In 2007, I was walking and praying for the many Kingdom professionals that are a part of my ministry and my family. I was grieved over a recent email from one of them, who was nearing burnout and whose job contract was about to end. They had nowhere to go once they got back to their home country. This is a fairly common occurrence and even though they can stay with family and friends, it is not always an ideal situation for reflection and restoration.

During my walk that day, I felt God challenging me to do something about this. “You help people go to the darkest places on the planet where they are my emissaries, now build them a place where they can find rest and hear my voice.”

I immediately thought that this was a great idea, but where would the money come from? I felt God saying: “That I leave up to you.” The vision was the easy part; finding the resources to do it would require a miracle.

THE SEARCH

We started looking either for some land where a cottage could be built using volunteer labour, or a neglected cottage in need of repair. 

Meanwhile we were planning how a place like this would be used and how to make it easily accessible by tentmakers who would be arriving from far away and who often did not have much money for staying in hotels or resorts for extended periods.

• The first criteria for us was that this cottage would be provided absolutely free to tentmakers.
• Second, there would be no restrictions on how long they could stay.
• Third, it would be designed to rejuvenate their faith, strengthen their vision, restore relationships, recharge their internal batteries and most importantly, to create an environment where God’s servants would hear His voice.

END OF THE SEARCH

Then a miracle of sorts came knocking. A new listing for a small house that had not been used for decades came on the market.

The house was neglected but had originally been well built. It would need a lot of work, but it could also be used right away.

There were other issues. The house next door looked like it should have been condemned, with questionable characters coming and going. This was one of the reasons for the low price. We made an offer substantially lower than the asking price which, surprisingly, was accepted.

Why did the seller agree to such a low offer?

Apparently a lot of people had come to check out this house, lured by the low price. However, seeing the dilapidated house next door and the eclectic local islander types who lived there, they were quickly discouraged. An incident also occurred where a man was arrested in plain view of potential buyers, right on the front lawn of the house. People seeking a quiet island life were not impressed. The realtor had advised the seller to accept any offer as it would be difficult to sell the place.

MOVE IN DAY!

On the 15th of July, 2014, we got the keys to the house in need of repair. We worked long days removing 30-year-old furniture, carpeting, kitchen cabinets, and walls, and realized that some seriously rotted outdoor decks and stairs would require replacing.

In early August, God sent His worker to help us, all the way from Ontario, some 4400 km away. With his truck and tools, he showed up and went to work. In no time he had torn down the front balcony and enclosed porch and rebuilt it to modern standards.

Today, we are overjoyed that over 100 people have come here for rest, rejuvenation and restoration! The guestbook entries are our reward for the ongoing sacrifice of making sure this place remains for His servants in need of rest. The most often heard comment is, thank you for providing us a place where we could hear God’s voice.

I’ve shared this story to inspire others to make their homes or cottages available to missionaries on their return.

By Ari Rocklin