No, thanks.

That was my initial response to Laramie RPC’s warm hospitality. Singing songs and tunes I have never heard before? I’ll pass. No nursery? I have three children under the age of four. Any more questions for Pastor Bob Hemphill? Nope.

A New Church Home

During my husband’s last two years at the University of Wyoming, the Lord drew us to Laramie RPC. I was rudely reluctant, but once my emotions were completely exhausted with church shopping, we decided to commit ourselves to worship with this small and faithful body of believers. We knew our time in Laramie was short since we planned to move north to Casper after my husband, Morgan, graduated with his engineering degree.

Surprisingly, the RP Church was more than just a place to pass the time. The Lord used the gracious people there (and across the denomination) to draw us into sweet communion with the RPCNA. We became members, and our children were baptized just months before Morgan’s spring 2010 graduation.

We were confident about committing to the church but confused about God’s timing. However, many others saw our imminent relocation as an opportunity. Pastor Bob and the Laramie session asked if we would be willing to be a “seed family” for an RP church plant in our new town. Although we were unsure of our suitability, Bob expressed confidence that the Lord could use us and asked if we would simply host a Bible study led by him in our home once a month. We agreed and began praying that the Lord would use this experience to grow His church and teach us about Himself.

Establishing a New Home

Casper is a town of 60,000 located in the center of Wyoming. The city is surrounded by a mountain and vast plains filled with pronghorn antelope, cattle, and sage brush. At the time, the nearest Reformed and Presbyterian church was almost three hours away.

Much of the population is non-native as many relocate to take advantage of energy-related employment. It was no surprise, then, that there was much interest in a Reformed church. With minimal advertising, we quickly drew the attention of four additional families who had been in Reformed churches previously and were struggling to find a place to worship in Casper. Many were encouraged and emboldened to be a part of the RP Bible study. New friendships were forged and began to grow and bear fruit.

After about a year and a half of our monthly gatherings, the Laramie session began to seek a pastor who would be willing to spend the summer in Casper, holding weekly worship services. We were thrilled with the prospect of worshiping again in an RP church!

Finding a Temporary Home

The Lord’s timing was perfect. Pastor Wade and Barb Mann (Shawnee, Kan.) agreed to take a sabbatical and spend summer 2012 in Casper serving our enthusiastic group. In the midst of the overwhelming joy, we began to prepare for the Manns’ arrival! The most daunting task was to find a summer home for the pastor and his family. Our needs were specific and mandatory: A clean, furnished, 3+ bedroom, budget-friendly home that would allow a short-term lease. This combination seemed impossible in Casper’s tight real estate market.

As God put to Abraham before Isaac’s birth, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14). Of course not—and this was evidenced in the house He so generously provided. While I was considering negotiating one or more of the housing criteria, the Lord led us to what we would affectionately refer to as the Yellow House. It had everything we needed, plus it was in my favorite neighborhood, the historic Big Tree area. It is full of charm and surrounded by sweet neighbors. The Lord was providing abundantly for the needs of our little church.

That was only the beginning of many wonderful blessings. We had a joyous, memorable, blessed time with the Mann family that summer. Our worship services were well attended (nearly 60 at our first service), and the time we spent together was life changing. We enjoyed many hours of visiting, singing Psalms, and relishing sweet fellowship in the Yellow House and in the homes of others. God’s gracious gifts were obvious and abounding!

Uncertain Future

As the summer quickly passed, we were reminded that Pastor Wade was to return to his pulpit in Shawnee, Kan., at the end of the summer, and there was no plan for another man to take his place.

During the months following Wade’s departure, our session continued to provide weekly preaching for the 8 families in the Casper group. We extended the lease on the Yellow House and it was a “vacation home” to several gracious pastors and seminary students who traveled to minister to us.

The Laramie RP session faithfully searched for another man to stay for an extended time as pulpit supply and to occupy the Yellow House, but no one could be found. Continuing to rent the Yellow House became a financial burden. It was clear that it would not be wise to further renew the lease. The house that held so many memories and that symbolized God’s provision had to be let go.

I was sad. We had lost the Yellow House, and with it the hope that a pastor would come. The future of this once-optimistic work seemed bleak.

My husband gently said to me one day, “It may be that God will not bless us with an RP church in Casper.” Having this journey end without an established church didn’t make sense, but sometimes journeys don’t. Perhaps I would understand these events at some point in the future. We were searching for our way, and we were prepared to concede that God had used our family, the RP Church, the Yellow House, and our wonderful summer with the Manns as means to accomplish a plan that we had not foreseen.

At a time when God seemed to be redirecting us, our numbers also decreased. Most of the families who had been worshiping with us had decided to pursue a church plant sponsored by another Reformed denomination. They were eager for stability and had found a pastor willing to relocate to Casper.

Hope

Just when all expectation of the continuation of an RP church in Casper had been put aside, the Lord brought a new family to Casper—a family that longed to labor for the RP Church and that had a heart for this new and struggling church plant. They showed Abrahamic faith by transplanting their family of six across the country to an unknown town and a church with an uncertain future.

Following this in spring 2013, our overseeing elders announced that they were committed to finding a full-time pastor for our two families. Funding was still an issue and so was identifying the pastor God had chosen for us. But, the Lord confirmed through these elders that the RP work in Casper was not over. He would provide the things we needed. I was reminded of how He surprised us with the Yellow House. Our God is faithful!

By the end of 2013, the Lord had provided sufficient funding through many generous people, churches, presbyteries, and the denomination. A pastoral call was drafted and delivered to Sam McCracken in early 2014. The McCrackens graciously accepted the call, and Sam flew in to look for a home for his family.

A Miraculous (and Personal) Provision

The real estate market was still tight, and we were all excitedly trusting the Lord to provide the right house for the McCrackens.

The first couple of days proved fruitless. No home was suitable for our new pastor and his sweet family. Time was running out, and it seemed like Sam might have to leave without any housing contract signed.

Morgan offhandedly remarked, “What about the Yellow House?”

The odds were nearly impossible, but I humored him, digging up the number for the property manager we had worked with before. I texted her something along these lines: “Hi, remember me from two years ago? I was wondering if the Yellow House or something like it might be available.”

Her answer: “Your timing is perfect! The Yellow House unexpectedly came available, and I was just about to list it.”

God Cares

I had expected that God would provide, but I couldn’t have imagined His gracious gift to be this personal. I loved that house. It was a symbol of God’s goodness and generosity to me. I had been devastated to let it go, conceded that the church work here was ending, and acknowledged that my plans are often not God’s plans (Prov. 19:21). But our all-knowing God had planned to give me the desire that He had put in my heart: an RP church in Casper. The Lord confirmed His intimate knowledge of and care for me by dropping the Yellow House right back into our laps.

I had a keen sense that this was not merely the providing of a roof over the heads of our pastor and his family. This was a memorial. The Lord was giving me a monument in time. He knew there would be more uncertainty to face, and He gave me this monument to remember that His hand is on us and is actively working out His will and always for our good (Rom. 8:28).

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think…to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).

Lianne Hespe and her husband, Morgan, are members of Casper, Wyo., RP Mission Church. Lianne enjoys their home and home­schooling their five children: Jobey, Amos, Sadie, Judah, and Asher.