At Thanksgiving it is common for us to review our blessings
over the past year, to take stock, as it were, of all that God has provided and
to give thanks. Year after year it
amounts to the same things for me…family, home, friends. This year though, God has shown me what He can
do if we throw up our hands and just TRUST!
So grab your coffee, a blanket and maybe some tissues if you are the
weepy type, and strap in.
Earlier this year, my cousins left their home in Florida to
follow God’s leading to Georgia. They
had nowhere to live, no jobs, no money and frankly, no prospects. They just knew they couldn’t stay where they
were and God had told them that he would bring them to Georgia some day. With 5 bins and two of their three children, they headed north. They stayed a day or
two with me and then went to live with his dad, who was dying.
Their 3rd child had been placed in a home for troubled teens
and was living in Jacksonville. Things
were not good. Things were AWEFUL.
Numerous times they questioned God’s wisdom. Doors were slammed in their faces for jobs
and homes. One day a call came…your son
is sick. You must come get him. Several days later a job offer. Still no home. A sick son.
Hope…
The first day of a new job a call comes in from the
doctor. Your son is very sick and must
go to the hospital right away. We’ll
wait to tell mom until she is home from work.
Thirty minutes in the hospital and the words ring out…CANCER. Your 14-year-old son has CANCER. This is not the end of the story; in fact it
is just the beginning.
That was August 3rd. School was to start in 8 days and there was
still no house. No opportunities for a
family with one job and shoddy credit.
The hospital became their new home and then Ronald Mc Donald House. Where were the girls going to go to
school? Finally, I felt God’s leading to
reach out to my neighbors. I didn’t ask
for a handout, but a hand up. Did anyone
know of someone who would be willing to take a chance? Within
12 hours a beautiful neighbor said that her father had been trying to sell the
house for several years without luck and knew what it was like to have fallen
on hard times. So without a credit
check, dropping the rent $300 a month and working with them on utilities and
deposit, my cousins moved into their new house 3 days before the start of
school. The girls would start, in a
great school, on time. Treatments
continued and the son was supposed to come home, however, there was no
bed. Again I sent a note, and again my
neighbors responded. Within 24 hours a
bed was in his room. Unfortunately, he was not able to come home at that time, but things were starting to take
shape. If that was the end of this story
of blessings it would already be AWESOME.
Again, we are merely scratching the surface.
You remember I said that they arrived with only 5 bins? Well that was summer clothes. Who needs winter attire in Florida? Now they were in Georgia and the weather was
beginning to cool off. One day the
family came home from a day at the hospital to 4 bags of winter clothing and
the grass mowed. Two days later another
two bags miraculously appeared.
The boy FINALLY got to come home after 3 months in the
hospital. Treatment was not complete,
but there was to be a break. Still there
was only a bed for the girls, a bed for
the boy and a futon cushion for the parents.
No couch, no chairs, no dining room table for them to sit at as a
complete family.
One day I was talking with a friend and she shared the happy
news that they had bought a house and were looking forward to clearing out some
things before their move. I asked that
she let me know what she would be getting rid of in case the family could make
use of it. The next thing I know she had
sent a note to the PTA board of the children’s school (she is the President) and the
furniture offers came pouring in. One
child even asked her mom if she could use her $40 in savings to give the family
a Target gift card. Later that same week, Cure Childhood Cancer sent a group of energetic young adults to makeover the
boy’s room, complete with a giant poster of his favorite basketball
player. Now EVERYONE had a bed! The couches and chairs were due to be
delivered the next day. Unfortunately,
the boy got sick overnight and was in the hospital again that next day.
It would be another week before the furniture could be
delivered. When it was, a man was one of
the helpers. He told them that he was a
handyman and would help them any way he could.
So he set about fixing little things here and there. He fixed lights, the garage door, a lawnmower
that we had given them, and many other things.
Then there was the meeting with the person at the church that might be
able to help with some of the expenses.
It wasn’t their usual practice, but as it was nearing the holidays they
would pay their full rent for one month and give them some gas cards. Also, they would be provided a mentor to help
make sure they kept moving forward in a financially responsible manner. Teach a man to fish…
So now they had beds, couches, chairs and a dining room
table. Do you recall those energetic
young people that remade the boy’s bedroom?
Well they decided to adopt this little family and shower them with
love. 200 get well cards for the boy,
visits to the hospital and dinner out with the girls. And if that weren’t enough, the boy was home in
time to receive a Thanksgiving feast provided by that wonderful group!
I have been truly blown away, not by the blessings bestowed
on this family, but by the lessons God has given as a result. God led
this family into the desert. They didn’t
know where they were going, often didn’t know how they would get there, where
they would sleep or eat. At every turn
God provided when things looked most desperate.
When the desert was the hottest and driest, God provided manna and
quail. You see, it is a beautiful
reminder of God’s faithfulness. If we
follow His leading and trust Him fully, He is completely faithful. I do not know what will come of the boy. I do not know if he will walk, live a spirit
filled life or even survive, but I am confident of this one thing... God will provide WHATEVER is needed if we continue to throw up our hands and just TRUST.
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