Peace, Provision and a Cat called Lucy

Living in New York has it's challenges - especially when it comes to housing. Over the past 3 months Clara and I have lived in 6 different places as we have navigated the New York rental market. What we have come to experience is that God provides for us and we can have great peace in that.

Imagine coming to New York from another country with no US credit history, no income verification and no guarantor. On paper we look like the worst tenants ever. Nevertheless a property owner in Sydney Australia gave us an apartment in Grammercy Park (rent free) from June 2006 - May 2007. With just 3 days notice the apartment was sold in May, and the search was on to find a new place.

We literally had all our property in a truck. We had no confirmation where we would move in next. We ended up in Hell's Kitchen for 2 weeks while the owners were in Ireland. The problem with the property was that I am terribly allergic to cats and there was a cat called Lucy that lived in the house. A day before we moved in, Lucy was put down due to a serious cancer and we were provided Cat free accomodation.

Later we jumped out of the kitchen into the Union Square while another friend went to Australia. Time was running out - we had until June 16 to find a place.

We applied for 2 apartments but they were taken before our applications were submitted. One apartment was signed by another tenant in the 15mins it took to walk from the apartment viewing to the management office. Finally we found the perfect place - and the management didn't mind at all that we didn't have credit histories or all the normal documentation. We took occupancy on the 15th of June - all in perfect timing.

What we have learnt in the midst of all these adventures is that there is a plan and purpose for all of us even when we can't see it. Peace and patience in the face of seeming uncertainty is a great gift that grows as we trust God more and more.

It should be noted that even Lucy's owners took great comfort in the timing of her passing. It seems sad to say that a Cat died for us, but in a way it's true. The owners saw their loss as part of a bigger picture in God's perfect plan. They were actually encouraged to catch a glimpse of purpose and provision in the loss of their cat.