Ten years ago, Kristine Escamilla and her two year-old daughter moved to Fort Collins from San Antonio with plans to enroll in Graduate School at CSU. Her plans changed when she became pregnant with her son and she found herself as a single mother of two, with a “useless” psychology degree, trying her best to support her family.
In the ten years that Kristine has been in Fort Collins, she has moved eight times. “Finding a stable place to live – that has been my adversity – trying to maintain a stable job and a stable place to live.”
Kristine had a pivotal encounter with God during one unexpected move. As she was driving to put all of her belongings into a storage facility, her car broke down. “I was crying in the parking lot and said, ‘Okay God, what do you want? What can I do? Help me, I’m yours.’”
She began to pursue a more authentic relationship with God, and in 2009 she started attending Faith. In October 2010, Kristine was baptized and, not long after, she was plugged into a small group, volunteering at Wednesday Fren-Z, and serving as a greeter on Sunday mornings.
Last year, circumstances forced her to move into the basement of a friend’s house. There was only one bedroom, which she gave to her twelve year-old daughter. Ron Francis, who leads her small group, rounded up volunteers to help her with the move. He says, “I knew it was a difficult move for her to make with her family, but she smiled and put a good face on for her kids and just stayed really positive.”
In March of 2013, a friend told Kristine of a house for sale in her neighborhood. When Kristine looked into it, she discovered that the house was on the school bus route for her children. It was also eligible for a USDA Rural Development Loan, which helps low to moderate income families become homeowners. 
The loan process stretched out for six months, and when the approval finally came back it was $70,000 below the price of the house. Kristine was crushed but knew she wasn’t alone. “You can lean on God. You can trust him, and you have to put faith in him. I have never had that faith before, until recently.”
Kristine came to the church that day and spoke with a Stephen Minister who connected her with a Christian real estate agent. While she was applying for another loan, somebody else put a bid on the house. “I said, ‘Fine, God. This wasn’t meant to be. I trust you.’” She was approved for the loan, but needed a sizeable down payment. When she had her taxes prepared in January, her refund was the exact amount of the down payment that she needed. The homeowner, who was also a Christian and a single mother, turned down the higher bid so she could sell the house to Kristine.
One whole year after seeing the place, Kristine finally moved her family into their first home. “God wanted me to learn something, because it didn’t just fall into place from the start. I had to back up. I wasn’t getting it, so I had to back up. I wanted a house my whole life, but I also wanted to be married my whole life. I just have to have hope and know that he has plans for me. And it is not an okay plan, it is the best plan.”