Fed Ex and other things postal..

These last few weeks have been such a roller coaster for me... I have seen God's faithfulness over and over and yet as the waves have come I have wavered. My health has been the worst it's been in a long time...migraines.... I expect, but these last few months the problems have grown. First it was in my shoulders, so I went to the doctor...who sent me to physical therapy. After a few weeks the pain was not only in my shoulders but in wrists, my hands, my knees...
It's been difficult to sleep, difficult to do many of my normal activities...and with no explanation why. On top of this I have bronchitis and an eye infection....just the icing on the cake ;)

You can imagine I was beginning to feel pretty discouraged... somehow I still needed to carry on with all my normal responsibilities in the midst of all this...

This weekend I finally cried out for help.... I had been carrying the burden alone for so long and couldn't bear it any longer. Sure there were a few people praying for my headaches and even a few for my shoulders but none who knew the full extent of what I was going through or how discouraged I was feeling.

My incredible friends responded faithfully with prayer and scripture, reminding me to take up the shield of faith against the fiery darts of the enemy and stand!

God quickly began to pull me out of the place of discouragement into a place of hope...reminding me that I am in a battle and that He is for me!

You would think that from there my headaches were healed, eye infection went away and all the world was a cheery place...you would think :)
Not so at all.... next I got a killer migraine, somehow my eye infection came back and the bronchitis only got worse! But this time I was ready... I knew my God was in control, that He was good and had a plan...so putting aside my other plans (like going to work) I stayed home.

2 days ago my dearest friend Katherine, a missionary in Cambodia, asked me to FedEx to her her new bank card...she warned me it would be expensive but I had no idea! I got the card from her old address, took it to Postnet, where I regular do my mailing and put it in the FedEx envelope on its way to Cambodia....for 99 dollars!! woah!! So, I had missed a day of work (loss of pay) and spent 99 dollars that wasn't in my budget.... even though I felt God asking me to trust Him...witht all the circumstances adding up...anxiety was building. I got home and cried out to God in a short prayer "God you see"...then I checked the mail :) In the mail was a card from two faithful saints with a check and a prayer, "may the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you." Psalm 20:1...immediately I dropped to my knees in tears....He had seen, He had heard!!!

As exciting as that story is it doesn't end there....after recovering from the joy of what God had done for me... I started going through the rest of Katherine's mail, knowing there were a few other things I needed to deal with for her. Only to find the real card she needed was still here!!! I had sent her, her new credit card....and her new debit card was sitting in my room!!! I desparately ran out of the house back to the Postnet and anxiously asked if my package had already been sent out...my heart sank....it had already been picked up.

After such a huge victory, could I really have another major set back? Could I really just have wasted 100 dollars??!!! The Postnet worker said he would try to get it back from the driver on his next pick up, but didn't think it was likely.... I couldn't give up! Surely...The God who Sees....could still see! And work this to good for me too... so I prayed! I called the FedEx in Canoga Park (the next stop) and they said it would be a few hours but they thought they could pull it for me and I could go down there and retrieve it....ok that was good news as long as I happened to catch it there in time. An hour later I got a phone call from my faithful friends at Postnet... I dont' know how they did it, but they got my package back for me and they didn't even charge me the $15 interception fee! Talk about God's grace!!! The cool part is...the first time I sent the package I wasn't sure if it mattered the weight and so I only had the credit card and a card for Josh to put in, but the second time knowing I could stuff that envelope full... I did!!! :) God did work all things to good, just as He said He would!

"May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; May He remember all your burnt offererings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Save Lord! May the King answer us when we call." Psalm 20