Monday, May 05, 2008

Miracle Monday

OK, so I was inspired by Beth's Miracle Monday posts...so I thought I'd share one of my own.

After we adopted D. from Russia, I went to work for the adoption agency we had used. Mistake. Big mistake. Right from the beginning, I sensed that I was not employed by the most ethical of people. Let me back up and say that D.'s adoption went very smoothly and was done "by the book." But, after getting a "behind the scenes" taste of the company, I realized the facilitator we used (which happened to be the parent company of our agency) did not have the best reputation.

So, I was pretty much miserable. Every day.

D. was in child care and, to make matters worse, my hubby and I were commuting an hour and a half ONE WAY every day because his company had been bought out and his new position was north of Atlanta--and we were south. Every day, I would get in the car at 5:00pm and cry all the way home. I despised my job, I hated the commute and the fact that I never got to see the child that I had traveled halfway cross the world to find.

Something had to change.

So, one night, I couldn't sleep. All I could do was pray. I prayed hard. I asked God to make it possible for me to have a job where I could be at home with my son yet still contribute to the financial needs of our family. I laid in bed wide awake perusing my mental Rolodex for anyone in my past that might be able to point me in the right direction. At one point, I thought about an old friend that I hadn't spoken to in at least 6 years. He and I had worked for different associations in the same industry and had come to know each other by sharing ideas and seeing each other at random industry conferences. His name is Craig and, as far as I knew, he still lived in Alabama.
I quickly dismissed that idea because I hadn't the confidence to phone someone up and say "hey-- you need someone to plan events for you? Someone that is working at an adoption agency and wants to work for you out of her house?"

The next morning, I went to work as usual...resigned to the misery of our current situation. I went through my day on autopilot, pining for the time to come when we would once again climb in our vehicle and sit in traffic for nearly 2 hours with our child waited on the other end of town. As was custom, I broke down into tears and told my hubby that I didn't think I could do it anymore.
Then my cell phone rang. I dug into my purse to pull it out and saw an Alabama area code with an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?, " I answered.

"Katie?," said the voice on the other end of the line.

"This is Katie."

"Hey, Katie, this is a blast from your past. This is your old pal Craig. How are ya?"

I felt confused. Craig? How did he? Why was he? How ironic that he would call after I had just thought of him the night before. I looked over at my husband with a look of total bewilderment.

"Katie, I know this sounds a little odd. But, I was wondering if you were working right now and whether or not I could interest you in an opportunity."

This was not happening. Couldn't be.

"Sure, whatcha got?," I anxiously replied while trying to not let on about my utter surprise.

"Well, I'm still with the same association and I'm looking for someone to plan our events and meetings but preferably from their home."

There is no way that he said what he just said.

"Are you kidding me?," I replied in an obviously stunned voice.

Knowing that Craig was a fellow Christian I relayed the story of the past 24 hours to him and he was as blown away as I was. His explanation was that I had "come to mind" the night before and he thought it might be something I'd be interested in doing.

Some speak of this thing called coincidence. I speak of miracles. There is no other explanation for what happened on that January day in 2005. God heard my prayer and it was answered. I am still employed by them today and could not be happier.

***

Check out other Miracle Monday stories over at Beth's place...and feel free to share one of your own!

17 comments:

Beth Cotell said...

Wow! I have goosebumps!

Coincedence? No way!

Another example of God performing a really cool miracle by answering your prayers? Absolutely!

Thanks so much for sharing that. I love it!

fortyb4forty said...

Thank you for sharing that, I love to hear how God works in the lives of others. Its a great reminder of how God provides our every need and works out all of the details.

Denise said...

God is so awesome. Thanks for sharing this precious miracle.

Anonymous said...

Powerful.

burnsie

MelDrop's Corner said...

wow! now that's cool!!

Mia said...

I have such faith that God does hear and answer our prayers. Thank you for sharing this touching experience. It is a miracle.

Donna @ Way More Homemade said...

I love such stories of God's faithfulness. I can completely relate to His faithfulness where work is concerned. TFS!

Melissa said...

We call that a "GOD-incidence" :o)
Amazing and awesome story, though, for certain!

Anonymous said...

GREAT story! I did not realize that you adopted D from Russia. And I am so bummed you were disappointed in the organization you used. My husband works for an Adoption agency -he does more humantarian relief for orphans all around the world. We are considering starting the adventure of International adoption.

Sincerely Anna said...

What a neat, neat story - it is one that I'll remember. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

This is a perfectly-timed, huge encouragement to my heart today! Thank you!
C

Unknown said...

Ooooh! That is just what I needed on a Monday! I have shivers...very VERY cool story! God is so good!!!

Stephanie said...

Awesome story!!! Proof that God really does know our every need and plans for us in our lives. Thank-you for sharing your miracle!

About your former commute, I live north of Atlanta and my husband commutes everyday to I-285. It is a 30 minute drive that turns into an hour and a half!! UGH!

Amanda said...

Wow! That's amazing! Thanks for sharring!

Lori - Queen of Dirty Laundry said...

I have chillbumps. Nope, now I'm crying. What a true, true miracle.

As a Mom who has struggled to stay home with her children, I understand so completely, and I marvel at God's provision for you.

Just WOW.

Beth Twist said...

Oooooooh. Me too... BIG ol' goosebumps. I just LOVE it when God chooses to bless his kids in such a real, tangible way.

Tina said...

That's amazing!!