Duster
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This Is a time of year when giving is great, I would like to personally thank everyone for this.
I don't normally post things like this or even believe half of them floating around the net however I would like to share with you all a very true story. I know it's true because it deals with my family. Below is an e-mail sent out by my Mother in law, the lady focused in the story is my sister in law living in California. Over the last few weeks as this story unfolded my Wife and I were personally in the middle of the whole thing. This being my wife's sister living several states away, my wife has never felt so helpless.
I can never tell the story better than my mother in law so here is what she e-mailed out to us all this morning:
Yes, merry Christmas Too All
Thank You
I don't normally post things like this or even believe half of them floating around the net however I would like to share with you all a very true story. I know it's true because it deals with my family. Below is an e-mail sent out by my Mother in law, the lady focused in the story is my sister in law living in California. Over the last few weeks as this story unfolded my Wife and I were personally in the middle of the whole thing. This being my wife's sister living several states away, my wife has never felt so helpless.
I can never tell the story better than my mother in law so here is what she e-mailed out to us all this morning:
We all love a good Christmas story, some make us laugh and some make us cry and some make us believe!!!
This is a very true story. It has happened to my daughter.It happened this Dec. 2011 I hope you will forgive me Paula if you didn't want this story told, but I truly believe that the reason this has happened is to spread the word that Gods Grace is still very much alive.
I am going to leave out a lot of details leading up to the main part of this story, and I am going to pick it up in the middle. The story isn't about how or why this happened. It is about the fact that it did happen.
My oldest daughter Paula lives in Fresno California. She has been living there for about 20 years. We have kept in close contact with each other thru the years,and because of the generosity of her daughter ( my Grand daughter, Cortney) and her fiance Artie, I was able to go out there a little over a year ago for my Great Grand daughter, Faith's second birthday. At that time Paula was struggling with some serious financial issues, but they were put aside while I was there and we had the most wonderful time together. I got to spend some quality time with my grandson Cody, and great Grand daughter Faith, and we became the best of friends. It was a
very special time for me. At that time Paula and Cody lived in a very nice home in a very nice neighborhood. Paula was taking in special needs foster children. she loved her special kids and actually at one time wanted to adopt one of the little girls she had in her home for over a year, but that was not to be. She was devastated when that did not work out and the little girl was placed with her grand parents.
Over the next year things went from bad to worse and she lost a major part of her income. Then she lost her home. She rented an apartment but could not keep up with the rent and lost that also. She lost her her job and then she lost her car. It was a snowball affect that she could not stop.
How many of us could that easily happen too? At one time I was in a situation that I had to leave my home and did not have the financial resources to find a place to live. Some very special friends took me in and helped me get back on my feet.Thank-you Daryl and Bonnie with all my heart!!! You were a gift from God and your friendship is the greatest gift ever given to me. You never know how wonderful your family and friends are until you are down and out. At that time I was an emotional wreck and financially devastated. So I know how Paula must feel, and she has a 10 year old son to take care of. I only had me and I had an income.
I trusted God that it would work and and now things are better than I ever dreamed possible. Paula has also trusted God, even though it looked like there was no possible solution to these over whelming problems. She lived with her daughter, but Cortney has a little girl and a baby on the way in a few weeks. . Artie is the only one working so it was very hard for them financially to help Paula. They have been unbelievably generous and supportive of Paula.They have made it possible for her to keep her cell phone so she could keep in touch with all of her family, and bought her a vehicle to drive so she could look for a job.
Paula couldn't get any help from the state as long as she lived with Cortney because they go by household income and since Artie was working she could not get help. Therefore her and Cody moved to a homeless shelter in a hotel. It is a one room motel room for her and Cody. When I found out they were there I was devasdated!!! Broken hearted and had no idea what to do. I prayed and prayed and prayed. She had 16 days to find a job and an apartment and then she had to pay for the room herself or be on the streets.
I called her brothers and sisters and we all got together to help as much as we could. We made sure that Cody would have a good Christmas. Scott sent her money so she could stay in the hotel a little longer and helped with xmas for Cody. Also with gas money. We all helped as much as we possibly could but it was so little and her needs so great!!
Paula found a job transporting mentally and physically challenged people to and from their jobs. It was a blessing and something she really wanted to do. She was so excited to have a job and things were slowly looking up.
But they only pay every 2 weeks so it would be close to a month before she had a full paycheck.And the pay is not that good. She still didn't have first month rent and deposit on an apartment. But she found a nice apartment close to her daughter and they would work with her if she could come up with part of the money.
Okay. Here it comes!!! Here is God at work and here is your Christmas miracle!!!!
I don't have all the details so I am sorry I can't give them to you, but this is what happened to the best of my knowledge.
A very nice lady Paula knows took Cody Christmas shopping yesterday and bought him pants and a shirt and shoes and a jacket. This is someone that was an acquaintance and someone Paula hardly knew. Not a close friend or a relative.
Someone bought a turkey and ham and all the fixings for Christmas dinner for Paula to take to Cortneys to cook a Christmas dinner!!
Then she was called into the office at work or at school and I am not sure which and was introduced to a gentleman she had never met before in her life. He gave her a little box and told her because she has given her life the last 10 years to helping special needs kids and giving so many special needs kids a loving home that he wanted to do something now to help her.
He had her open the box and when she did there was $2200 inside. He told her to get her apartment and utilities and get her car fixed. The car has some major problems. I can't tell you what a miracle this was. This just happened yesterday. Dec. 16 2011
She cried I cried and Melissa cried, and Brandi cried. It took a stranger to do what we couldn't do. God bless you whoever you are. You have our greatest and deepest thanks and blessing. You have to be an angel. You have renewed my faith in man kind. Thank you for helping my daughter and Grandson!!! What a wonderful thing to do.
Now you probably think that is the end of the story! Well read on.
Paula called me and told me that story this morning at 7 am!!! It just made my day. Late this afternoon when she got off work she rushed to the apartment complex with the money to make her deposit, first months rent and get her utilities turned on. When she got there the lady told her she couldn't take her money!!! Paula was devastated and asked if the apartment was already rented. The lady said no the apartment was hers and she could move in right away and that someone had come in and paid all of that for her!!!! She was not at liberty to tell her who did this for her and Paula will never know who this person is, but I'm sure God knows!!!!
She has a long climb back, but she is a good person, and a strong person and a caring person and she will make it. The State is going to help her go to school and then she will work for the welfare dept. helping other people that are going thru what she has been thru.
There is a God, there are Angels, and there are Christmas Miracles.
God Bless all of you and to everyone that has helped Paula THANK-YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU, and there are a lot of you, I thank you with all of my heart!!!!
Have a Very happy Christmas and remember that a lot of people giving just a little adds up to a lot!!
Thank-you to all of my family that pitched in and helped!! You are the greatest. I am so blessed to have everyone of you in my life
Also a great BIG THANKS to Daryl and Bonnie for helping me when I needed it so badly!! you guys are the best friends anyone could ever hope to have!!!! I love you guys!!
I hope this story touched your heart as much as it touched mine. When things get tough just give it to God and trust him. When he closes one door, he will open another one. He has done it for me many times.!!
Merry Christmas Everyone
Debbi
Yes, merry Christmas Too All
Thank You
