Housing In Difficult Times

“Even the sparrow has found a home”
Psalm 84:3a

One of the many testimonies in our lives is how the LORD provided in different housing-needs situations.

50 years ago my oldest brother was looking for a place to live in Amsterdam. The housing situation was as difficult as it is nowadays here in Jerusalem. Our mother prayed about this problem and received the above mentioned Scripture in her heart and believed that he would find a house soon. And so it happened! That was the beginning of many more similar situations.

In autumn of the year 1961 the LORD made it clear to my mother that we would soon be moving to a one-family house with a garden – a nearly impossible situation, but not for our heavenly Father. What happened next was that I came across a “home swap” advertisement in the window of one of my favorite bookshops, and against all odds it happened to be the right one! We moved in January 1962.

In 1979 it was my turn to find a house or a flat (apartment) because I married Petra in March of that year. We could start, however, living with my parents in the above mentioned house because another brother and sister had moved out by that time. But while we were on our belated honeymoon trip in Sweden in July, we received a message from home, "a flat is available for you" -and in the same neighborhood as my parents. Wow!!! Thank you LORD!

A few years later we moved again because we became caretakers of our church, and housing was provided above the church building. This was an important job because it prepared us for our new calling which would come a few years later, when we were called by the LORD to serve in Israel. In another special way, the LORD provided for a furnished apartment in Jerusalem.

The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem where we work as volunteers soon provided for an even more suitable place, within walking distance from the main office.

We became close friends with another Dutch couple and they invited us to join them in a new adventure: community living! And again, this was to prepare us for a greater assignment to come. Again God provided the right house within the right budget.

It was a wonderful time and the LORD granted them two boys and opened our hearts to start fostering three special-needs children. After four years that house became too small, and we moved out when the LORD opened a door for our family to a very suitable apartment in the western part of Jerusalem, an area where we still live today.

In 1997 another special needs child came to live with us, and without our even having to ask for a larger place, the LORD again provided: a cottage with 6 rooms and a garden.

In the spring of 2001, Petra’s mother came over from Holland to live with us in Jerusalem!

Sad to say though, one of the kids had to be placed in another home because his behavior nearly caused Petra a nervous breakdown. The changing needs of the children, like climbing stairs, became more difficult, and with the daily transport to their schools, it seemed to point to a need for another house, which amazingly was already being built right around the corner! In August 2001 we moved into a 7-room villa, wheelchair accessible, 3 bathrooms, 2 balconies and a garage, and the children could be picked up in front of our door! And guess what! Our landlord was a medical doctor! He and his wife helped us later on to obtain permanent residence status in Israel.

To top this housing journey off, I can tell you that our good Dutch friends moved 5 years ago to our neighborhood also. They found their dream house 300 meters away from our house! How did that happen? One day I had a flat tire in the morning. During repairs in the garage near the petrol (gas) station, I met a man (also with a flat tire) who asked me if I knew of anybody who needed a real big house with 9 rooms etc.? Well, their ministry had expanded too and they really needed a big house. That same day it became clear that this was the house they had asked for!

The LORD is not only a great Provider but also has a great sense of humor.

W van der Zande
Israel