God had done it again!

by Martha Janzen

"Yes, of course," I replied. Her voice had an unhappy, urgent tone which for Dee was very unusual. Ever since I'd known her, from the day of her arrival from Beijing, China one year earlier, Dee had never seemed unhappy nor perturbed about anything. She settled into university life with ease; she found her own living accommodation without my help; she was mature, self-confident and competent, even though she was so little. I had thought she was too young to embark on a Masters in Physics program at the University of Manitoba, but she was quite an accomplished scholar. Nothing seemed to faze her.

"It's about the apartment," volunteered Dee. I knew she and her two roommates, all university students, were looking for a suitable apartment to move into. Two of them had had enough of living in cramped basement suites. Now they wanted something better, and, if the three of them shared the rent, it should be possible.

The first few weeks of apartment shopping were exciting. There were many apartment buildings not far from university to choose from. They checked out "Summerland", "Evergreen Place" and many more, and it became more and more complicated. How could three international students ever agree on one apartment? What appealed to one person did not necessarily appeal to another. Now it seemed that the two friends had finally found the right place. But Dee did not feel that way.

"I need to talk to someone," she said, "and Lucy is coming too. We'll be there in 10 minutes."

"Lord," I prayed, "You know I don't know how to solve problems nor how to give advice. I need your help now."

Dee looked as dejected as she felt. The three of us sat around the dining room table, tea and cookies in front of us.

Lucy, a student from Singapore, began to lecture Dee on the importance of knowing and speaking her own mind. "Don't let anyone push you around," she told Dee.

"What actually is the problem?" I asked.

"The two girls want to move into a basement suite at Evergreen Place now, and then in a few months an apartment will be available on the second floor. But I do not want to move into the basement."

"Then don't," said Lucy. "Find your own place."

"I can't. I can't afford my own place. Besides, I want to stay on good terms with the girls. I want to remain friends with them. They tell me they are counting on my financial assistance; they can't move in without me. They say I am ruining everything."

Dee became sadder and sadder. "It feels almost like dying," she said.

Lucy talked at length, and I added my comments from time to time, but Dee sank into a deep depression. My heart ached for her; it was painful to see her like this. I felt out of my depth; a word of wisdom was needed here, but I didn't find it within me. So I prayed, silently, for help from God.

"I would suggest," I said at last, "that the three of you should work out a compromise. Why don't you move in with the girls for now, and in summer, when new students arrive again, move in with another group. There will always be new opportunity. Things change; students come and go."

For Dee, this was a breath of fresh air; she seemed to pick up courage from my words. I could see her active mind working again.

"But," I said, "before we conclude this discussion, let's pray about it. God can do miracles." For Dee, this was a brand new concept; God had had no place in her life until then.

We prayed, laying the problem out before the Lord and asking for His guidance. When Dee left a few minutes later, she seemed to have regained some of her usual optimism. I, for my part, did not stop praying for her.

A week later, Dee was on the phone again. "You know what?" she said, "We are not able to move into that basement suite in Evergreen Place."

"Why not?"

"It's not available. The person is not moving out. So we looked at the apartments in Pembina Woods, right next door, and there is a nice apartment for rent. It's much nicer than the basement suite, and it doesn't cost any more. We will move in at the end of the month."

Well! God had done it again! Now we could celebrate.

Martha Janzen is a retired Mennonite Central Committee worker living in Winnipeg, Man.

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