Danielle's College Provisions

Today I have been praying for my granddaughter, Danielle, and her husband, Darren. They are finishing up their junior year at Southwestern University of the Assemblies of God in Texas. This week is finals and that means late nights of studying and God's help in remembering all they studied.

I'm very proud of these young people. They both have jobs, carry a full load of studies and have made excellent grades. I could hear the tiredness in Danielle's voice when I talked to her last night. "Oma, please pray that my immune system will hold up under this stress and I won't get sick," she pleaded. They are looking forward to May 2nd when their little Dodge Pickup will begin the long trip across the states, bringing them back home to their families.

Danielle lived with me her senior year of high school and it became a "fantastic adventure in trusting Him". (my acronym for FAITH) My income didn't go far enough for all the needs so Danielle and I learned to ask God, wait and trust, and stand in amazement at the variety of ways God met the needs.

I recall Easter weekend of 2006. Danielle really needed something nice to wear to Easter services. I asked the Lord to help me find her a nice blazer within my income. I saw a picture of one in the Penny's ad for $29.95. On Saturday we worked at the Easter eggstravaganza in the morning and then headed to Penny's in the afternoon. We stood by the car and prayed that God would help us find just what we needed. "Lord, it would be amazing if we could get a green blazer but we'll be happy with what you give us," I concluded the prayer. Green was Danielle and Darren's favorite color.

Within minutes we had found the cutest green blazer for only $19.99 and were able to also get a beige one for $9.99. They both had the price of $86.00 on the tags. Danielle and I jumped up and down and praised the Lord right in the middle of the clothes racks. We testified to the sales clerk of God's provision in our lives.

When we arrived home I told Danielle that we needed to put a request in our prayer book for some new clothes for college. She said, "Oma, don't worry about it. I'll be fine with what I have." Her humble spirit brought tears to my eyes because her clothes were really well worn. I wrote the request anyway and on Sunday, June 25th, one of our young Pastor's wives asked us if we would be offended if she gave Danielle some clothes she could no longer wear. We loaded the trunk of my car with shopping bags full of clothes.

After lunch Danielle began a fashion show, modeling the shirts, jeans, dress pants, skirts, blazers, etc that just fit her perfectly. They were the latest style, expensive clothes, just like new. Some of them still had the price tags on them. We did our usual "praise the Lord dance" in gratefulness for God's answer to prayer. A few weeks later, another young lady from the church gave Danielle some slightly used clothes and she left for college with everything she needed, even the terry bathrobe on her college list.

Danielle was asked to give a testimony during our Palm Sunday Musical. She said, "I have a friend that doesn't believe there is a God. I tell him that no one could ever convince me that there isn't a God because I have experienced Him personally."

God wants all of us to put our trust in Him and to experience Him personally. I love Paul's prayer iin Ephesians 3:17-19 "And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love? And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (NLT)