Testimonials

Below are some examples of the many messages we have received.
They were a blessing to us and we trust that they will also encourage you.
If you have been blessed by Christian House Sitters we would love to hear from you.

Hi!
Thought Id write as we have just said goodbye to a family we house sat for 3 years ago!
They had popped in for a cup of tea & collect their daughter who had been staying!
Since we stayed at their home our daughters have become firm friends over social media! (She left a little note in her room).!
They have  been back & forth to stay with each other a few times, we have shared days out & our daughter was even invited to holiday abroad with the family!
What a delight has come from our 10 day house sit!
Thank you for your lovely ministry!!!

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Dear Ray and Marilyn,
My husband and I recently returned from a house sit (our first) on the Isle of Skye. We had such a fantastic time I wrote a little about it and have submitted it to Woman Alive magazine for their readers sharing holidays section. Their initial response is positive and the piece has been forwarded to the editor. Should it make its way into print I will scan a copy in and send it to you.
Many thanks for creating the opportunity that we have had.
With every blessing

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Dear Ray,
I just wanted to thank you for putting us in touch with _____.
We returned from our holiday yesterday to find our home and more importantly our pets loved and well cared for.
This has been the first time we have been away when I have not worried about our pets and that made our holiday much more relaxing.
______ left us today to continue her travels around the country, but has promised to keep in touch.
If she should ever need a reference,please don't hesitate in asking us.
I have contacted the Church we belonged to before our recent move to Dorset and they are going to put your information on their pew sheet, which will help get your name known in South Gloucestershire.
I shall try to something similar here in Dorset.
Once again thank you and God bless.

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Our first time with CHS was a great success and we'll be in touch again for sure.
God bless and thanks for your help.
Monica & Ernest

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Hi Ray,
We are now on our 6th Housesit!
We certainly have been spreading the word about your wonderful site and continue to do so....its a marvellous service you provide...thank you.
Best wishes

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Dear Ray,
We had a wonderful time house sitting in France, and had the pleasure of meeting the house owners before they left on their trip. It made the trip very special, to meet such nice people, and we found the whole area of France to be very friendly and interesting. The house we were in was beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed looking after it and the garden and watching the veg. we were watering grow! I cannot recommend this site highly enough, and we are now in our second year of house-sitting, with more sits this year to look forward to. I love going to other churches, and feeling part of the community where possible. God bless all involved in this project.

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Thank you Ray & Marilyn for your website.
During our 1st year as members, we have had 6 1/2 months of house-sits - Monmouth (Wales) St Antonin Noble Val (France) and Highfields (Aust).
Each of the homes we sat were unique and special times for us.
We have enjoyed our 12 months travelling since selling our home and we look forward to settling down again when our new home is completed.
Next time we can make our home available for sitters!

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Our christian housesitters were absolutely wonderful. Our little old poodle took about three days to warm up to us after four and half months of spoiling!
Bill and Angela found a local home group and church and are now building in our area!
The neighbours became friends and they shared food, papers, citrus fruit and watched a football match together!
The house was spotless, the fridge full of food which helps when you are jet lagged after a 37 hour journey.
The linen cupboard was neater than when I left!
We had regular email contact and everything regarding the dog and the use of our cars to give them a run was recorded.
We were truly blessed!

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Dear Ray,
Had a wonderful time at a beautiful home in Monmouth early in 09. So pleased to have located such a creative and practical concept. Do trust that an increasing number of folk will use it. I found the whole procedure worked well with excellent communication from the folk whose home I visited.
Thanks for all the work your are investing in this project.
David

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Hello Ray and Marilyn
Just a note to thank you for your helpful website.
It was wonderful to be able to plan a holiday to the other side of the world from home and to see God's hand in fitting it all together.
We obtained the places to go through your website.
Our first place at the end of June was in Exeter where we bought a car. We loved that part of the UK and maybe started off with the best first.
We then went across to Brittany to a rural village near Auray. The folk there are coming to our place in Auckland in February.
Driving on the other side of the road was a bit scarey at first and not knowing any French also was a challenge, but it was a great adventure and much fun. After that we left the car at East Preston and caught the train to London where we rented a flat for three weeks. ( We did try to get a sit or swap but none was available so we advertised on Gumtree and found this Christian Kenyan lady who was going back to Kenya for the exact time we needed a place in London) With the high cost of transport as well, London was the most expensive part, but well worth the time there.
Back at East Preston we picked up the car and had three weeks at a house there. We had hoped to get to see you while we were nearby but didn't manage to find the time.
Our last sit was in Cleveleys and we made good friends with the lady there, having met her earlier while we were in London and then kept in touch while she did her house sit in Wales. From there we visited missionary friends in Glasgow for a few days and had various trips around, and also to the Lake District, although six weeks was a bit long in one place especially as winter was coming on.
Finally we stayed two days in Manchester with missionary friends who work amongst the Arabic speaking immigrants there. We had been wondering how we would sell the car at the end of our trip but when we found out they had no car we offered it to them and they gladly accepted it.
Back home in New Zealand now we are coming into our third summer this year but already talking about where we can go next!
Anyway, thanks again for your website; without it our trip of a lifetime wouldn't have been possible.
Blessings on you.
Yours in Christ

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We have just returned from our first house-sit, which was exactly where I have been longing to re-visit for years-in Monmouth, Wales.
It was wonderful, restful, beautiful, peaceful and like a Christian retreat as the cottage was packed with amazing books which I devoured.
What a wonderful gracious gift of the owners, since letting strangers into your home to stay is not the natural way of the world.
Despite rain, we have been refreshed and replenished!
It would be wonderful if this site was joined by every church everywhere wouldn't it - we could experience each others way of life!

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Hi Ray! Hope this letter finds you well and in good spirits.
I keep forgetting to email you,I've been so busy!
My hosts here in Norwich have been awesome-they have been so kind and hospitable.
I have met most of their friends/neighbours and family.
There is no shortage of people to take me about,should I need things from the shop or to attend church.
Thank the Lord for your organization and I wish you many blessings-now and for the future.
Take care and God bless.

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My, how that 12 months has flown! We will renew our membership on your website - we have really enjoyed the two house-sits we did this year - one in Monmouth (Sept/Oct) and one in St Antonin Noble Val in France last month.
We have recommended your site to numbers of people we have met during our 6 months trip and wish you well.
Best wishes,

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Hello Ray
I had been waiting to tell you how delighted we were with ---- and ---- who sat house for us for a month .
We could not have asked for more considerate and kind people.
We will certainly be contacting you again in the future .
Thank you very much We would like to thank you for putting us into contact with your organisation___ and ____ house-sat our place and helped with the running of our welfare ministry while we were on a weeks break last week.
They were a great help.
Thank you for putting us into contact with them.
We hope that we will be able to connect again in the future.
God's richest blessings on your work.

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I am house sitting at present on the beautiful Coiromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. I am here until the end of August.
The owners are Wycliffe Bible translators and are on a long visit to their supporting churches in USA and UK (mainly), though they are also going to visit church plants and meet up with family!
I am writing this because the website and the idea of Christians house sitting and helping one another in this way is truly amazing.
These lovely people would have had a very difficult time finding someone for five months to look after house and animals (including an aviary, three cats and some 'chooks').
And I feel privileged and helpful to be doing something for the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
People in New Zealand are friendly on the whole and very helpful to visitors. I have enjoyed my visit here immensely and would probably not have been able to come and stay as long as I have without the assistance of your website, so please keep it going.
If you would like to use any of this message in your advertising on your web site, please feel free to do so.

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It was literally four or so in the morning when I originally joined.
It was God that had me up at that weird time of the morning prompting me to not stay at the place we had originally planned on staying at and on which we had made our booking for the stay in London for.
Weirdly, or not so weirdly I guess in the Christian life, I felt prompted to Google literally Christian housesitters! Funny that.
I'm so excited about this "discovery". Funny how you think of a "thing", you talk about it with God (feeling silly sometimes)and he leads you to the "thing". Christian house sitting! Who'd have thought? Fantastic idea. I can't wait for my stint....
Luv & blessings,

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Dear Ray
Thank you for your e-mail.
I am forwarding it to all our ministers for their information.
I trust you are keeping well and that God continues to bless you in your personal witness.
With best wishes
Frank
Revd Frank Retief Presiding Bishop of the Church of England in South Africa (CESA)

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Christian House Sitters is a wonderful idea.
It frees a person's resources for other Christian activities and also reminds us that there are Christians all over the world. I'm glad I came across the website.
Keep up the good work. I have signed up to be a sitter on this new great website and want to encourage others to do the same as well as list their houses. I was very encouraged when I first e-mailed Ray and he said "you just sign up and we pray with you that a house will be added to meet your needs".
This is how we should all live our lives- trusting God that we will be walking in His will and in that He will provide for our needs. Don't wait, sign up now so that God can meet your needs and use you to meet others needs.

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Hi Ray!
Been meaning to write for quite awhile. Just wanted to let you know that everything is a "go" to do a housesit in England. I will be there Jan.Feb.and March and am staying another month to visit family.
I'm so excited and the people that I'm going to housesit for sound just great. They haven't even met me yet and have been so generous(finding someone to drive me to church etc.)
I know that the Lord put me in touch with these people-and only He knows why. I am truly blessed.
God bless you and yours with your wonderful ministry.
Take care.
Have a Sunshine Day!

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Extract from a message received from the Isle of Man
Dear House Sitters
We pay on average £45 / day for professional dog at home help here in the Isle of Man.
Many dogs do not do well with stress in Kennels.
It is a win win situation in helping man's best friend.
Regards

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J..... sat for us the last two weeks while we did a pilgrimage in Israel. She is exceptional, she joined in our (RC) church, prayer group, and with our evangelical friends, when we came home she met us at the station and had a meal prepared. We want to keep her for us!!! but really this is a reference, don't let her go!
Israel is great, but we love the fact that the Protestant sites are different from the Catholic and Orthodox, we met wonderful bothers and sisters from all
We met up with Anglican friends there, and the Palisitinian Christian guide knew his Bible from cover to cover.
But J..... really made the whole thing exceptional..... how do we exsist without the body of Christ, the Church??? rhetorical question.
May we will sit one day, and we hope we can de as well as her, thanks for the idea of house sitting,