By Leona Chen-Wong

“This house we could definitely NOT afford under normal circumstances… but it came as a clear sign and confirmation of God’s leading, provision, grace, favor, and blessing once again as we seek to follow the ways of faith He has birthed and engrained in us. We are beyond amazed and thankful for the owners who are also humble to not want any mention of them in all of this. May the Lord honor their hearts with more than they can imagine too .”

– Andrew Wong on 3/10/2023 Social Media Post

This post testifies to our astonishment and gratitude for the generosity of God, manifested through the kindness of people towards us. We were offered a beautiful place to rent at the perfect time for our newborn, and it was generously priced for us. At the time, I was concerned about our financial situation as I took maternity leave, and we would have to rely solely on Andrew’s salary. It was during this period that I contemplated whether I needed to return to work less than a month after giving birth. At the crossroads, Andrew and I decided to live by faith and focus on our respective callings. No one can replace me as a mother to TJ, but anyone can replace me as a minister.

Just when we had found peace with our decision and accepted that we would have to dip into our savings, we received an unexpected text message from a friend who was unaware of our circumstances. He and his family offered to bless us with this place at a rate we could afford. When Andrew and I saw the text, we were both astonished and rushed to each other in disbelief. Within the next 24 hours, we had the opportunity to see the place and received the keys. Four days later, we moved into this house. It is more than a ‘free upgrade’; this place has an extra bedroom, an additional bathroom, an extra garage, and even a backyard. What astounded us, even more, was that, despite our realistic affordability, this family wrote up a counteroffer contract with an even lower rent than what we had proposed. We were filled with wonder beyond words, recognizing that only God could have orchestrated this. In my feeble attempts to figure out what we could do, the moment we surrendered, He surprised us beyond what we could ask or imagine. In fact, two years prior, I remember how the Holy Spirit prompted me to write down my dream home, and the very first thing I wrote was a ‘bright house’ and a place suitable for gatherings. This house perfectly matches everything I had listed. It is a dream space for raising children, and in the past four months, we have had more visits and gatherings than in the last four years!

Leona Chen-Wong is a Canadian-born Chinese who was raised in Hong Kong. She moved to California in 2017 to pursue her MDiv, where she had the opportunity to meet her husband, Andrew. Throughout the past 10 years, Leona has served as a youth and young adult pastor in Asian American church settings. Currently, she is on maternity leave, devoting her time to caring for their first child while supporting her husband in their local church ministry.