By Anna Vickerman, Ministry Pastor of LiL’ Kids
During this new season of transition in the life of my family, I am reminded in God’s Word His command to us to remember His faithfulness. Over the next few weeks, I would like to take the time to share with you God’s faithfulness over the past almost eight years in our lives as we have served at COTHA. It is my prayer that through my memories you will be encouraged and reminded of God’s faithfulness in your life!
In 2006 God called us to Katy, Texas. (We had looked for positions everywhere in the world but Texas! Every time a job came up from Texas we jokingly dismissed it. Who wants to live in tumbleweeds next to John Wayne? Well, you know how it goes, you say, “no” and God says, “go”!)…and what amazing plans did God have in store! From the moment we met our COTHA family we were home and got here as fast as we could. Turns out I have yet to see a tumbleweed, but I have seen a cowboy!
The transition with our hearts was easier than what it took to settle in physically. The first three months we lived in a one-bedroom apartment. Our things were moved from the moving truck into storage by the amazing COTHA men! (Little did they know this was the first of many times schlepping our stuff around.) Very quickly our COTHA family provided air mattresses, a card table with folding chairs, and some Spirit Quest chairs for a living room. Though it was frustrating living with only the things that fit in a van, we created great memories -Alethea turned three and Andrew learned to crawl. There is so much fun to be had when the house can be cleaned top to bottom in less than 20 minutes! The lack of things and stuff is very freeing. I quickly joined the Community Bible Study and the COTHA women’s Bible study and was blessed throughout the week by God’s word and the friends He brought into my family’s life!
Soon our mortgage from the previous house and the apartment rent was drowning us with our already debt. Over and over our COTHA family helped us and loved us and encouraged us! There were so many afternoons when I would not know what to do for dinner and no sooner did the tears fall than the phone would ring and we would be invited out or over for dinner. The relationships we were building and the faith rooting in our hearts blessed us far beyond the need to be settled or for stuff. God was growing in our hearts a maturity, knowing that He alone is enough.
At one of these very miracle dinners our 2:42 group very excitedly announced to us that they had a house for us to live in rent free for a few months to help us. In November we were able to move our things out of storage into the house that God provided. Andrew learned to walk, I began to teach Bible studies and develop deep friendships. I will never forget one afternoon Alethea was sick, and I was at the end of my strength, little Andrew would never sleep, a friend from COTHA knocked on the door with a car full of groceries, an art activity for my kids, and bubble bath for me. Each time I was at the end of my strength and feeling frustrated He brought someone to remind me of His strength and provision for my family and my heart. He alone is enough.
After almost a year our house finally sold. I spent weeks looking with the realtor and we couldn’t find a house that we could afford and that we didn’t have to do major fixing up. One afternoon he said, “I have a friend that has the perfect house for you but I don’t know when they will decide to sell it.” What a crazy thing to say! My emotions were all over the place. The next day he phoned and said to me, “I don’t know what prayers you said; you wouldn’t believe this, but they found a place to build and want to sell.” I have to be honest I didn’t say any prayers that night. However my COTHA family was praying for us! Saying prayers when I didn’t have the energy or attitude to say a word. Week after week our COTHA family prayed for and with us.
As soon as we drove down the street we knew it was home! Due to the rain that year the building of the owners new home delayed our closing significantly. Our time at the current house came to an end, and we needed somewhere for the summer. We had just begun to wonder what to do and at a COTHA dinner a family invited us to housesit for the summer while they were out of town. What timing and provision! The great men of COTHA moved our things back into storage for us, and we enjoyed a fantastic summer. Timing didn’t work out as we had hoped. We had several weeks before we could get into the house yet again, and our housesitting was over. Another family graciously invited us into the upstairs of their home! Finally the COTHA men moved our stuff yet again back out of storage and into the most amazing home!
Over and over God provided in amazing ways through His amazing people-THE CHURCH. Though we laid our pillows five different places that first year our young family grew closer and deeply dependent on our Lord. Our adventures were far from over, but we were settled and beyond blessed to so quickly already have amazing friends.
During this new season of transition in the life of my family, I am reminded in God’s Word His command to us to remember His faithfulness. Over the next few weeks, I would like to take the time to share with you God’s faithfulness over the past almost eight years in our lives as we have served at COTHA. It is my prayer that through my memories you will be encouraged and reminded of God’s faithfulness in your life!
In 2006 God called us to Katy, Texas. (We had looked for positions everywhere in the world but Texas! Every time a job came up from Texas we jokingly dismissed it. Who wants to live in tumbleweeds next to John Wayne? Well, you know how it goes, you say, “no” and God says, “go”!)…and what amazing plans did God have in store! From the moment we met our COTHA family we were home and got here as fast as we could. Turns out I have yet to see a tumbleweed, but I have seen a cowboy!
The transition with our hearts was easier than what it took to settle in physically. The first three months we lived in a one-bedroom apartment. Our things were moved from the moving truck into storage by the amazing COTHA men! (Little did they know this was the first of many times schlepping our stuff around.) Very quickly our COTHA family provided air mattresses, a card table with folding chairs, and some Spirit Quest chairs for a living room. Though it was frustrating living with only the things that fit in a van, we created great memories -Alethea turned three and Andrew learned to crawl. There is so much fun to be had when the house can be cleaned top to bottom in less than 20 minutes! The lack of things and stuff is very freeing. I quickly joined the Community Bible Study and the COTHA women’s Bible study and was blessed throughout the week by God’s word and the friends He brought into my family’s life!
Soon our mortgage from the previous house and the apartment rent was drowning us with our already debt. Over and over our COTHA family helped us and loved us and encouraged us! There were so many afternoons when I would not know what to do for dinner and no sooner did the tears fall than the phone would ring and we would be invited out or over for dinner. The relationships we were building and the faith rooting in our hearts blessed us far beyond the need to be settled or for stuff. God was growing in our hearts a maturity, knowing that He alone is enough.
At one of these very miracle dinners our 2:42 group very excitedly announced to us that they had a house for us to live in rent free for a few months to help us. In November we were able to move our things out of storage into the house that God provided. Andrew learned to walk, I began to teach Bible studies and develop deep friendships. I will never forget one afternoon Alethea was sick, and I was at the end of my strength, little Andrew would never sleep, a friend from COTHA knocked on the door with a car full of groceries, an art activity for my kids, and bubble bath for me. Each time I was at the end of my strength and feeling frustrated He brought someone to remind me of His strength and provision for my family and my heart. He alone is enough.
After almost a year our house finally sold. I spent weeks looking with the realtor and we couldn’t find a house that we could afford and that we didn’t have to do major fixing up. One afternoon he said, “I have a friend that has the perfect house for you but I don’t know when they will decide to sell it.” What a crazy thing to say! My emotions were all over the place. The next day he phoned and said to me, “I don’t know what prayers you said; you wouldn’t believe this, but they found a place to build and want to sell.” I have to be honest I didn’t say any prayers that night. However my COTHA family was praying for us! Saying prayers when I didn’t have the energy or attitude to say a word. Week after week our COTHA family prayed for and with us.
As soon as we drove down the street we knew it was home! Due to the rain that year the building of the owners new home delayed our closing significantly. Our time at the current house came to an end, and we needed somewhere for the summer. We had just begun to wonder what to do and at a COTHA dinner a family invited us to housesit for the summer while they were out of town. What timing and provision! The great men of COTHA moved our things back into storage for us, and we enjoyed a fantastic summer. Timing didn’t work out as we had hoped. We had several weeks before we could get into the house yet again, and our housesitting was over. Another family graciously invited us into the upstairs of their home! Finally the COTHA men moved our stuff yet again back out of storage and into the most amazing home!
Over and over God provided in amazing ways through His amazing people-THE CHURCH. Though we laid our pillows five different places that first year our young family grew closer and deeply dependent on our Lord. Our adventures were far from over, but we were settled and beyond blessed to so quickly already have amazing friends.
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