Once the teams were finished and as we were packing to make the trip back to the states for a time of refueling and partner development. (an oxymoron that only missionaries would identify with fully!) We were so surprised when piece of land which we had applied for years before for the school was suddenly released. We received the letter in the mail a few days before we left! Jerry always says, “He will not give us the diamond without the box. We needed more than a box, but we were ready for God to show himself strong on our behalf! The naysayers had started a rumor that we set the place on fire for insurance money. The problem was, there was no insurance money. The purchase of the land was pending a land lease issue at land board. The owner of the place however, was heavily insured.  Insurance had been taken out on the place shortly before the fire. He came out very well on the whole thing and in fact, left town for a few months the morning after the fire took place. Go figure.

We sat at Lakewood church and got all the encouragement we could from Pastor John Osteen when we were in Houston. He made time to have us in his office and speak into our lives just like a father would. He took us on walks around the church and proudly showed us all the building that was always going on! Jerry got his spirit of excellence from Pastor Osteen. All he does reflects excellence to bring honor to God and to his kingdom work. He would show us the special things in his office that he had gotten from all over the world. He always made it a point to have all the flags of the world represented in the church. He had one very special small display in his office that was always in a prominent place.

One day he called us up on stage and handed Jerry a check for 150,000 USD and said, Jerry, go back and build your wife a house. So we took that money and his blessing, and returned to Botswana. We used that money to build 5 houses Since that time and through the generous gifts of Wayne and Martha Myers and others, we now have 10 houses for the one the devil stole from us through the fire. God has truly given us “beauty for ashes”!