This year Jesus showed up for our family in many ways. Here are just a few examples:
After Qyntn's last basketball game in the spring, he left his favorite shoes at the gym. We didn't realize they were missing until 2 days later. I called Jordan High School to see if they had been turned in to lost and found, or if maybe they were still in the gym, but they didn't find them. I told Qyntn that they were gone and he said, "but I prayed we would find them." My heart broke for him. About a week later, I got a call from the school secretary, someone had turned in his shoes! What? We thought they were long gone. I believe the Lord had his hand in this. There have been several other times this year that the Lord has helped Qyntn and I find things we have lost.
From March-May of this year, Ben's company could only afford to pay half of his salary. With inflation sky high, gas prices over $4/gallon, finances were tight. Out of the blue, a check showed up from the IRS with a note stating that we had overpaid on our taxes in 2020. Again, the fingerprints of the Lord were all over this.
In May, I was asked to meet with the Bishop. I was nervous and told Ben that if I got called to be the president of an organization, I didn't think I could do it. Well, I sat down with the Bishop, and sure enough, I was asked to serve as the YW President. Instead of feeling anxious and terrified, I felt calm and peaceful. The Lord, through his spirit, definitely calmed my troubled heart. What a blessing this calling has been in my life. One of the women that I serve with has become a dear friend, and a strength, as I have struggled through many hard things this year.
Holly was adamant that she would not go to girl's camp this year. I prayed that she would change her mind. When I mentioned this to the camp director, she reached out to her, and surprisingly, Holly changed her mind, and actually helped plan camp. MIRACLE! When I was set apart in my calling, I was told I would see miracles, this was one of them.
Dez passed away in July. I offered to put together a video tribute of her life. I definitely felt inspired as I chose music and photos, almost as if she were there guiding me along. Her friends and family were in awe that I was able to capture her life so beautifully after only knowing her for a year. Like I said, I was guided.
At the end of July, Alyssa had 2 seizures and we ended up in the ER on our drive home from Washington. We wanted to get her in to see a neurologist ASAP, but the soonest appointment we could find was in September. I mentioned the issue to a friend, and found out that her neighbor was a neurologist. She talked to him and within a week, we were able to get in to see him. What a huge blessing!
Over the past several years, I have been dealing with anxiety and depression. Over the last several months it has worsened to the point where I struggle to feel joy or even have a desire to get out of bed. My desire to work my job has been especially non-existent. I occasionally gather the energy and courage to put in a few hours, but not very many. But through this, I've found that the Lord rewards even the smallest effort. Miraculously, I have had a continual flow of business coming in, which is unusual, even when I work more consistently. The Lord must have foreseen difficulties in our financial situation. Since October, Ben has only been paid twice. The income from my job has been equal to the amount Ben has not been paid.
For a long time I have wanted to get a water softener. Our friend, Steve, reached out and said that he had one he would give us, if we would come get it from Oregon. We were headed up to Washington for Thanksgiving, so we decided we would rent a truck and bring it back on our way home. Steve gets returns from Amazon that he sells to earn money for the hoop.camp foundation. When he found out that we had not had income in awhile, he offered to let us load up the truck with items we could sell. We loaded up a truck and were able to make a few thousand dollars from the sale of the items. Plus, we got a free water softener, treadmill, and a much needed dresser! The Lord works in mysterious ways. He's been working overtime to bless our family.
My nanny friends from almost 30 years ago wanted to get together for lunch. I was hesitant, because they chose a fairly pricey restaurant, and I felt uncomfortable spending money on myself. That same day, a woman reached out and wanted to purchase one of the items we were selling. She met me in the restaurant parking lot. As she was paying me she said, "my husband told me to give you an extra $10 dollars for being willing to meet closer to our house." I got teary and a little choked up. The extra $10 was the amount that my lunch would cost. I thanked her for being my angel that day and told her to tell her husband that his prompting was inspired. Two strangers, standing in a parking lot in the snow, shared a touching moment that day. We gave each other a big hug and wished each other a Merry Christmas.
The most recent miracle happened on Christmas. I was asked to provide a musical number for the Christmas program. Ben didn't want to sing with me, so I had to come up with something different. A thought came to mind and I decided to act on it. I asked 3 young women to sing with me. 2 of them had not been to church in a very long time. The other was Holly, who goes to church, but doesn't really want anything to do with the church. They all said yes! It was a very special Christmas miracle!
These are just a few of the ways Jesus has shown up for us this year. I know he lives and watches over us. God be thanked for the gift of His divine Son!
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