An unexpected turn
Our time spent with Jillian at her picturesque cozy home lasted five months. The number '5' has always represented God's grace which I believe was no coincidence with the time of our stay. If ever Kit and I were in a season where we needed God's amazing grace, it was indubitably during this time!
We were tried in almost every way imaginable. The Lord knew this and we believe that He used our stay in Cheverly, Maryland to change and mold us into the vessels He wanted us to be for His purposes. I liken this time to when a stone cutter takes a raw stone and places it into a tumbler. He then takes it through a procedure to make it a statuesque, perfected gem. It is all a process to change one material into something more beautiful and valuable. So it was with our stay in Cheverly. It was an unexpected season in our journey but well worth it for what the Lord had in mind for us according to HIS design and plans for our future.
As we settled in at Jillian's in the early spring, we were filled with an excitement and hope for what God had for us next. He gave us many a blessing while living in Cheverly. 
We adored the spring season as the street that we lived on looked like like a picture out of a dream, with a marquee of old trees framing each house, accompanied by an abundance of color with all the Azalea bushes, roses, perennials, daffodils, lilacs and Alberta Spruce. Each Sunday, we would excitedly take jaunts to the country as we 'scouted out our new land' discovering many new as well as cozy familiar finds. We happened upon one of our favorite places in the world, Borders Books and Music Store where we delighted ourselves with scones, chocolate cheesecake and Caramel Macchiato's. A new beloved eatery for us became Memphis BBQ, where we developed an immense craving for their BBQ chicken pizza and savory nachos. We found some charming, cozy bistros, pastry shops and fell in love with the town of Chevy Chase with all of its streets displaying luxuriant, old historic Colonial and Victorian homes accompanied by a canopy of old trees , exemplary landscapes and exquisite parks. It was a very chilly season, but we had no complaints as we adored the east coast and all of it's alluring charm. We inquired with the people in town as to a good church to visit and got such high commendations for a church in Marlboro County. We visited the church and ended up loving it. The pastor was Bishop Don Meares. Let me tell you, we had never heard anyone preach quite like this man. He was exactly who God had for us during our stay in Cheverly. Nestled close by the church was a splendid Mexican restaurant, (we have a passion for Mexican food), that we frequented every Sunday after church for brunch. We began loving our Sundays as we got spiritually fed as well as enjoyed scrumptious food and a day away together, a change from our weekly routines. Kit accepted a part time job at Staples as the book keeper and I took on a part time nanny job. I was very blessed to take care of a gorgeous little 2 month old baby girl, Katie. We had peace, a roof over our heads and provision. We spent a lot of time worshiping together and seeking God . For the most part, all was well. The Lord was not leading us to do anything specific regarding our quest for the King's Tavern and had instructed us to take part time jobs and nothing permanent or long term. We were assured that He wanted us there in Maryland, across the Potomac river from Virginia and would show us our next step in His time.
Things began to rapidly change with Jillian. Have you ever heard of the movie, "The Nightmare Before Christmas?" 
Well, this experience for us was definitely "The Scary Dream before God's deliverance." She became very negative and what had began as a peaceful dwelling place, became a frightening chimera-come true. Her expectations changed for us to do a lot more for her than what we had all agreed to in the beginning. There were times we could hear her throughout the house cursing God. (Our dog Patch would not even go downstairs after awhile without us, as he feared being around her. ) We could overhear her talking unfavorably about us to her maid and when Kit confronted her, she asked us to leave. It was very uncomfortable to say the least. I believe what happened was that there was no unity in our spirits and we began clashing at every turn. Kit and I assumed because her daughter was a pastor and believer that she was as well. But in living there, we realized she was not. She didn't want to discuss anything about the Lord and often spoke of just wanting to die. We went to the Lord for we knew that He had knowledge that this was going to happen long before He had called us to go to Maryland and created her home as our 'open door.'
" Lord, what would you have us do now? We don't have the money to get a home of our own and we don't know anyone here in Maryland?"
After prayer, we felt led to call her daughter Cate and share what was going on. After our chat with her and her call to Jillian, everything worked out to where we could stay until the end of August. If we found something sooner, we were free to leave. Cate also explained to Jillian that I was to only help her out two days a week as agreed.
Needless to say, the next four months were extremely long, .We had our meals upstairs and kept busy with working. We spent a lot of time with the Lord as well as each other and were blessed with many a phone call from friends and family in Arizona and California. We were homesick. We felt unwanted and yet, when we were in the presence of the Lord, we had joy and peace. He began teaching us to praise Him regardless of our feelings or circumstances. We had a lot of breakthrough in that home, breakthrough in the spirit. We learned to serve even when the person God called us to serve was unkind or unappreciative. All by God's grace. We learned to love the indifferent. We looked for rooms to rent through the church but it was to no avail. The Lord tenderly let us know we were not leaving that house until the end of August, thus we submitted to His will and enjoyed His precious grace and all of the blessings He brought us in the midst of it all. During this time, living in a home where we were not wanted and there was no fellowship or unity, He ministered to both Kit and I through a book by Bruce Wilkinson, 'Secrets of the Vine'. At times , kit and I felt as if we were 'being punished', as if we had done something wrong. We had obeyed God and journeyed to the east coast and nothing seemed to be happening, accompanied by our new roommate who was being such a pill. But, the Lord showed us it was a time of pruning in our lives to bring forth new fruit and that He was very pleased with us. As long as we knew God was happy with us, that was all that mattered. We could weather anything else. We grew closer to one another as well as the Lord., and yes, in leaving Jillian's home, when the time came, we did see much fruit. (Thank you Lord for your faithfulness.)
God always blessed us with such wondrous gifts of love right when we needed encouragement the most! We received marvelous care packages from our families, boxes filled with See's candy, books, photos, and knick knacks to remind us of our remarkable times in Arizona and California. We received many a phone call from friends and family encouraging us in our journey of faith, as well as prayers for us. Bishop Meares preached some of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard and they were always 'right on time'. My brother Patrick and his partner Chris came in July for two weeks to visit and it was like a fountain of cool water in the desert, as only God knew how much we needed familiar, loving people to surround us.
Patrick and Chris took us to dinner at a wonderful Italian eatery at the top of the hill overlooking the lush green town of Cheverly where they treated us to mouthwatering appetizers, divine pasta dishes and heavenly desserts. We didn't want to leave the restaurant! They surprised us with a huge basket from California filled with candies, cookies, fruits, cheeses, assorted crackers and sparkling cider. We took day trips to Washington DC, Philadelphia, Chevy Chase and Virginia, stopping along the way for pastries, cappuccinos, fresh baked breads and cookies . We laughed, shared stories, rode the metro, toured the museums, visited Mount Vernon Estates and Gardens having the time of our lives. One day Patrick and I took the metro into DC and toured Georgetown, stopping mid afternoon at a charming Greek eatery. We sat outside with our en trees and reminisced for hours...That day is engraved upon my heart as it was a life line for me. God gave me the assurance that He would indeed restore our friends, family and our home to us in time. I felt a hope. Patrick reminded me that staying with Jillian was only temporary and soon, Kit and I would have our own place, and familiar things around us once again, as well as our friends and family to fellowship with. That lonely feeling lifted.
The month of August came upon us and still we had no leads as to what we were going to do ,but we had peace. My nanny job had come to an end as Katie's mom, returning to work full time, decided to put her in an all day daycare facility. Kit continued his job with Staples and worked with his website clients in the evenings. The Lord assured us He would take care of us and that we were to continue to trust Him.
The end of August arrived and with no other doors opening up for us as far as a place to stay, we felt the Lord lead us to go to a motel. We got a small storage unit in Maryland and placed all of the things we had brought to furnish our space at Jillian's that prior spring. The only place that was economically feasible and that would take our beloved Patch was a Motel 6 in Laurel Maryland. We had peace. The day we left Jillian's, saying our thank yous and goodbyes, we actually heard bells ringing as we walked to our car. Now, whether what we were hearing was in the spirit or for real, we both just smiled as we looked at each other, feeling as if we were being handed a "get out of jail free" card. (I know that is just a saying, but we felt extraordinarily free as well as excited as to what God wold do next. ) Kit and I were so thrilled to be out of such a negative surrounding and all of the oppression it held. We were on our way to yet another chapter in our intriguing journey.
