Ever since Nick and I were married nearly eight years ago, we have searched for our purpose in life as a couple. We both have a passion for children, so we knew God had a plan for us in that realm. We spent our first Christmas at the Youth Detention Center in Rome, Georgia giving out gifts and ministering to the youth who were unable to be with their families. We had no family ourselves, but that was THE greatest Christmas I'd ever experienced.

Soon after that, we met a couple at our church who were foster parents to seventeen troubled teenagers. After spending time with them, Nick and I realized that a burning desire arose in each of us that this was the type of ministry we wanted. However, God showed us that there is a time and a purpose for everything, and it was not our time because we were still newlyweds and we were also pregnant. I now realize that we needed to grow and to learn to first live with each other and our own family because God is a God of order.

In time we formed a non-profit, All About Reaching Children (AARC), and began a search for a home with land so we could start our ministry. This past Spring, my children and I were driving around, and we drove up to the most beautiful property I'd ever seen. It was so peaceful and simply breath-taking.  Immediately, my children started yelling, "Mommy!  This is it! This is our land!" Little did I know, they were speaking faith over our ministry. We later found out that the land included a NINE bedroom, five-bath house and it was going for $1.7 million. We knew that the only way we could get it is that God's Hand would be on it because what's impossible to us is just a spoken Word of possibility for Him. Nick and I also had recently finished our certification to be foster parents.

By late summer, I drove by the property again, and it was now "For Sale by Owner." Nick felt in his spirit that he needed to go see the owner. Sure enough, it was an appointed time! Bill, the owner, said that he had several contracts but they were all from developers who just wanted the land. They were merely going to destroy the house and turn this gorgeous property into a subdivision.

Nick told Bill about our ministry and what we wanted to do. Bill was a minister and had ten children himself, so he was naturally moved that we had such a passion for reaching children. That night, Nick came home and said that Bill just wanted out -- that whoever gave him the money, the property was theirs. We knew then that if God wanted us to have it, then He'd show up.

He did. That night Bill called Nick and said that his whole family was praying for us, even his mother and his church. He knew that God had given us this home as a refuge for hurting children. He agreed to let us lease-purchase the property for a year or until we had the money to pay it off. We were overjoyed! He even allowed us to pay $4,000 in rent, which is much lower than what a mortgage would be on a $1.7 million dollar home. We also have to pay $1,500 per month for the farm equipment, including fifteen goats (fourteen are pregnant, and the male's name is Abraham, the father of many goats).

The Board came together and was concerned about furnishing the home, but God already had a plan. When we came over to sign the papers, the owners walked us through the home pointing to various things and telling us we could have them! We ended up getting five couches, four beds, two dressers and many other things. We were blown away at God's provision!

Suddenly, we saw God's hand move as the Board came together to give us the money for the first month. They also spent all day helping us move, clean and get the rooms ready for the children. It was amazing to see the hope and the love in everyone's eyes. We also had people agree to help decorate the house, and one man is even making us a harvest table! All we could see were those children coming in and being blessed in a supernatural way.

Also, things started arriving. One person gave us a bunk bed, a couple gave us a couch, and other people donated various items for the home. One day I came home to find several large packages filled with six brand new sets of sheets, blankets, pillowcases, towels, hand cloths and washcloths. I was telling a friend that all we needed for the beds now were pillows. The next day, six new pillows arrived on our doorsteps. God is so good!

Now we're at another hurdle. As I walk through this ministry one faith step at a time, I realize that God supplies what we need as we need it. Just the other day, I deposited $60 from a yard sale I'd had (a way I tried to raise money myself) and found that we had $1,450 in the bank. We needed $4,000 for the rent, $5,000 for the earnest money and $1,500 for the equipment and goats we're buying. We had just received our certification that we are officially foster parents, and yet all of this could be over that day, the whole ministry, because we could not come up with the first month's money.

As I was leaving to take my children to feed the goats, a friend pulled up. He handed me a check from a couple at our church for $2,000. I cried and leaped for joy at the same time! I knew that God was blessing our ministry through our faith. Nick has had faith this entire time that God will show up at the final hour, and I suddenly understood. I knew that just as God's people perish due to the lack of faith, our ministry could end if I didn't have faith and totally trust Him. I cannot do this; my little yard sales aren't cutting it. I simply had to trust God completely, just as Nick had been. Maybe if I had the faith like he did, we would have received ten times that amount because the Word says that where two or more agree, God WILL be in their midst. Nick believed, but I didn't see it and therefore didn't agree that it would happen.

I now ask God to forgive me for my lack of faith. God has called us for such a time as this. I'm believing that we'll not only get enough for each month's rent, but that our barns will overflow in such a way that God and only God will get the glory. I’m believing that by October 2006 we’ll have every penny of the money needed to pay off this property as well as purchase the farm next door. Then money won’t stand in the way of our ministry, and our focus can be geared toward the children’s needs as well as furthering God’s kingdom.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to our journey and seeing what God has been doing for us. If you know of anyone who could help us with this endeavor, we would be so very grateful if you could share our story with them. I believe that God will move on many people's hearts to catch our vision for reaching these foster children and changing their lives forever.

Through its generous supporters, Zechariah Ministries has been able to bless AARC with food, clothing, toys and other items for the many children in their care.