Sunday, December 28, 2008

AN AMAZING CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

My friend Karen and her incredible honey of a hubby love the life God has given them raising their two oldest granddaughters. Their oldest one is known as Piglet on Karen's blog, FRESH FIXINS. Karen shared this amazing Christmas mirace story involving Piglet on her blog and I just had to share it here:

The weather is wacked, I turned on the AC because it's hot in here. This is the same place that had a cold front blow through and we were in the twenties. Hard to believe isn't it?

But wacky weather doesn't hold a candle to what happened to Piglet this week. I believe that somewhere I have mentioned that my oldest, littlest, likes to keep busy and works at a hip deli. The Newks, Primos, Panera, kind of happenin' place. She works her little keester off.

The night before Christmas she came home and went straight up to Papa, she had a lot on her mind. She called a family meeting. I'm thinking to myself, what's up is she engaged? No, Nannie chill out. Well, it could happen, she's adorable.

What's a Nannie to think?

She was very serious so I quit with the kidding around. I really couldn't believe my ears, you won't either. Piglets story started with her sharing that her bank account was overdrawn. Oh dear not good, sounds like Nannie math. I have learned however to shut up in these sessions and just wait. It completely goes against my nature not to start in with the, "if you can't add and subtract close the stinkin bank account." You know the kind, gentle, sympathetic, approach, NOT. She elaborated that not only was she overdrawn by a hundred dollars she thought that God was impressing upon her to help the children of Africa.

You guessed it, this is the part where I go ballistic and talk about starting out by helping yourself, learn to add and subtract and be responsible with your money. Actually I had overdrawn accounts more than I care to confess, which is why Papa manages the money. My excuse is that I'm dyslexic and easily mess up decimal points. Your not buying that? Neither does the bank. As usual I digress. I should rename my blog, "I digress." This story is not about the dyslexic grandma. It's about Piglet.

Piglet continued, I prayed about what God was telling me, and told Him that if he would help me fix my bank account and give me the money to help the children in Africa then I would do it.

"So today I'm waiting on this man and his daughter and he offers me a tip, and it was a hundred dollar bill!"

" I was so freaked out that I just left it on the table!"

"All the other servers are saying to me, aren't you going to pick up the money?"

"I went back to the table and the man said to me, "You haven't taken your gift."

" I looked at him and said, "Are you a Christian?'

He replied, "Yes, I am" and smiled.

From here Piglet started talking faster. She relayed to the man how she was overdrawn and how she had prayed, and that God wanted her to help the children of Africa. She said that he picked up the tip and placed it into her hand. She continued to wait on them. When he left he pressed a ROLL of money into her hand and said,"This is for the children of Africa, dear girl."

He gave her $800.

In the middle of Mississippi in a deli.

Go ahead, pinch yourself.

Ok so now the dear girl is asking her Pa and her Nan what to do. She says that because of her prayer and what the man said that she thinks the right thing to do is give all of it minus the first hundred for her account to the children of Africa.

Now this is where her Nannie gives her the godly advice.

Actually no, I didn't. I was thinking this girl drives this little funky car and has little to no money and school starts in a couple of weeks and that we could use the help with books. After all if this guy has so much money he can send money to Africa without going through her. I mean shoot fire, this was a god send to help her, wasn't it?

Pa and Piglet looked at me like I had come from another planet. Nannie, she says, "he told me the money was for the children in Africa, he didn't say it was for me."I was speechless.

The girl has integrity. In my heart, I heard, "this is a test." I left the room and went to the bathroom. I have a lot of arguments with the Lord in the bathroom.

Lord why would you do this? "It's a test."

Well Lord, I'm glad you didn't do this to me because I'd flunk.

"Really?"

"Do you think this my last $800?"

"No, Lord, it is not."

I went out of the bathroom and apologized to Piglet. I told her to do what she thought was right. I was of course late, because she and her Pa had already decided that.

With the internet a person can do things immediately. Piglet went downstairs and gave the designated funds to the children of Africa. Minus her overdraft. Immediate obedience.

Somewhere, no credit to me, something has gone very right. This is the child of my daughter, the daughter who hasn't spoken to us in years, the crack addict. This is the child who I have prayed for. I was so humbled. Awed. This child acted with great faith. There is no telling what God will be able to do in her life. Amazing.

And somewhere in Africa, poor children are receiving food, warmth, maybe medicine, and hope. God multiplies gifts. This gift may go on to do huge unimaginable things, that we won't know about until our King comes back for us.

He pressed the gift into her hand, "for the children." and she obeyed.

It's a beautiful thing. Merry Christmas.

From Karen at http://freshfixins.blogspot.com/

2 comments:

~ said...

What a story...what a Christmas miracle! Thank you for sharing it here.

Carole Turner said...

OMG!! I cried! That's amazing! God has all the money we need and he ALWAYS provides! Love it!