I have been receiving your encouraging blog posts via email. They are all encouraging. However, this one particularly reminded me of my own “stuff” even though it is far from the same situation.
In your post you said that people would ask your dad why bad things happen to good people. Though I have come through so much adversity, time and again, I still ask the question, “Why?” Or at least, briefly think it. I love that your post reminded me how God can teach us through adversity, and that really, we are not hopeless.
“I would always see him respond with compassion in his eyes, ‘We’ll never know for sure. But I think it is so the world can see how people with God’s hope respond to hard things in life. No one would have the chance to see that if we never faced adversity.’
His words are burned in my mind and in my heart. Thirteen years later… and forever.
Generosity is how the family of God responds when a man’s life is taken at only 50.
Giving sacrificially is what hope in Jesus produces.”
My dad died at 50 too…he was killed in a car accident. I have suffered so many losses, and experienced so many blessings. I thought that I had gone through the worst…that I had suffered through the hardest things in life. But my youngest son was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. He is 7 years old. He is the sweetest, most thoughtful child. He is funny, and creative, and strong. When I had to leave him in a hospital with strange people and he was experiencing the darkest time of his life, I felt as if my heart would break for him. Why in the world does a 7 year old child have to go through such “horror” as my son would describe it. I don’t know. What I do know, is that God works ALL things for our good. Not just the fun stuff, or the easy things, but the tough stuff too. Sometimes, generosity is how people respond…and “giving sacrificially.” In my case…we are warriors, and we stand and fight for the ground that we have already been given. Because we have hope in Jesus, we CAN stand and fight, and we fight for LOVE and PEACE. This is a battle that we can win.
Thank you for reminding me that even when things seem like they don’t make sense, placing our hope in Jesus always makes sense.
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