By Elise Wallgren
Walking into marriage, there were many unknowns for my husband Kurt and I. Where was I going to go to school? When does that program start? What job would Kurt have? When should Kurt find a job and move to Milwaukee? Where would we be living after the wedding? How much money will we be making? Our season of engagement was so full of questions. This is a story of God’s provision, direction, and kindness during a season of patience and waiting.
I desperately wanted to go to Madison for graduate school. It was the cheapest. It was prestigious. It would be an incredibly fun place to live with Kurt in our early 20’s. My sister was going to school there. It was perfect. I thought since God knew exactly where I wanted to go that I would instantly get in. I applied for early decision admission and thought that my application process was done. Little did I know, I did not get accepted as an early decision candidate. They told me that they would reconsider me with the regular application pool. I was crushed. That meant I had a much smaller chance of getting in AND I had to apply and interview at other schools. I said to myself, “How could God not see the desire in my heart? Why would He allow this stress while I’m planning a wedding and finishing up my undergraduate degree at Stevens Point?” I knew there was a reason for this obstacle, but I had no idea what God had in store for me.
I started applying to other graduate programs, and I got interviews with a couple schools. After hearing from Indianapolis and Concordia about my acceptance in their programs, I was genuinely confused on where I was supposed to go. I also hadn’t heard back from LaCrosse and Madison, still hoping that Madison would accept me. Kurt and I were weighing our options on what would be best for us.
Around this time, I started to have some dreams about graduate school. Specifically, about Concordia. I didn’t think anything of it since graduate school was always on my mind. But later I found out that God was speaking to me. Kurt and I attended a prayer meeting at our church in Stevens Point, and I was praying to God about our future and what He wanted us to do. All of a sudden, the phrase “go to Concordia” was put on my heart. I started to argue with God. “But what about the amazing program at Indianapolis? I can’t pass that up! We haven’t even heard back from Madison!” The phrase continued to repeat in my head, “Go to Concordia.” The Lord, in that moment, reminded me of Rise MKE and gave me a greater and deeper love for this body of believers than ever before. I knew that God was calling Kurt and I there, and going to Concordia was a part of His plan. The meeting was over, and I walked over to Kurt. With tears in my eyes, I said, “I think God is calling me to go to Concordia. I think we are supposed to go to Milwaukee.” And Kurt replied, “God has been telling me to go to Milwaukee this past weekend.” We were amazed at the ways that God was speaking to both of us and were so excited about the impact God wanted us to have in Milwaukee. After being declined from Madison’s program, Kurt and I knew God was telling us that these signs were from Him. That’s when we decided that we were coming back to Milwaukee.
In the coming months, Kurt and I then had to consider where we were going to live and where Kurt was going to work. Kurt started to apply for paralegal positions, and by God’s grace, he got a paralegal position with a small firm that is 5 minutes from Concordia. The location was perfect. However, Kurt and I started to become slightly concerned about how much money he would be making. The apartments we were looking at were very expensive, and there were limited options in our price range around the Mequon area. I started to become very anxious about if Kurt and I had made the right choice for Kurt’s job. I wept in anxiety and fear. I didn’t know what we were going to do. However, I knew that God was going to take care of us. I knew that we would not be homeless. I knew that we were going to be ok. The morning of March 2nd, 2019, I cried out to God and told him to take this burden from me. I told Him that I trust Him and that I know He is going to take care of Kurt and I. I felt incredible peace as I fully surrendered.
That same afternoon, my Aunt gave me a call. She and my uncle were planning on buying a condo for their retirement, and God put Kurt and I on her heart. They were wondering if we’d be interested in renting a condo from them for a cheaper price. They were hoping to buy a condo close to Concordia. I immediately started to weep. I knew that this was God telling me, “I hear you, Elise, and I’ve got this.” It was an immediate answer to prayer. However, this was the beginning of a rollercoaster of a month.
During this time, the housing market was crazy. People were buying places within hours after their postings. My aunt and uncle were putting in offers left and right and not getting a bite. It was so discouraging. Time was starting to tick away. We were hoping to have a place at the end of May. It felt like we were not going to find anything by then by the looks of things.
Around mid-March, I was praying to the Lord during my quiet time about this condo situation. Clearly discouraged, I just wanted God’s wisdom in what to do. Do we pursue something else just in case? Do you have something different in mind, God? The Lord whispered in my ear the word “Wait.” Again, a peace ran over me, and I believed that this was the Lord speaking to me. So, Kurt and I decided to keep waiting.
Over the next week, Kurt and I were picking up his car from an oil change. Kurt was making small talk about finding a place to live with the man helping us. The man said, “A word of advice. Wait for the right place. You don’t want to rush into a location that isn’t right. Just wait.” We left the car repair store, and Kurt looked at me and said, “I think God was saying something to us through the man at Gordon’s.” It immediately clicked in my head. God was using this stranger to once again tell us that we should continue to wait for this condo.
Fast forward. It’s now late March. They still have not found a condo. My aunt gave me a call expressing her discouragement with this whole condo hunt. She encouraged Kurt and I to possibly be more open to making a longer commute and to look on our own still. They were just not seeing anything around the Mequon area that was in their price range, was safe enough, and/or was a nice enough place. They were planning on looking at a place in Franklin the next day, 37 minutes from Concordia. Again, Kurt and I didn’t know what to do. We both didn’t know what we were waiting for.
Kurt and I went before the Lord once again the next morning. We prayed for more confirmation from God when it comes to waiting for this condo. Later on that morning, Kurt got a notification for the verse of the day on his phone. It was Psalm 27:14. “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Kurt showed me the verse, and once again, God confirmed that we were supposed to wait for something that He had in mind for us.
The same day we received this confirmation. My uncle called me and said “Hi Elise. It’s Uncle Lewis. Here is something for you to pray on. We got home, and I checked the new openings, and guess what? Something’s opened up in Mequon at a price that I didn’t think was available. We’re going to go take a look at it tonight. Let’s hope this is what the Lord has for us.” Kurt and I were shocked. Later that night, my aunt and uncle put an offer on the condo. We began to diligently pray. The following day, I got a call from my uncle saying that they got the condo. A condo in Mequon. 10 minutes from school and work. 10 minutes from our new church building. The condo is beautiful. It is beyond anything that Kurt and I would be able to afford on our own right now, and my aunt and uncle are graciously giving us a discount on rent.
After many months of unknowns and worrying, God once again showed His incredible kindness to Kurt and I. The plans that He had for us were so incredible. I look at stories like these and just remember the faithfulness of our God. He takes care of us, and He always will. Praise God for His Kindness and Faithfulness to us!!!