A Name Worth Thousands

Some time in 2016 when I first decided to pursue building an artificial intelligence platform, I looked into buying domain names that ended with .ai. It was really early in the minds of consumers so I was able to buy 2 domains that ended with .ai for about $200 for a 2 year registration. I knew what I wanted to use it for. I wanted to start building my third startup, an artificial intelligence platform to turn customer feedback into actionable insights. However, life be life-ing. In mid-2018, I found out I was expecting and every dream of mine basically ended while I focused on my transition into motherhood. Although my dreams were on hold, I paid to renew the 2 year subscriptions for my .ai domains with the hope that one day I’d be able to use it.

By January 2020, I couldn’t really work consistently due to the lack of childcare for Jaxon so I didn’t have much income. Dave was gracious enough to invite Jax and I to move in with him into his home in Los Angeles. My townhome in Irvine was still under an active lease so I decided to Airbnb it until the lease ended in a few months. This would help me cover the cost of the rent, which I now no longer could afford. Since my home was in a great location with a private attached garage and in-unit laundry, it was fully booked within 2 days of me listing the townhome on Airbnb. I was pumped. I would actually make a significant profit from the bookings since the per day Airbnb market rate for my townhome was significantly more than what I was paying in rent. This booming business for me was extremely short lived. By early March 2020, the cancellations started rolling in as guests expressed apprehension about traveling during what could be a global lockdown. And indeed it was a global lockdown. My townhome was left empty for months. I was no longer living in it but I was still on the hook for the rent since I was still under a lease. 

Some time in Summer 2020, my landlord hits me with an eviction notice and a lawsuit for the back rent. I told her she didn’t need to evict me, I was already out. There was nothing left inside the house, I even gave her the key back. However, she wanted the back rent and threatened to put an eviction on my record if I didn’t pay it off. In hindsight, I probably could have fought the entire case since there was a national eviction moratorium. The fear of having an eviction on my record made me move quickly towards a resolution. I decided to go to the court date, which was in October, and seek a mediator to settle the case. The mediator proved effective as he convinced my landlord to settle the case for half of the back rent. Instead of owing her $7,000, I now owed her $3,500. I was relieved but wasn’t sure where I would get $3,500 from in my current state. I thought about asking Dave for help but I was really embarrassed that I was in this situation in the first place so I didn’t even bother telling him that I was going through eviction proceedings. I just remember going into my car and thanking God for the discounted bill. I didn’t know how I was going to pay it back but I trusted God to show up for me. I also felt like it was the right thing to do. It was the honest thing to do. Yes, we were in the middle of a pandemic and I probably could have argued my way out of paying it but I owed her the money. It was rightfully hers so I needed to pay it off.

Guys what happened next could only be God. There is literally no other explanation. I get home and see an email from someone wanting to buy one of the two .AI domain names that I owned. We eventually settled on $2,500 for it. I could not believe my luck and good fortune. This was a domain that I paid at most $200 for and now I was getting 10x the return. As soon as I received the domain name payment, I transferred the money immediately to my landlord. I didn’t want to touch a penny of it because I felt like God was giving this to me to show me that when you do the right thing, He will always make a way. I was eventually able to pay the remaining $1,000 and had the eviction threat completely eliminated. This was a great thing because I’ve since rented 3 other apartments and haven’t had an issue at all since my record is completely clean.

While this situation seems so small compared to some of the other crazy faith situations I’ve been in, this miracle always stood out to me because of how well orchestrated it was. The Bible says God’s ways are not our ways and this was surely not at all something I could have planned for or anticipated in 2016 when I first purchased the domain. How amazing is it that God could use a decision I made 4 years before to bless me in the season I was now in. It also made me think about the waiting process and how some blessings just take time and are intended for a very specific purpose. Had I gotten that $2,500 a year ago, I probably would have spent it on baby clothes and baby toys. It wouldn’t have meant as much to me then as it did now in a season in which I was in debt to my landlord and facing a potential eviction on my record. Sometimes I feel doubtful about whether or not God is really watching over me and ordering my footsteps, and has a plan for me. In times like this, I know that He does.