The Miracles

At inkling's request (especially since I think she'll really appreciate these), let me explain the recent miracles...

The first one was indirectly for my benefit. I think all my readers know that my wedding is actually going to be in Mexico. This was the best choice for a variety of reasons, but it does severly limit the number of people from my side who can attend the wedding. All of my immediate family (parents, siblings, and siblings spouses and children) will be there, and just a few good friends. Mostly, I'm ok with this, but you know...

There is one couple in particular that I am very close to - I'll call them the Faithfuls. The Faithfuls have been to Mexico several times themselves, both with the church missions teams, and once for a personal visit with their 4 kids. They are about 10 years older than me, but through different ministries we've served in together and the fact that Mrs Faithful and I helped each other lose a bunch of weight a few years ago, we've become very close. They know FB personally and are so excited that we are getting married. Ever since I told them I was engaged, they have planned on coming to the wedding, and trusted that God would miraculously provide the money for them to do so. You see, their only income is from Mr Faithful working for our church. All year, I've trusted that this would work out fine....until the last couple of weeks. The wedding is getting close; they needed to be making plans. But they still didn't have the money.

Until Thursday, that is. When they received a check from friends that was expressly for the purpose of airfare to my wedding!
(Post script on that - they've since had a family member offer to come stay with all 4 kids for the whole time they are gone!)

I was so excited. You see, since so few people can come to my wedding, the few who can are really important to me. And the Faithfuls have been there for me through this whole process, and know and love FB themselves.

When Mrs Faithful and I talked on Friday, still so excited about it all, she told me how one advantage to not having much income is that you have a lot more opportunities to see God miraculously or creatively provide. She was encouraging me because she knows how little money FB and I currently have, and are likely to have in the coming months. Just last Monday, FB told me that he had been paid even less than we expected.

This conversation turned out to be the precursor to miracle number 2.

A few weeks ago, I was told I needed a major car repair. A repair that cost near $900 (and would have basically wiped me out at the time). That day I was crying at my desk too, but from stress and anxiety. Money is tight enough for the two of us - this was too much.

A couple of calls later, I decided to take it to a mechanic near church, who thought he could do the repair for about half that price since he happened to have the part on hand. I gratefully thought that was God's provision.

After looking at it himself, he decided the part in question just needed a good cleaning, not replacing. He said the repair (which included some other tune-up type stuff) would now come to about $200, and I could take my time getting him the payment. I very gratefully thought that was God's provision.

Now jump ahead to Friday afternoon (just after that conversation about God's provision with Mrs Faithful). I called to find out the exact amount I owed. And was told I owed nothing at all. "Consider it a wedding gift." Wow. From almost $1,000 to nothing at all. God is so good.