God's Provision // Dan and Falon Choate
Author: #peopleof1910
March 01, 2017
Dan and I had been talking about the continued goodness of God in our lives and I wanted to share a part of our testimony. I can probably go way back to my childhood but I'll start with our lives together as a married couple. Graduating college, getting married, going on a honeymoon, moving out of state and Dan starting a new job all in a 2-3 week period sounds insane looking back. Little did we know this would be the start of God's amazing blessings upon our marriage. Often times its the uncomfortable times that God uses to grow us and in the end we end up with a greater blessing than we could ever have imagined.
Dan began working for Maxim while I searched for work. After a year of endless applications to schools and several interviews I finally received a call for a 2nd interview at the first school I did not have interest in. I did it anyways and got a call for a 3rd interview and ended up getting the job as a special education teacher for 3, 4, and 5 year olds at BMLC. I ended up loving the job and of course was glad I had the opportunity to work there. I even met one of my best friends there.
After 3 years of teaching I had Carter and it was the most heart wrenching thing for me to go back for my 4th year. We were blessed with an amazing nanny who came to the house and was the wife of one of our pastors from church. God is good! At the end of my 4th year, there were significant budget cuts within the school district and with that were many teacher cuts who were untenured. I was to be tenured on my 5th year, but was one, of the many, to get cut that year. I was devastated as I didn't know how we would live on one income, but God knew!
I ended up watching a few kiddos and was able to stay home with Carter! How great was that?! In December of 2012, on a Monday night, Dan asked me if we should think about moving to Texas. We had always considered moving there (that's where he was from) after stabilizing ourselves a bit in Illinois where we would have family support if needed. I told him it would be totally up to God and his job.
Exactly one week later he comes home from work to tell me his boss asked him if he would be interested in taking over the San Antonio, Texas office! We knew this had to be part of God's plan, but it sounded insane as they wanted him to be there in a month! It's the middle of winter, with a whole house to pack up and sell, with a toddler and infant! We started praying about it and seeking a realtor. Dan checked out the area and office in SA and within 10 days of our house being on the market it SOLD for more than the asking price. We were on our way to Texas on February 1st with all expenses paid! Praise God!
I’m not going to lie, the first 3 months in TX were some of the most depressed times of my life. A small rental home (thankful to have been a house and not an apartment), no friends, no family, seeking a church, Dan working long hours, dealing with health issues, and car accidents! We jumped into a purchase of a home probably more out of the need for more room than being totally in the will of God. However, we have been blessed with our home and wonderful neighbors we call friends.
After the first year in Texas, Dan's pay guarantee (given for him to move) was no longer available and the office was still struggling. I started searching for work again as his pay was going to be significantly less than the year prior and we just purchased a home, but the doors continued to stay shut for me. There was a good year or two, Dan was even putting out resume after resume and not hearing a thing. He continued his work and God blessed it by taking an office that was at under 15k in sales a week to what is now over 200k currently in under 4 years! We have continued to be blessed beyond words and we owe it all to God. He was, is, and always will be our provider for each day. We continue to put our trust in Him each day.
One of the biggest areas we believe he has blessed us is financially and we truly believe it's because of our commitment to always tithe and give offerings regardless of our finances, which has always been a priority in our lives. Malachi 3:10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” This is the one and only area in our lives we are told to test God. Why wouldn't you?! Let me clarify though...don't just give money expecting God to make you rich. It's about your heart and intentions.
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