Praising God in The Hallway of Promise

By Kayla White, Promise Manor historic venue owner

Have you ever felt as though you are staring down a hallway knowing there is a door in sight, but the journey getting there seems long and slow? I promise, you are not alone.

The pauses of life, which I refer to as the “hallways,” can be such hard transitions.   As a follower of Jesus, there have been many times in my life when I knew God said “no…” or “wait…” when all I wanted to do was sprint ahead to what I believed was the answer or destination.  My journey has been one of twists, turns, pauses and heartache… but the open door at the hallway’s end has led to more than my heart could even imagine!  The wait, I have learned, is part of the process.

It was an October day in 2018 when one of God’s biggest promises to me suddenly stirred in my heart.  I was working a full-time desk job in rural Tennessee that was comfortable, but I knew deep down was not quite “me.”   It was almost lunchtime when I heard God tell me something unusual, like a clear voice in my ears.  I felt a sudden prompting to drive to the nearby town of Lynchburg, where I was born and had spent many of my childhood days on our family farm.  I had never driven to Lynchburg on my lunch hour, but this voice I was hearing was unmistakable.  I knew it was something I could not ignore, because it felt like it was related to a vision placed on my heart several years earlier…

After my husband and I were married in 2011, God gave me an idea to own an event venue that I thought would be on our family farm.  After many conversations about it, I realized it was not in the works for our family at the time.  The threads of this beautifully woven dream were just not aligning, so I knew that God was whispering, “Not yet.”  I was in the midst of the hallway of my dream.  I could see the vision ahead, but God was keeping me still.  I didn’t know it back then, but I still needed some preparation time for Him to mold me, grow me and mature me into the woman I needed to become.

Then one day in September of 2018, I finally had a “stern talk with God.”  I unloaded on Him all of my complaints, my want-to-throw-in-the-towel moans and groans of “why’s?!” and “when’s?!”   Thankfully, God listens even when we complain and question Him.  He heard me at my breaking point of crying out and finally saying, "Use me, Lord!”

It was my full surrender to His will that I believe He needed to hear before showing me the next step in jumpstarting this vision He had for my life.  The next morning as my husband kissed me good-bye before I headed to work, I felt a jolt within my soul. At that exact moment, I began seeing words in my head that God was revealing to me about what lay ahead. I had prayed the night before that if He wanted me to continue on the path of this hallway, I would need Dennis, my husband, to be my helpmate.  Now, as he kissed me goodbye a flurry of “random” words was suddenly downloading in my head.

When I arrived at work, I quickly grabbed a notepad and began writing down the words God had spoken to me.   What were these words and how did they relate to this dream?  Here are some that I wrote down:

historic, grandmother’s house, 

rockers, creek, experience,

events, weddings, Lynchburg,

scriptures, florals

Although the words didn’t make sense at the time, I knew this piece of paper was significant and I tucked it away in my desk.  Little did I know, weeks later everything written on that paper would come to LIFE! 

And so it was that in October of 2018, just a few weeks after God revealed to me those words, I was now (somewhat reluctantly) driving to Lynchburg on my lunchbreak.  Questioning -OK, arguing-  with God during the whole 15-minute drive.  “This doesn’t make sense, God!  Why am I driving here for no reason?  Wasting gas.  And… I’m hungry!”

When I made it to the “Welcome to Lynchburg” sign, that was when I saw it.  It was almost as if God had encircled the sign with a halo.  It read: “Absolute Auction.”  In that moment, it might as well have said, “This is your Promise, Kayla.  Love, God.”

I don’t remember much after seeing the auction sign, but as I pulled into the driveway of a historic farmhouse, I heard God whisper, “This is it.”   I could not believe what I was seeing!  All of the words I had written on that page (now in my desk drawer at work) were now manifesting in real-life, right before my very eyes:  Rockers.  A creek.  It was clearly a historic home, and it was in Lynchburg.  The list continued from there.

I sat for a moment trying to catch my breath, then put my car in reverse and pulled out of the gated drive. When I looked in the rearview mirror, I saw that a truck was pulling in the drive.  I heard God say, “Turn around!” – and of course, I argued once again.  But before I knew it, I was parked in front of that old iron gate and walking over to say, “Hi!” to the ladies getting out of the truck on the other side.  They walked my direction, informing me that the house would soon be going up for auction.  They invited me to come in to see it.

And just like that, I was walking around this 162-year-old historic home during my lunch break,  with tears in my eyes. The whole tour of this 4,000 square foot dwelling immediately felt like HOME.  It felt like GOD.  It felt like PEACE.  If felt like A PROMISE.

I knew it was not happenstance or coincidence.  I knew that God was allowing me to witness the vision He had placed on my heart firsthand, so that my faith in Him would be increased.  So, I took an even bigger leap of faith.  I made a call to my husband.  I told him we MUST go to this auction.  He may have thought I had lost my mind, but like any supportive husband, he entertained my crazy idea and agreed to go.

During the weeks leading up to the auction, I would drive back to that old house again and again on my lunchbreak.  I would anoint the fence row with oil, pray, praise, cry and surrender myself to God’s will over and over again.  I knew this place was going to be a vessel for His glory and without a doubt, I knew it would be ours. This was our PROMISE and no devil from the pits of hell would be able to separate us from God’s PROMISE!

Auction day arrived.  I was absolutely overwhelmed with the amount of people who came out on a chilly October evening.   Dennis was one of the last people to show up naturally, but I had our bidding paddle ready for battle!  We had an amount in mind we were willing to spend, which had its limit as we had our own home and bills to take care of.  We knew that our number seemed impossible because it was about half of the appraisal value of this property, and we would accept it as God’s will if this place was not to be ours.  Still...when two are in agreement, God performs miracles…

They started the bidding process and we raised our paddle, with both of our hearts pounding.  There was dead silence except for the auctioneer.  Then we heard these words:

“Going once, going twice…. SOLD to the young couple in the back row!”

My body surrendered to my emotions as incredulous tears began to fall.  Out of this sea of people who were here, we were the only ones who placed a bid on this place!   God had already ordained, aligned and appointed us to be its new owners.  

From auction day to our opening day of what we named Promise Manor (of course we did!), we had a lot of work and renovations to do.   And when the doors opened, so did the floodgates of heaven’s blessings.  To date, we have hosted over 150 events for our community and surrounding area.  We have had the privilege of being featured in three national magazines, and we love to share our faith and what God has done in our lives whenever we tell our story.

Since opening Promise Manor, I have founded a women’s ministry called “Soul Series” that also meets at our venue, sharing testimonies and building community.  And just as I write this blog, God has opened yet another door of long-awaited promise:  a faith-based children’s book!  Five years in “the Hallway” of making, I am so thrilled to announce that book 1 of a series collaboration with my mother, Tracy, is now available in bookstores and on Amazon. “Allen Family Adventures” teaches children principles of God’s love, faithfulness, mercy and grace in a farm-life setting, starting with the first in our series subtitled “Praying for Wisdom.”

As I gaze back down the long and winding Hallway of Promise from my new vantage point on the other side of the door God opened, I realize now that the venue vision He originally planted in my heart was never just about a venue – it was about a vessel.  Promise Manor is a vessel for carrying out the Kingdom work we were created for…and the hallway was the preparation that needed to happen before God could bring the vessel.  It felt like the journey to this door opening took forever… but HIS TIMING IS PERFECT.  So are His Promises! 

What is your Hallway of Promise?   Whatever it is, praise God in the hallway!  Let Him prepare you for His door opening.  The wait will be worth it…I promise!

About Kayla White

Kayla White is a wife and mom of one little “miracle,” plus one-on-the-way, that God has blessed her with during a journey through loss and infertility which drew her into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. During this time, God spoke promises to her of other dreams that also seemed impossible. While they took a while to come to fruition, Kayla stayed the course and praised Him in the waiting. She is now the founder of “Soul Series” women’s ministry, co-author of “Allen Farm Adventures” children’s book, and the owner of a historic home-turned-event venue in Lynchburg, Tennessee, aptly named PROMISE MANOR. Kayla has learned that God’s promises are always worth the wait! She and her husband, Dennis, reside with their family in the Lynchburg area.

Kayla’s reSOURCEs

“Soul Series” Women’s Ministry, founded by Kayla

“Allen Farm Adventures” children’s book, co-written by Kayla

Promise Manor wedding and event venue in Lynchburg, Tennessee