Day 37

Ruth Weller | Re:Hope Southside

It started with redundancy…and resulted in 15 million views on Instagram.

In February 2024, we took a leap of faith and bought an old, damp and drafty Victorian fixer-upper. It was right in the middle of a season where life felt like a giant risk of faith, as I’d just been made redundant, and we weren't sure how we were going to make ends meet. We were certain God had confirmed this was the house for us…but we had no idea how we’d pay for the renovation.

At first, we shoved some bunk beds into a spare room and rented it out to groups. It helped with bills but barely scratched the surface of what this place needed.

For fun, we started an Instagram account to document the chaos. No plan, no strategy. By January 2025, in fasting week I prayed, “Lord, how are You going to fund this renovation? We can barely cover life costs.” Then I added, “I don’t have time for Instagram…but if You want to blow it up, I’ll figure out how to make money from it.” Friends, be careful what you pray for while fasting.

The very next week, we posted a reel about our attic, which contains two untouched children’s bedrooms, complete with wallpaper, cupboards, even a train set. It went viral. Newsweek picked it up.

Weeks later, another reel, opening long-painted-shut Victorian shutters, spun through the algorithm too and has now hit 15 million views. I woke up on my birthday in Feb with over 10k followers.

Since then, as our account has continued to grow (as I write this, we are about to hit 40k). We’re learning how to run a platform that reflects two values we feel reveal the Kingdom of God: design and sustainability. We've been amazed by the conversations about God that have happened at this opportunity to gather people around these shared values. And the icing on the cake...we now collaborate with brands who share those values, and have begun our journey of monetising this Instagram account. Will it turn into enough to fund our life and renovations? Time will tell. But we praise God for opening this door...or should we say...these shutters. 

When my job ended, I was terrified. We took a huge risk…and God met us in it. Praise God for out-the-box means of provision. 

Lisa Milligan | Re:Hope West End

I had been going through a season of being quite isolated for a long time. As a single mum of two children with autism, I felt really disconnected and isolated from people my age group. I was really wanting to connect with people my age and develop friendships. However, God had also been teaching me to be content with his company first. This particular weekend, when my children were at their dad’s, I was battling feelings of loneliness. Seeing so many people in their friendship groups, meeting up, going on grand days out on social media just reinforced those feelings. On that Saturday, I decided I wanted to go to the beach, as it’s one of my favourite places to go. However, I couldn’t find people to go with. 

So I decided I would go to the beach with Jesus. Before I left the house, I asked God to send me butterflies throughout my day, to remind me he was with me and that I wasn’t alone. As I was getting into the car a butterfly flew past me. I saw one flying in front of my car on route and another along the side of my car. Once I arrived, whilst walking from the car to the beach, I saw five butterflies fly around me. As I was walking on the beach, I was drawn to this particular spot that had too many butterflies fluttering around for me to count. I knew that was the spot Abba had picked for us to sit. 

Throughout my time at the beach, butterflies kept periodically flying around or past me. It seems small, but to me this was big. God saw me and knew what I needed that day. I asked and I received. He gave me those personal blessings that were especially for me. It brought me much comfort knowing Jesus was with me and we were having a father daughter day out, just me and Jesus. I could feel his presence so strongly. I praise and thank God for that day, it started discouraging but turned out to be a blessed day. 

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Do you ever use vagueness in your prayers to mask doubt or fear of risk?  Where might God be challenging you to make your prayers painfully specific?