TX testimony Pt.2

     I said goodbye and left Indiana in late February, stopping in Dallas on my way to Houston to visit a friend and sit in Upperroom prayer room for a week before transitioning to live in Houston. 

It was a week of commissioning I didn’t understand and uncertainty as to how He would take care of me but logically I knew He would; now to go experience it. 

    At the end of that week, scared out of my mind, the last night in Dallas was so hard, trying to trust but also so scared of what I was walking into. 

I prayed and cried the whole three hours to Houston. I only knew which parking lot I was driving to; I had a church in mind to start my journey and see where it led. I had an expectation that I would be taken care of if I could get there, someone would hear from the Lord and I would be ok. Service ended, I met many sweet people but nothing happened and it was time to leave. 

    I didn’t know where to go, I was in the city that seemed just a tad sketchy and felt completely alone. 

When I say I have never cried so much in my life, I am not kidding. I felt abandoned with no options. So sitting in an abandoned Sonic parking lot, I booked the first of many Air B&B’s, right in the center of the city. That may seem like a totally normal thing to do, right? I was paralyzed by fear, it was the grace of God that I was able to do that. 

Tormented by my mind I made my way there, the heart of the city, you know, the area people tell you to stay away from as a single woman.. That is where I lived for the first three days in Houston. 

But God, this was such a gift from the Lord, I felt so safe there and it made no sense. 

    This place was fully furnished with a little kitchen stocked with anything you could need, knives, plates, utensils, pots and pans but still the only thing to be found in the cabinet; olive oil.

Tormented by fear in my mind. The Lord had provided oil. 

    That little room became my prayer room, weeping to the Lord trying to understand and break out of the fear that was paralyzing me. Each anointing brought a fresh wave of tears as He broke in healing the deep places in my heart. 

He would talk to me about this city, His heart for them as well as myself and what His desires were for me. 

After about a day, I had reached out to anyone I could think of who might know people in the city to connect with others and gain some footing in the city. I started meeting with anyone I could, talking about what the Lord was doing, the coming Communion revival and what He wanted for the next generations. 

As I was leaving Indy He had asked me if I was willing to step into an Intercessory Missionary position during this time.

So my days were spent with Jesus; driving, weeping and praying through the city. 

    I had gotten in contact with a young women's group the first weekend there and it was so sweet. It felt little victories, I was doing it; I was getting connected and it wasn’t going to be this hard forever. I was encouraged spending the day with them. I got to share the goodness of the Gospel with them, the freedom that was available, to fully rest in the finished work of the body and blood of Jesus. With each conversation about the gospel I was encouraged to walk more and more fully in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called; reconciled to the Father.  (Ephesians 4:1-3)

    Here’s the thing; Houston is HUGE. I was driving over an hour each day just to get to another city within the Houston city limits. 

I jumped from place to place, hotels to Air b&b’s for a month, never staying in one place for more than three days at a time. 

It became normal for me to not know yet where I would sleep each night, booking something when I needed it/where I could find it in the area the Lord had led me to that day. 

    The weekend the rodeo was in town, I went to multiple hotels looking for an open room finding nothing. I felt like the Lord had said a certain hotel to check and while they didn’t have a room their employee was such a blessing, seeing I had nowhere to go he searched and found one room in town for me; and voila I had a room for the night. 

    After about two weeks, I was feeling gross about having to eat fast food so much, Real food costs money, I hadn’t worked since early February and was living off savings for every night 

I didn’t have a place to keep groceries and didn’t know, before I left that I was signing up to essentially live in/out of my car so much; all that to say I didn’t know how to prepare. 

that particular Sunday morning Jesus said He wanted to take me to breakfast at a place with real food, so off we went. 

    Ok, quick break for some crucial information about me, I have a history of getting sick every time I travel. Even a five hour car ride will have me fighting a cold the next day. 

It is not enjoyable and actually makes no sense. During this ordeal I was not sick one time! Nothing! I was filled with perfect peace that protects the mind and heart (Isaiah 26:3, Philippians 4:7). Holy Spirit would cover me with His presence that felt like a physical comforter over my body. 

    Back to the story :) 

A breakfast date with Jesus, I was so excited. 

What a fun morning! The waiter was so sweet, he didn’t like that I was sitting alone so he came by every two minutes to chat. I don’t know why I’m telling you this other than to say, that is such a fun memory and that even in the stretching of this ordeal, Jesus was so close and fun. My best friend and comfort in the loneliness but also in the fun in goofiness of life, He would take me to pretty things for the simple joy of taking in beauty. He was there in the sweet and challenging and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I got used to the lifestyle and it became soil for so many good things to begin growing. 

I left breakfast with a message from my friend in Dallas saying there was a prayer house starting in Houston and I needed to get in touch with them. 

    Finally! a lead; I thought. Something to do, people to partner with. Let’s go. 

They were hosting a gathering a couple weeks from then and I would get to meet them all and find out what was going on. 

I told everyone about it.

 I went and it was beautiful; so many people, every denomination represented. We came together to l behold the Lamb, our King. 

    One day at the end of March I was sitting with Jesus outside a library in Cypress when He asked me to drive to Upperroom, about a 3.5 hour drive from where I was. 

    As I was driving, admiring the most beautiful field of flowers, spring in TX really is beautiful, Jesus asked me if I wanted to transition to Dallas. 

To say I was surprised is an understatement. I had grown to love where I was; I had become familiar with the city and made friends in various places. I didn’t expect it to be hard to leave,

but during that time He had done a DEEP work in my heart. 

I was not the same from day to day. He was matching my desire with His in this; He said this is what His desire for me was, that was a Monday afternoon. 

    Asking Jesus the whole way to tell my friend who was there that He was calling me to move, that it wouldn’t be anything forced by my hand but that He would make it happen. I arrived at Upperroom to find He had indeed told her He was bringing me to Dallas for Himself. 

    By Saturday I was moved to Dallas, and moved into my apartment by that Wednesday.