It basically started on July 31, at about 8:00 PM. I called up my old roommate, Hector to see if he had found a place to move into yet (read my previous post about that). He said he was still looking, after all, he still had a few "minutes." "Minutes" is often a slang term meaning a period of time to a lot of people here in Chicago, so naturally I thought he had a few days, or weeks before he needed to move out of our old apartment. So I asked if he had any ideas about where I could stay when I came back. He seemed a bit agitated with me, I didn't understand why, as I was trying to be polite. Then it dawned on me that July was almost over. Hector could not stay at our old apartment past the end of July and it was quickly approaching, with nowhere for him yet to stay. I felt like a bonehead, and told him to stick with our old agreement, not to worry about where I would stay. so he didn't.
Jump to: the day before I was scheduled to fly out of Maine. I was preaching during the Wednesday night service about the perfect rest we have in Christ. One example of resting in God I used was resting in His sovereignty as far as where I would stay the very next night, which I still didn't know, I was actually excited to see what the Lord would do. I expected that after Nancy and Hector got married that Saturday, I would move into Hector's step-mom's apartment where Nancy was staying at the time. That was still a few days off, and I needed a place to stay until then. The next day I was in Portland about to fly back. Then I got the news that the new apartment that Hector got had burned down. (Last post) That meant that after they got married, I could not live with his mom, since there was no more room. Well, I still had to worry about that night, where would I rest my head? My flight was due to depart about 8 and arrive in Chicago after midnight. The Bridges drove me to the airport where I learned my flight was delayed, so much so that I would miss my connecting flight. I had two options: rebook for the next day, or stay the night in Philadelphia. I opted to stay in Maine for an extra day, so I rebooked. The Bridges came to pick me up and take me home til the next day. The question of where God would put me for that night was answered, I stayed home. That was a huge blessing for me.
The next day I did take the flight out of Portland and, even though the plane was delayed, I made it to Chicago without a problem, and without my bags... in that case I guess I did have a problem. hmm, puns. It was not until about two in the morning did I find out my bags weren't coming. I grabbed a shuttle bus and went to a hotel, I got there around 2:45 AM and checked my email. There in my email box was the time and address of Hector's wedding, which I didn't have before. I was amazed at God's timing, I would have slept in right past the wedding had I not known I needed to be there at 9:30 AM, and It took about 2 hour to get there from where I was, so needless to say I didn't get much sleep. I made it to the wedding, I was even able to borrow a nice suit to wear despite not having any of my clothes since they were lost by the airline (Mat 6:30). I stayed again that night in the Hotel.
The next morning I checked out of the hotel and took a my bags to Church. There, a young couple heard my story and invited me to stay with them for the next couple of days. While at their condo I was able to make a reservation in a Hostel, which is like a cheap dorm hotel used mainly by traveling students. I figured I could use a few days to not worry about where I would stay the night so that I could search for an apartment, especially since school started that week also.
I compared about ten apartments I saw advertised in just about seven days. That's quite the search I suppose, I looked in newspapers, apartment websites, and "for rent" signs outside buildings. I called people left and right trying to find a decently priced one bedroom or studio apartment. I saw some nice small ones that I could just barely afford, a long way away from everything useful, I also saw Spiderman's apartment from Spiderman 2, it was only $500 per month. Most places required a year long lease, which was unreasonable for me. So I decided to switch up my search a bit and start looking for a people looking for a roommate. I went on the internet to find some more fone numbers to call. I thought my idealistic expectations were unrealistic so they gradually got lower and lower. At first I had in mind only to move in with a Christian, then maybe just a person who doesn't drink, smoke, party or listen to loud music. Then I figured "as long as they smoke outside its OK." then "occasional drinking is tolerable I guess." I got to the point where as long as the roommate doesn't do drugs, or have a whole lot of parties in the apartment, I could live there.
By Saturday I needed to be out of the Hostel, which meant I was again forced to trust in God's provision and not rely on myself, which was nice. I decided to put the apartment situation in His hands. I looked at the latest ad on the website I had looked at before and decided to reply to it even though there was hardly any description. The guy called me back and asked when I would like to see the apartment "would tonight after 7 or Sunday after 2 work for you?" he asked. I said, "Sunday at 2 works, since I'll be in Church till about 1." It turns out this guy (James) goes to Moody Church, which is a pretty good one, and not too far from where I go to church. We met up Sunday afternoon, and I was amazed at the apartment. It is gorgeous, and the price was well within what I can afford. It turns out that he and I had both prayed for a Christian roommate right before he posted the ad, and I replied to it about 6 minutes after he posted it. I moved in two days later on my birthday, which is August 28.
Hostel dorm I was in
My living room
my apt is the upstairs
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