This is the second in a series of stories about amazing things that happened in the early days of the pregnancy care center ministry here in Broward County. If you missed Shoebox Story: Dottie, be sure to go back and read it and get the backstory about the shoebox of old photographs!
Today I want to tell you about the adventure of finding the location where the Lord wanted us to open that first center in Davie. We knew we wanted to be near the Broward College Campus, so we began to drive up and down University Drive and Davie Road.
Dottie and I saw the building pictured above one day and both of us decided it was in an ideal location. It was literally within walking distance from Broward College Main Campus entrance and less than a mile from Nova Southeastern University and Nova High School. The perfect spot! So we went to meet with the landlord and find out if we could afford a space in this pretty brick building.
The landlord’s agent was a sophisticated, savvy businessman and he gave us all the facts and figures we needed. It would be a stretch for us, because we would need to do a complete buildout, but we had faith that the Christian community would fund the work that needed to be done. It looked like we had found our place.
I got the go-ahead from the rest of the Board of Directors and scheduled a second meeting with the landlord at the Burger King on Davie Road. As we started filling out the paperwork, he casually asked, “Now what is it that you do?” I told him that we were opening a free counseling center to help women in unplanned pregnancies.
He laid his pen down and said, “I think we have a problem.” I perceived that he thought we were an abortion clinic, so I rushed to tell him, “Oh, no – we are not an abortion clinic. We are a pro-life Christian ministry helping young women –”
He abruptly cut me off, saying, “I know exactly what you do and there is no way that we will rent to a radical group who is anti-choice. The owners don’t want to rent to controversial businesses.” I was dumbfounded at his boldness and his bias. I naively asked, “Isn’t that illegal discrimination?”
As he put his paperwork in his briefcase, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “So sue us.” That was the last time we had any dealings with that landlord or his agent.
Of course, we were disappointed, but we kept looking and soon found another spot for the center and rented a space,a little bit further south on Davie Road. We grew quickly and needed a larger space when our lease expired after three years. We noticed that there was a new sign on the same brick building near the college that said: FOR LEASE – NEW OWNER. This time the agent for the new landlord was a nice Christian man and he was very excited to rent the space to us! Timing is everything. We rented the very space that we had claimed in 1991! It was never rented to anyone else. It sat completely empty, right down to the dirt floor, for those three long years. Moral of the story: a landlord may have temporary control, but the victory belongs to the LORD!
It may have been a total coincidence. We chose to see is as God’s provision and protection. It was really more space than we needed in 1991. It was certainly more than we could afford. We were willing to walk in faith, but the door was closed on us – somewhat harshly. We were privileged to suffer a tiny bit for our commitment to life, and in the end, God provided exactly what we needed, when we needed it! We remained in that location for 12 years until God clearly showed us that it was time to move on.
That old shoebox of pictures we found is providing sweet memories and reminders that just as He gave the Israelite children provision for every need in the desert, so He has provided for every need at Hope throughout the years!
Comments