Fellowship Memphis

My wife and I arrived in Memphis newly married and I was starting as a teacher at Kingsbury High through Memphis Teacher Residency. We were sure that God has called us here to bring Him glory, and were anxious to get started. Life seemed exciting and full of promise, and then everything fell apart.

Within the same week, we lost both our cars. Next, we used the last of our money to rent a small house in North Memphis, but when we tried to move in, MLGW refused to turn on the utilities. They said the house had unseen internal problems and
recommended that we vacate until our landlord brought the house up to code. But where were we supposed to go?

Adding to our problems, as a new teacher, I would not be paid until September (it was July). Furthermore, Kingsbury did not have a working copier, and if I was going to teach there I would have to purchase my own printer, ink, and paper. Money was a problem. The situation was embarrassing because I was a new husband, and I did not want people to think that I was unable to provide for my wife.

Afraid to ask people for help, we survived by going to McDonald’s, living off their dollar menu, and using their bathroom to take care of our hygiene. I was starting to wonder if we had made a mistake moving to Memphis. Did God really want us to be here?

The friend, who introduced us to Fellowship, called to see how we were adjusting to life in Memphis. I confessed that we were homeless and broke. What happened next was a miracle. What we experienced was simply the love of Christ being expressed through His Body (the Church). Lots of people, people that we barely knew, and people we didn’t know at all, started contacting us. They asked us to come live in their houses, eat the food in their refrigerators, and drive their cars. People even came up to us and put envelopes of cash in our hands.

Jayde and I were overwhelmed. Over the next three weeks, we were blessed by many families, most from Fellowship. The fact that this was not a coordinated effort through some official ministry is what made it so beautiful. Since then, we have slowly been getting on our feet. God used this outpouring of love to sustain us physically and financially, and He showed us that no obstacle in life could prevent His calling of us to Memphis. We are so grateful to be part of such a genuine, active church that lives out the gospel, and we are looking forward to showing others the same amazing love.