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The story of an amazing God's work in our family.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Trust Me

A sweet friend posted this poster on her facebook pages the other day.



It made me smile, and not in the 'how sweet' sort of way.  It was more of a "Yes Lord, I DO hear you." sort of way!

The last few months have been amazing and crazy for our family.

Back in June we moved from Florida to Texas. We came here to be closer to family and for the prospect of a better job market.  We moved into our apartment, got all the boxes unpacked, and then began the tedious process of finding a church.

I had done some church hunting online before we even moved and had narrowed it down to a list of 3.  We visited the first one, and they were some of the nicest people that I've met!  The really loved on us which made us feel very welcome, but I just couldn't 'see' us there. (And yes, I know how bad that sounds!)

The next church we were pleased to find was less than 5 minutes from the apartment.  They met in a school auditorium (which we were used to).  The moment we stepped in I could feel the presence of God.  I was moved to tears and we had been there approximatly 5 seconds!

The worship was incredible and the message was exactly what we needed to hear.  But it was in the stories of some of the members of the church that God really took our breath away.

One man spoke of having moved to Houston to be part of the church.  They had lived on savings for a while and he had been looking for a job.  He went on to say that his dream job was to work for NASA.  He searched their open positions and found one that he was qualified for.  He applied and got the job and was starting soon.

This story inspired me.  I knew that God not only PROVIDES for us, but BLESSES us. 

In my attempts to bring in any income that I could I mentioned to some of the ladies in the church that I possess the ability to decorate cakes.

The following Sunday I was approached by a sweet woman.  She said that she has a home based pie business that sells to a local bakery.  She said the owner of the bakery was looking for some help.

I drove to the bakery and met with the owner, showed her my portfolio and had a very brief conversation in which she offered me the job.

I started out as a bakery assistant.  I baked cakes and cupcakes for the week as well as making a few special treats for the front case.  A few weeks in the 'cupcake' girl quit unexpectedly.   I was asked to take over her position.

A few weeks later the cake decorater left her position to take a job that provided health insurance.  I was asked to take over her position.

I couldn't believe how amazing God had been to me.  He had more than provided for our family. 
More so than that he had given me a chance to proclaim who he was to a group of people who were struggling with what they believe.

The owner of the bakery grew up in church, but after a tragedy in high school she had turned away from God.  The cook was raised Catholic, but wasn't sure what that really meant. My assistant had recently gone through a tragedy herself when her infant daughter was suddenly killed.

God opened doors for me to speak life into these people.  He gave me chance upon chance upon chance to share my experience with peace that passes all understanding.  There were many times where I could tell that what I was saying was hitting home for them.  We had many 'inappropriate' work conversations ranging from peace in this life to the presence of spiritual gifts!

Mid November was stressful.  The owner of the bakery was having trouble making ends meet.  Being that she had three small children at home she had to make some tough decisions.  She decided that the bakery would have to close the store front, but she may be able to continue out of her home.

I braced myself for being unemployed once again.

I received my last paycheck and paid the bills that we had through the end of the month, but a new month was fast approaching and there was literally no money.  I laid on the couch one night and cried and begged God to tell me what direction I was supposed to go.

His response was "Be still."

I reminded him that "still" doesn't pay the light bill!

He again reminded me that he's never once not provided for us.  I reminded Him that we needed at least $400 to pay bills.
Christmas was a few days away and we were spending a lot of time with Mom and Dad as Hef (my brother Jonathan) was home for the holiday.  Still in the back of my mind I wondered how our finances were magically going to take care of themselves.

For Christmas my grandmother blessed our family with $300.  Three days later a friend called me to help her with a wedding cake that was slowly causing her to lose her mind.  She paid me $100.

There it was.  That magic number.  But God had to do one better.  Mark was able to return one of his school books and received a $78 refund. 

I am convinced of His goodness!