Why we welcomed a young man, about to become homeless, into our home

By David Strege

While a sophomore in a parochial high school, I thought about becoming a pastor so I signed up for classes that would prepare me for seminary school. I wanted to serve. I didn’t get the needed classes. That was the indication that being a pastor was not God’s preferred path for me. 

I attended Drake University and went into business, but I explored being a pastor again as an adult. We are all in ministry, but was I to be a minister? Again, the answer to my prayer was no. 

Maybe 10 years later, the church we were attending began offering a program to become a pastor, it would train us without the added commitment of seminary. Again, I explored becoming a pastor, but the calling wasn’t there. I felt God wanted me on a different path. 

When you’re in discussion with God and you study His word, and you’re asking Him in prayer for direction, it’s amazing how He shows you His path.

When our two kids were in high school, for example, we started fostering children. 

My wife, Jennifer, is brilliant with preschool-aged children; she’s able to connect and has a gift for taking care of them. We’ve since fostered 27 children over the years. 

More recently, I felt called to go deeper in my service, to invest my time and resources in new ways. It all started with praying a scary prayer. 

‘Whatever You call me to do, show me that path’

I rarely miss a day of work, and July 10, 2014 was no different. I was about to go to a meeting when my right side fell asleep, from head to toe I was numb. I could walk, I could talk, but I was numb. 

I googled the symptoms but didn’t find anything. The next day the doctor checked me out and ordered an MRI. I didn’t have the symptoms, but he diagnosed me as having had a minor stroke. 

I went through physical therapy and within three months, I was back playing competitive volleyball in the Global Cup finals against Russia. It was like God was tapping me on the head. It was almost like He said, you need to step up your game.  

I spend time each morning in prayer, and shortly after I decided to open myself to being used by God. 

I prayed, “I’m here, whatever You call me to do, show me that path and let me follow it. USE ME!”

It’s a scary prayer, because you don’t know how God is going to call you, how He wants to use you. Does He want to take me to South Africa? 

I felt God was leading me to serve at Wildwood Hills Ranch in St. Charles, Iowa. It serves children who have been victims of abuse or whose family struggles with poverty, drugs or poor decisions. 

We were familiar with the challenges because of the foster children we had cared for and I believed we could make a difference. 

I started volunteering with the fishing program. I’d be in 90-degree heat, rejigging the poles and helping the kids catch their first fish. Then during the school year, I would teach older kids about personal finance. 

Through the program, I got to know a young man who was about to be homeless. He had been in prison for five years and was about to be evicted from his apartment.

He was 25 but he didn’t know how to drive, and he didn’t have a car. 

I felt God calling us to bring him into our home. 

‘I’m not going to judge you. Only God can judge you’

When you follow God, there are questions. Am I going to go down a path that I didn’t want to go? Are You going to take me into an area I’m not equipped?

But He equips you and helps you grow into it. And He provides. 

Dee came into our home, and God provided. We helped him get a job. We drove him there and back. We taught him to drive and helped him get a license. 

I have a busy schedule, but my calendar was always free right when I needed it to be in order to help him take the next step. 

Dee and I talked a lot about faith. He had made mistakes, and I told him, “I’m not going to judge you, only God can judge. But I will hold you accountable.” 

Dee ended up moving out, he fell back into old habits. I haven’t heard from him for a while, but he did write me a thank-you letter on Father’s Day. It was a tearjerker. 

My personal approach is to try to solve the problems of the world one person at a time. If I can take this one person and help them get on God’s intended path for them, then it’s time well spent. 

I think about Psalm 119:105 a lot. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

God lays out our whole path for us, but He only shows us the next step. What I know is God provides, in His own way and timing, each step of the way.

David Strege is a senior financial planner at Syverson Strege in West Des Moines. David and his wife Jennifer have two adult children, Erik and Adrienne, and have fostered 27 children over the years. In addition to volunteering at Wildwood Hills Ranch, David plays competitive volleyball on the national and international level.