With less than S$3,000, these newlyweds moved across the world to answer God’s call – and found He provides
by Hannah Lee // July 2, 2026, 10:54 am
"We were going to follow the Lord even if we were fools for Christ," said Richard Alexander David (left) and Debbie Ann David (right) on their decision to obey God's call. They are pictured here with their daughter, Praise, in their Singapore flat. All photos courtesy of the Davids.
In 2022, newlyweds Richard Alexander David and Debbie Ann David were staring at a brand-new Housing Development Board (HDB) flat they had barely finished furnishing.
Yet they felt God asking them to spend thousands of dollars they did not have to fly to Florida in the United States for a Christian conference.
So, even though it made no financial sense, the couple stepped out in faith and booked their tickets to the conference entirely on credit, trusting God to provide.
In the end, they had to dip into the rainy-day fund they had hoped not to touch. But looking back, they see it as God teaching them to place their security not in their savings, but in Him — a lesson that would shape the next season of their lives.
The call that didn’t make sense
Richard and Debbie, both 31, had both felt a calling to America long before they met.
For Richard, visits to Los Angeles in 2017 and a Bethel Conference in 2019 deepened his love for the country in ways he cannot fully explain. Debbie, too, had long felt drawn there after visiting an aunt in Texas at 16.
So when they met and discovered they shared the same burden, it felt like a confirmation of something God had been preparing in both their hearts.
The couple on their wedding day in 2020.
After they married in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic put their plans on hold. Yet the call to America never left them.
During those two years, they regularly tuned in to livestreams of the Jesus Conference, an annual gathering hosted by Jesus Image Church in Orlando, Florida, where believers from around the world come together for worship, teaching and prayer.
Each time they watched, they would be so undone by the presence of God that they ended up weeping on the floor of their bedroom.
In 2022, Richard felt a strong prompting from the Lord to attend the conference in person. And so, despite their financial situation, they went in obedience.
Catching the flame for Jesus
When the couple arrived in Florida for the Jesus Conference, they were stunned. People were queuing from 5am even though the doors only opened at 9am.
“We’ve never been in an atmosphere like that, so charged with the presence of the Lord,” said Debbie. Seeing Christians so on fire for God made them realise they, too, wanted that same depth of intimacy with Jesus.
The couple attending Jesus Conference 2022.
During one afternoon session, students testified about their time at Jesus School, a nine-month full-time ministry training programme founded by Jesus Image Church.
One student said: “You will never regret laying down a year of your life to sit at the feet of Jesus. Jesus gave up His life for you. What is giving up one year for Him?”
As Debbie listened, she felt the Holy Spirit stirring her heart. Tired of running the rat race and striving for the next pay cheque and promotion, she sensed God calling her to sign up for the programme.
She turned to Richard. Tears were streaming down his face.
“We thought we were on fire for Jesus,” said Richard. “But when we got there, we realised we were only like a little spark.”
An answered prayer
Immediately after the session ended, Richard and Debbie made a beeline for the Jesus School booth, only to be told that international students were not accepted.
They were offered the option of enrolling virtually, but Debbie felt strongly that it was not an option. They had to be there in person.
Back in Singapore, the couple shared the burden with friends and family, asking them to pray alongside them for an opportunity to go.
Four months passed with no news. “I started to doubt whether I had heard the Lord correctly,” Debbie admitted.
Then, at 3am on Good Friday in 2023, they received a voice message from a friend they had met at the conference. Jesus School had been approved to accept international students.
Having already quit their jobs, they were ready to go. But there was one more hurdle.
On-time provision
To apply, the couple had to demonstrate to the American government that they had sufficient funds to support themselves, as they would not be permitted to work while studying there.
In total, they needed about S$100,000.
“We were so defeated. At that time, our combined bank account had less than S$3,000. We had no money to even buy furniture for our house,” Richard recalled.
The school encouraged prospective students to raise support through fundraising. Yet God impressed something entirely different upon Richard: “Don’t tell anyone. Don’t do a fundraiser.”
The instruction made no sense, and they wondered how they would raise such a large sum on their own.
“We were going to follow the Lord even if we were fools for Christ.”
However, in a conversation with a friend, Richard was reminded that God never calls His children to do something without also providing what it requires. Deeply convicted, he went home and told Debbie they needed to repent of their unbelief.
“We were going to follow the Lord even if we were fools for Christ,” Richard said.
A month later, on Debbie’s birthday, they received an unexpected call.
Someone whose investment had matured said God had instructed them to give them the entire S$70,000 payout, with no strings attached. If Richard and Debbie wanted to, they could repay it slowly. Otherwise, the money was theirs to keep.
Hearing this brought them to tears. “It was beyond anything we could have imagined,” said Richard. “We knew the Lord was moving.”
On the day applications closed, they were still short by about S$19,000. Though discouraged, they continued praying with thanksgiving. And in the final hour before the deadline, they received more than they needed.
In all, God provided S$110,000.
The couple at Jesus School’s 2023–2024 graduation ceremony, after completing their first year.
By the end of the programme, they had spent almost everything on necessities such as rent and a car. They had to keep surrendering their finances to God. “But the Lord always provided,” they said.
While some students were skipping meals because they had run out of money, Richard and Debbie always had enough food in their fridge – and enough to bless others as well.
Throughout this season, Richard and Debbie made tithing non-negotiable. “The most that we have tithed was when we were unemployed, because we felt the Lord was really shifting our (source of) comfort,” Debbie said.
Re-centred on Jesus
At Jesus School, they were immersed in teaching, worship and outreach. They also served both in church and across the city of Orlando.
Daily life at Jesus School which includes outreach to the community.
Looking back, Richard said the one core thing Jesus School did was to put Christ back as the preeminent priority in their lives.
“Before this, God was a genie for me. I was like, ‘God, I just want this, I want that, give me this, give me that.’ And that was not the point of the Gospel,” Richard reflected.
“Jesus is the point of Christianity. He is the One who came, bled and died to redeem us and restore us into eternal relationship with Him.”
Richard serving at a church service while at Jesus School.
Through their time at Jesus School, the couple experienced breakthrough in many areas of their lives, as idols and distractions that had once taken priority were removed from their hearts.
They left the programme with a strong conviction that, no matter what God calls them to do, their relationship with Jesus must take precedence.
Baby Praise
After their first year at Jesus School, the couple sensed the Lord leading them to stay for a second year.
Once again, they had to prove they had sufficient funds – this time about S$60,000. And once again, God provided through friends and family at just the right time.
In this second year, God also gave the couple a significant breakthrough – an addition to their family.
Having grown up in a broken family, Debbie had harboured a deep fear of starting a family despite Richard’s desire for children. Though many had prayed and prophesied over her about having children, she had shut every one of them down.
One day while serving as an usher, she began weeping as she heard the preacher declare that a baby was coming. As fearful as she was, Debbie surrendered: “I’m so afraid, Lord, but I give You my ‘yes’.”
A month later, Debbie conceived.
Finding out they were expecting.
Unbeknownst to them, God had already gone ahead of them. Weeks before Debbie conceived, Richard had felt a sudden prompting to purchase insurance. Through a friend in the insurance industry, they signed up for a plan costing just US$5 a month.
When their daughter Praise was born, that same plan covered the delivery, leaving them to pay only US$2,000 out of pocket.
Baby Praise was delivered in America.
Waiting on God
Now as a family of three, the Davids were hoping to enrol in a third year at Jesus School. However, they later received news that the course was no longer approved for international students.
The couple returned to Singapore in November 2025, where starting over has been one of the toughest seasons of their lives.
Despite this, both Richard and Debbie have come to understand that instead of tying their future to a specific school or country, they need to hold their plans loosely. It is their obedience to God that matters.
In 2026, the couple began documenting their journey of following Jesus – joys and challenges included – on Instagram and TikTok. Their first video garnered more than 230,000 views on Instagram, and they now have some 15,000 followers on the platform.
The couple share their faith journey on Instagram and TikTok under the handle @we.the.davids.
As they continue to walk with Jesus, they are trusting God to reveal His vision for their family and marriage. While they do not yet know what comes next, they remain anchored to the conviction that knowing Jesus matters more than knowing the future.
“We only want to do what the will of God is. We don’t want to go to America if that’s not what the Lord wants,” Richard said. “Following Jesus is the most important decision we’ll ever make. It is hard. But it is worthy of our ‘yes’.”
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