By Kris Whitnable

Let's not give up meeting together

The Graduate Fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government in Boston, Massachusetts had no convenient place to meet. Then God provided in wonderful fashion.

Boston winters are short on daylight and long on cold snowy weather. Without a convenient place to meet, the InterVarsity Graduate Fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government saw participation in their activities drop tremendously. People do not like to go far in the dark and the cold. Dave, a student leader in InterVarsity, saw one solution to this problem.

The Graduate Fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government in Boston, Massachusetts had no convenient place to meet. Then God provided in wonderful fashion.

Boston winters are short on daylight and long on cold snowy weather. Without a convenient place to meet, the InterVarsity Graduate Fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government saw participation in their activities drop tremendously. People do not like to go far in the dark and the cold. Dave, a student leader in InterVarsity, saw one solution to this problem. If he had an apartment on campus, he could open it up as a sort of drop in center for InterVarsity. Students could come by right after classes for Bible study and not have to venture out again in the evening. It would be a convenient meeting place to express his gift of hospitality.

There was one problem with this plan. All the housing close to the university was controlled by the university and allotted by lottery. Usually over 3000 people entered the lottery and there were only several hundred apartments available. One student entered two years in a row and got a number over 1000 both times. Dave was not deterred though. God had told him this would be a good thing. God would work out the details.

Enter Serena Hildenbrand, the InterVarsity staff member. She agreed with Dave that having an apartment on campus was a good idea. The next step would be to enlist the help of the praying community. Time was short. The lottery would be held in just 24 hours. So Serena sent out an email appeal for prayer to 150 of her supporters. “Please pray that Dave would get a reasonably low number in the housing lottery, so InterVarsity can have a convenient home-like place to meet.”

The next day the numbers were pulled to determine who would get to live near campus. The campus housing officer began. He pulled one name from the drum.

“Number 1 is…“not Dave.

“Number 2 is…“not Dave.

“This could go on for quite some time. Over three thousand people have entered the lottery for housing slots.”, said one student, stating the obvious.

The housing officer continued, “Number 3 is…” not Dave.

“I’m not sure this is going to work. I’ve never personally known anyone to get a low number in this lottery.”

“Be quiet and listen! We have prayed and God has promised to answer.”

“Number 4 is…DAVE!”

How exciting to see the God of creation, who can move mountains, listen to the earnest prayers of his people for the small thing of a number in a housing lottery. But when his glory is on the line, God will show his people and the world his power and loving concern. God can beat the odds. Dave got a low number and an apartment on campus!

But God has also said that he will give to overflowing. Serena and her husband had also been thinking of moving closer to campus so that students could drop by. Again an email was sent out to the prayer partners. Again God answered the prayers in a wonderful manner. Serena and her husband looked at several places and were ready to sign a lease for a small one-bedroom apartment for several hundred dollars more than their original rent budget. Then someone suggested they look at one more apartment. This one had two bedrooms; room to entertain and practice hospitality and it was under the limit they had set for rent payments! They signed the lease. Later they discovered that over 400 people had been interested in the apartment. It truly was God’s provision that they were able to get it.

God has promised that He will supply the tools needed to carry out his ministry. The students and staff at the Kennedy School of Government will be experiencing His provisions all year.