We now had a whole new set of decisions and questions facing us. Do we make the move to this new location? Do we make this our home church? We were at Mr. Waller’s home for another day or two when I knew that we had to leave. We were able to give Mr. Waller $200 for staying at his home from the offerings that came in from our newsletter. So I called Mr. Cromwell, asked if the offer was still available, and it was, so we told them we would be right over. Mr. Waller offered for us to leave our trailer with its broken water pipes in his back yard, so we loaded our van and headed out. The Cromwell’s had two or three daughters off to college, the home was beautiful, and we felt like we were in Heaven. We only had a few dollars left to our name, so we headed to a local fastfood restaurant, fed the children lunch, and headed over to the Cromwells.
As we drove up to their home we felt a sense of awkwardness. Their home was lovely, and everything was immaculate. Our hosts were gracious and welcoming, but we were still in a tremendous fix. We filed into the home, extended our greetings and were shown the upstairs where we would stay. We had the whole upstairs to ourselves, and we were told we could remain until a few days before their daughters returned home for the Christmas holidays. Plush beautiful rooms, soft comfortable beds, private bathrooms, indeed a touch of heaven compared to the previous few weeks.
We had dinner, visited, and acquainted ourselves with our new surroundings. We had possibly found a home church, someone had offered us a glimpse of salvation, and we were all ready for a good night’s sleep. Yet I was fuming, really fuming! I was trying with all of my mental persuasion to convince myself that the Holy Spirit did not really want me to stay up and pray that first night at the Cromwell’s home. As I crawled into bed, that soft beautiful bed, the absolute last thing I wanted to do was stay up all night and pray.
Following is the dialogue, which transpired between the Holy Spirit and me. I heard the words clearly in my mind, “Do you really care?” It was one of those thought-provoking, decision-rendering questions. I fussed and fumed within myself for a while before answering audibly back to the LORD saying, “Yes, I care!” Then immediately words came back to me in a commanding tone, “Then get up!” My heart sank and my flesh cried as I rolled out of bed and went to sit at the top of the stairs to do my “rug time,” praying and seeking the LORD for our immediate needs.
We were quite certain that we were now in the correct city and attending the correct church, yet we still had some serious issues that needed resolving such as living quarters, finances, and suitable jobs, whether in ministry or otherwise. These issues needed immediate answers. We were in new surroundings, but this too had a deadline and there were directions that we needed. We were still quite uncertain as to why we were on this quest and therefore unable to make concrete decisions or give plausible explanations.
The next couple of weeks proved to be more of the same, more rug time than sleep time. As I look back now I realize how serious that rug time was. It is like tithing. God does not need our money; however, we need what He has for us. 
When we give tithe, fast, or give up sleep time, anything out of our need, God obligates Himself to give us what we could not have gotten without our first giving of what we had in our hands. We were still in a critical situation, and it was not time to spend my nights in a soft comfortable bed. My whole family was depending upon me to lead them in the correct course, and I could not afford to miss God’s leading in any area.
While we were at the Cromwell’s home, I was remaining in touch with Glenn and Judy, meeting people each day, trying to figure out what to do and where to go, and attempting to solve our dilemma concerning living arrangements. We had left the Waller’s home shortly after Thanksgiving, and we had been told that we could stay at the Cromwell’s until December 18th. This would be when his daughters would be getting home from college for the Christmas break and needing their rooms back. We had been at the Cromwells for about a week, and our funds were exhausted. Everything seemed to be closing in on us. Prayers were going up day and night, but it seemed to me they were just bouncing off the walls of Heaven.
One morning after a night of prayer, Janie made a strange comment. Our friend Betty, whose husband passed away right before we left on our trip, had attempted to lend us some additional money before leaving, but we turned the money down. Janie suggested that I call her and see if she would consider helping us until we got on our feet. We called and Betty was very kind and agreed to lend us some money. Since arriving in Lawson, only a few people had helped in any way concerning finances and that came from sending out our newsletter for the most part. Betty wired us some money just at the right time.
When we left the Gulf Coast, we were not free from debt. We still had our large note on our van, insurance, and storage. We also had to purchase food, gas, and essential items for our family. God was meeting our financial needs in many different and unusual way. The methods God used with us would not serve as a road map of expectation for anyone finding himself in a similar situation. God can never be boxed in as to the way he will deliver anyone during their time of need, but He will, as I said earlier, meet each of us exactly where we are as we remain in prayer and stay attentive to His guidance and directions.