By Holly
For about a year now, I have been praying about how God can use my wealth and resources for His work. My family has been comfortable financially and will probably always be well off. Ever since I went on an “urban plunge” trip with the interns at New Community and spent a week in Chicago, I have felt a burning in my heart to give my money away. The American dream just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. So, I started to pray that God would open my eyes to the needs around me. It has been a difficult journey because the more I prayed, the more I worried about my money and who I should give it to. I have been disobedient and I don’t always give when I should. I felt lost and overwhelmed because there is so much need and I didn’t know where to start.
After countless prayers and many troubled nights, God revealed to my heart an important 
aspect of His Kingdom; He is in control and He will use my desire to give but I have to completely surrender the control I have over my money, my time and my material possessions. I have to surrender my thoughts and my prayers to Him.
A couple of months ago, Jeremy and I started praying about living in the Hillyard neighborhood (one of the poorest zip codes in the state of Washington) after graduation. He is currently serving with Youth For Christ in that neighborhood and I might be working at a Hillyard Community Center. We started out dreaming of living in a small apartment on the South Hill and after I surrendered my prayers to Him, he changed our focus. I am a little concerned about this decision though as we might only be in Spokane for a year. I want to live missionally but I also want to make a decision to live where we serve in order to build relationships. What do you think are the positives and negatives of moving into this neighborhood not knowing how long we will be able to serve here?
I do agree with Trevor somewhat, that it would be difficult to abandon the relationships that you would build in the neighborhood. But that does not mean you can’t help bring the love of Christ to a community (or even just a few people!) in the Hillyard neighborhood. I think we as Christians often weigh the personal pros and cons too much. While it’s smart to keep in mind what will be healthy for your marriage, I think that if both you and Jeremy are feeling a call to this neighborhood, then GO! If we follow the call of Christ in our lives, we can trust He will make it all worth it, there is nothing to be lost. So, Holly (and Jeremy), I say “GO”. Go where God leads you, and I have no doubt that he will help your marriage grow through it.
that is always a difficult decision. on one hand you want to engage in the neighborhood but on the other hand you don’t want to quickly abandon the relationships you build. and in all honesty i have no idea what the proper response is. Personally i would say to not invest in a neighbohood until you know you are going to make a significant commitment to that area.
Holly,
That is fantastic and more power to you!!! I have been praying about the same thing and somewhere along my journey someone gave me the advice that it may not be a positive thing for the neighborhood to do it short term. One person was telling me that the neighbors may end up feeling like a project if affluent people move in for a short period of time and then leave. Kinda like short term missions. This is not to say that God cannot use this, because He can use this way beyond the bounds of our imaginations! I believe that without doubt, but I also wanted to share the wisdom that was passed to me.
Be Blessed!