THE TINY HOUSE STORY
By the end of August 2020, we had just taken on our third domestic violence case of the season. Our host homes were bursting at the seams, our mentors were full, and we had no room for even one more person.
But God is bigger than us or our plans, so we got a call. A local church, Providence Baptist Church in Nolensville, had been working with a mom for about a year. She had been pregnant when she first requested help, but when the rubber met the road, she decided her child's father was worth the abuse she was going through. She had disappeared after the final interaction, and no one had heard from her until now. She reached back out when the child's father had threatened the baby's life. That was the final straw. The church immediately put her up in a hotel while they waited to hear from us. We made arrangements to travel up to Hendersonville with John (the pastor who knew her) to meet her the next day. It was a heartbreaking lunch. Her story included postpartum depression, abuse of the system by family to remove children they shouldn’t have, and a mother who couldn’t even put down a baby girl to change clothes, so the baby was terrified to even be in the same room as us. We immediately offered her help, praying she would take it, knowing we had nowhere to place her. But God knew.
We had a hard conversation with the pastor after we left, talking about any and all options. We prayed together, begging God for an answer and the faith to accept whatever He brought.
By the end of that conversation, we had an answer. Providence Baptist was going to write us a check for about half of what we estimated a tiny home could cost. We were in shock, but we sprang into action. We reached out to two additional churches that have wanted to support us, but the timing had never been right. The Church at Station Hill (through Brentwood Baptist) and The Bridge Church in Spring Hill both threw their support behind us.
In a matter of 24 hours, God provided $15,000. In person. In hand.
We were building a house! God was for this, and nothing was going to stop it.
We arranged volunteers and started the next day. The spiritual warfare started immediately. Justin had a cardiac arrest. Two other volunteers had family members either pass away or have serious medical issues. But God gave us the encouragement to push on.
When we thought we wouldn't have the expertise without Justin, God sent a young man from New York with construction expertise to (almost!) single-handedly build the structure.
When someone tried to shut us down, God moved through the local government and ensured we had what we needed to continue.
When we expanded the size of the house and calculated that the materials would cost more than we had been given, Lowe’s provided $40,000 worth of materials at cost. Roto-Rooters of Columbia provided the plumbing and a General Motors Electrician provided the electricity.
More people came. More people gave. More people prayed. And in 3 months, God built a house, and His people made it a home. And this particular home will be used in a powerful way by single mothers who need short-term stability until we can get them prepared to accept and be ready for long-term stability.
Thank you. Thank you for changing dozens, maybe hundreds of lives who can be impacted by this house. Thank you for supporting us through gifts, prayer and time. We don’t do this ministry alone, and we are so thankful for every person God has called to do it alongside us. To Him be the Glory forever and ever!!