It's Raining Dollars!

It's official. A year of blogging and I still haven't figured out how to do it on a regular basis. My last blog was posted a month and a day ago. Fail.

But I bring good news! News which only pertains to myself, but good news alas. In a previous post, way back when, I talked about a passage in Matthew 6, which basically says not to worry about anything, cause worrying is pointless and dumb. Not to mention, it's a sin for lack of faith in God. Anywho, I really need to start practicing what I "preach" (technically write).

A little over a week ago, my friend Daniel Baker and I went to a friends house to do laundry and on the way back to campus we were discussing alot of things we wish to accomplish or do in our lives. I proceeded to tell him how, when I was a senior in high school, I wanted to go to the Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney, Australia for a year upon my graduation at Ozark. It would cost me about $24,000 to attend the school, with no scholarship money available to me, being that I'm American. And I quickly realized within my freshman year of college that I would instead be paying off school bills (which will, unfortunately, well exceed 24 grand) instead of going to Australia. And I told Daniel that it was just a dream quickly faded.

This was his response to me: "So? Don't worry about it. If God wants you to go to Australia, then He will provide the means for you to go."

I knew he was right, but at the same time, I had to be rational about the situation...or did I?

Every year Ozark puts on an event called "Preaching and Teaching Convention." It's a huge ordeal for pastors, teachers, and leaders alike to attend and it's even better for the students since we always get out of class during the convention.

I had the pleasure of meeting one of the attendees, Monday, while I was at work. I was working on an assignment for my Hebrews class when this elderly man came up to me and asked what I was studying. He was a nice and quite jolly man with a contageous smile. We began to make small talk and just before he headed out, he pulled out his wallet, handed me a one dollar bill and said, "Here. Buy yourself a coke!" I smiled and thanked him and chuckled to myself as he walked out.

The next day I had volunteered to sell meal tickets before and after the afternoon main session. Few people were buying tickets, so I just sat and minded my own business, reading a book, when the same old man I met the day before came up to me and said, "Hey. You're the girl who was workin' yesterday!" We began to make some more small talk, he asked me what my name was. When I told him, "Jordan," he then asked, "Does your last name happen to be River?" I laughed at his joke and he then began to tell me about a trip he took to Israel and how he got to see the country Jordan and the Jordan River. And as the main session was about to start, he pulled out his wallet, handed me another dollar bill, and said, "Here. Buy yourelf another coke! My name is Charles Hein, but I go by Bob." I thought to myself, "I like this guy."

The next evening, the choir was to perform at the final main session. I was sitting in my seat, waiting for the session to start, when Bob approached me. We talked some and laughed some and then he asked me, "So are you working your way through school?" I told him how I was a sophomore here at Ozark and he interupted me with, "No, I mean, do you have a job?" Taken aback by his question I told him how I work in the Student Center. He smiled and said, "Well can I help you with your bill?" while at the same time pulling out his wallet, handing me two fifty dollar bills. I was so shocked! This elderly man who I had met not two days ago was handing me one hundred dollars! I couldn't thank him enough for his generosity. And that was the last time I had seen him during the convention.

The next day, students returned to classes and Ozark was back in the norm of things. After my 8 o'clock class I went to the Admin Building to pay off a bookstore bill, but the lady working said I didn't owe anything because all my loans had been applied. Score! Then she proceeded to tell me that a gentleman came in earlier that morning and put $100 to my account, which was now accredited to me, since my bill for the semester was already covered. I knew it had to be Bob. So then I had $202 in my hand. At first I didn't know what to do with the money, since he wanted to help with school bills and I didn't want to spend it on anything other that that. Then I rememberd that I have to pay $130 for choir tour AND my next payment for my accompanist is due this week.

I get to work this morning and find a check in my mailbox from Sunneyvalleytek International Inc. I just about died. Back in December over Christmas break I had ordered a battery for my laptop only to realize, after recieving the battery, that something else was wrong with my computer. It didn't need a new battery. I returned the battery with a promise of a refund check...which I waited to get for a month, to then realize they had the address wrong and it FINALLY came in the mail just today!
God is so good and I thank Him greatly for His divine appointment.

So if He could provide me $240.59 (that's with the amount of the refund check added) in seven days, who's to say He can't provide $24,000 in 2 1/2 years?