The End of an Era

It's amazing, humbling, and deeply touching to look back and see God's hand in things. Today, I'm looking specifically at people with whom we have shared space over the past dozen or so years.

When Neil and I bought this condo so close to Fuller and Old Pasadena, we had no idea God would lead us into a space-sharing mode. It started so naturally when a prospective Fuller student from Michigan came out to visit and stayed a week or so with us, even before we had our condo. Once we were settled so close to Fuller, our condo, nicknamed by one of our Fuller Southwest students as the Frey HORD -- Home of the Revolving Door -- really became popular, for short-term and long-term guests.

During our first two years in the condo, there were these two great guys from Bakersfield with whom we shared space a day or two a week to help alleviate their four-hour round-trip commute each day.

And then there was Jorge, a pastor from Mexico whose family didn't come to Fuller with him. Jorge lived with us for over three years, and what a good thing that was!

After Jorge came a missionary kid whom we loved, who came for a month and stayed for a year. And while he was with us, the son of good friends needed space for a couple of months, so he used the loft. I think those were our only two non-Fuller roommates.

Others of you came, of course, for shorter periods of time -- some needing a place to stay for a week or a month or three before your apartment at Fuller was ready or after you moved out but before you moved away to what God had for you next, some needing space away from your current living situation for whatever reason, some needing space for visiting parents, some needing a more permanent place to live for a time . . .

Looking back on it all, we realize how much richer our lives are because of each of you. We want to thank you for putting up with my "I don't clean; I don't cook" mantra, and for being such good space-sharing people. You have blessed us immeasurably.

Just as God gently opened that space-sharing door, He now seems to be telling us to close it. It's with tears in my eyes that I write this reminiscence, treasuring memories of each of you and your times with us, but we know this is the decision we're supposed to make. We have come to the end of this era of our lives. A Fuller student is moving out this morning, after spending his final couple of on-campus months with us. Our nest will now be empty, the Frey HORD a thing of the past.

But the Frey B&B is still open, so don't hesitate to ask if you're coming for a day or three in the Pasadena area. It would be our pleasure to have you here again!