Our Testimony Tuesday blog is a user-driven series of stories of how God is working in our daily life. So, we may not see the Red Sea part, or a man walk on water, but we are able to see God's work being done everyday. Join Autom as we share your stories of God's love, wisdom and power. If you are interested in sharing your story, please send us an email at blog@autom.com and you will automatically receive $5 off your next Autom order. Now here is Michelle and her story of the stork.
My husband and I had been married 4 years and were desperate to have children and start our family. I had undergone two surgeries and two rounds of infertility treatments. We were attending a wonderful church and had the best circle of friends that would pray the Lord would bless us with children. Every week at Bible study I felt honored and loved to have these people love us and care for us so much to pray continually on our behalf. My husband and I also had daily Bible studies together. Everyday we put time aside to read His word and to pray together. However, after 4 years of treatment and not conceiving, I was losing hope that we would ever have children.
Then there came the week that my “monthly visitor” did not arrive. This visitor never missed or was late in the passed. We were so hopeful and excited! 1 day, 2 days, 3 days… do I dare get a pregnancy test? No, 4 days…. OK now 5… It must be! My husband encouraged me to get the test. It was negative and the very next day the visitor arrived. I was so upset and angry. I was angry with God. How dare He let other women have babies to throw in trash cans and not let us, a loving couple, have one of his blessings. I cried and cried and let God know exactly how I felt. I SWORE to turn my back on him and never pray to Him again.
That night I had a dream – another message. It was God’s voice washing over scenes of me playing with a child. I knew in the dream that the child was not from my own body but he was my child. God’s voice told me to not despair. He told me that He promised me before that I would be blessed. I felt so much love and happiness in this dream and truly believed that it was God speaking to me… Not from my own body?
My husband and I always had adoption on the back burner. I told him I no longer wished to go through infertility treatments. It was time to listen to God. We met with an adoption facilitator, filled out our paperwork and within 5 weeks of turning that paperwork in a baby boy was placed in our arms. Yes… 5 weeks. God was telling us to stop relying on ourselves and to trust in Him.
We are now the proud parents of two boys. Christopher just turned 11 and my youngest Johnny will be turning 8 in May. Even though things turned out different than what I planned as a newlywed, I would not change it one bit. I love my boys more than anything in the entire world and am so blessed to have them in my life everyday. God is Awesome!
This week's edition of Autom's Testimony Tuesday is one we hold near and dear to our heart because it is about one of our own. Kara is the Catalog Production Supervisor here at Autom and she handles the entire creation of each catalog from being to end. It is a very big task! She just got back from maternity leave and wanted to share her story with all of you.When I was 21 years old, my then-doctor told me bluntly that due to PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) I would not be able to have children. Needless to say, it was a devastating blow, especially coming from a big family and always wanting a big family. But call it instinct or call it wishful thinking, it was always in the back of my mind that I felt I was meant to be a mother, and to experience the miracle of life through pregnancy. So when my husband and I got married, we knew we wanted to try to start a family as soon as possible since I had always had issues when it came to fertility. We adopted the attitude of “doing nothing to prevent it” the first year hoping my system would “kick in”, to no avail.
Then in June of 2006 we had another blow – I went to the emergency room with back pains and ended up losing my left ovary due to Ovarian Torsion. I felt that it was a sign from God that we needed to take the issue a little more seriously, so the operating doctor referred us to fertility specialists. We tried everything… Four years of expensive hormone treatments and medication and injections (since insurance doesn’t cover anything having to do with fertility, they consider it elective), and holistic treatments and charting cycles and ovulation tests… and we still weren’t pregnant. Throughout the whole ordeal I had consistently been praying to different Saints and holy souls for intercession, St. Gerard, Santa Gianna, Venerable John Paul II, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, which of course gave me comfort, but after a while the prayers changed from “Help us get pregnant” to “Help us to accept whatever lies ahead.” We were open to adoption, but felt we weren’t quite being called to that yet. In 2009 we weren’t sure if we could afford it emotionally and monetarily anymore and wondered if we should just accept the fact that we wouldn’t have any biological children.
A short while later I was at work going through samples that we had received of potential catalog items, contemplating and praying about what we should do, when I stumbled across a plaque that said:When the world says,
“Give up,” Hope whispers,
“Try it one more time.”
My eyes immediately filled with tears as I realized that God was with us every step of the way and that we should trust in Him to guide our path. I took that as a sign to “try it one more time.” In early March my sister attended a healing service and took my intentions with her (acted as a proxy since I was unable to make it). The priest who was facilitating the service said that there were two women present who would be holding a baby in their arms by this time next year.
I found out I was pregnant mid-March and my son Carter was born on November 24th, healthy and absolutely perfect. (My sister had her baby mid-December).
I still have that plaque hanging above my desk as a reminder that although we may not understand it, God’s timing is always better than our own.
Baby Carter:
This week's Testimony Tuesday from Autom is a wonderful tale from our friend Danielle. Hearing her story reminds me to always keep an open ear and listen for God to speak to me. We would love to post your story of how God has worked or is continuing to work in your life. Send us your story to our email address at blog@autom.com. My soon-to-be husband and I were planning our wedding and we decided to purchase a house to move into once we were man and wife. I had been working for the same company for 6 years and did not think that would change. We looked around at houses beginning about a month before the wedding date. Just when we thought we found the perfect one, something would prevent us from buying it. This happened many times. We were regular church goers, very plugged in and attended every service and Bible study. We had our circle of friends praying that the perfect house to begin our new life together. We finally found a beautiful home and we were looking forward to our future together.
About a week before the wedding, I had a dream that was more like a story or message than just any regular dream. I dreamt that I was driving home from work when a terrible storm hit. It seemed I was chasing the storm directly to my home… only it was not the home I lived in at the time. I made it just in time to join my fiancé as we sheltered ourselves inside. The storm shook the house terribly, knocked out windows, blew power lines down, tore out trees… Then suddenly it was over and someone was knocking at the door. There were two little boys there; I did not know their significance at that time. As I looked outside, flowers were blooming, the children were playing and there was a rainbow in the sky.It took me a couple of days to try to understand if this was just a dream or a message. I told my fiancé about it and I determined that I was a message. I told him that I believe the message was that there was trouble for us ahead but it would be short lived and our lives would be better in the end.
A week after we were married I was fired from my job of 6 years and therefore could not proceed with the house we finally found. Thankfully, we were able to get our deposit back. We were in a whirlwind of stress over losing my income and realized this was the “storm” God had warned me about in the message. I was hired at a new company within 2 weeks (“short lived"). This job brought us to a new town that we were more than happy to live in where we were able to purchase our first brand new home in beautiful San Diego where the weather was nice and the flowers bloomed. The rainbow represented a promise of a new life filled with our hopes and dreams. It would not be until almost 7 years later that we would understand the significance of the two boys; our 2 son’s through adoption all of which were blessing only to be given to us by God leading to “our lives will be better in the end”.Testimony Tuesday from Autom features stories from everyday people like you and me, who have experienced God working in their day to day life. Have a story you would like to share? Please send it blog@autom.com and we will reward you with $5 off your next purchase. You will then automatically be entered into our quarterly $100 gift certificate drawing!
This week's story comes from our good friend Michelle:
My husband and I, newly married moved to a new town. We had a pet cat that needed surgery shortly after the move. The cat was our “baby” at the time and I was concerned for her. I worked close to home so I checked on her at lunch time and she was doing OK.
When I arrived home however, I could not find her anywhere. I thought perhaps she had gotten out of the house when I stopped to check on her at lunch. I called the landlord to see if he had been there for any reason and he had not been. In a panic, I rounded up the neighborhood kids and asked them to search the neighborhood while I searched the house top to bottom. “She couldn’t have gotten far with that big satellite dish around her neck”, I thought. I prayed all the while as we searched “Dear Father in Heaven, please help me find the cat. She’s defenseless and sick."
An hour went by and it had gotten dark. The kids did not find her. I had searched everywhere… under beds, in cabinets, behind couches… everywhere! I began to cry and shouted out to the Lord “Please help me find the cat!” Right after my desperate cry, I heard a gentle voice telling me to check under the living room couch… as clear as if someone was standing right next to me… “Check under the living room couch." I knew it was God’s voice but still I argued. “I have check behind that couch… how could she get under it with that big thing on her head?!” Again (more sternly this time) “Check under the living room couch." Muttering and stomping like a child I yelled at the voice “Fine, I’ll check and prove she’s not there!” And so I did… I looked behind as I had done earlier and did not see her, “under” said the Lord… Under?!… There’s 3 inches of clearance… Satellite dish… Right! Under. I turn the couch over in frustration and there she was… up in the reclining chair. I do not know how she got up there but my God knew where she was. I praised my Lord and prayed and gave thanks to Him with my husband and the neighbors that helped. Never again would I ignore His voice.
Testimony Tuesday from Autom is back for our first post of 2011. Happy New Year to everyone! We hope you all had a merry and blessed Christmas as well. I don't see a better way to start out the New Year than with a great tale of the generosity that can come when you feel things couldn't get any worse.Just to give you a little background, Teresa is a single mother who works two jobs to raise her two sons. Barely scraping by and living from paycheck to paycheck, she vowed to make this year's Christmas extra special because last year she didn't even have enough to provide her sons with the necessities. Throughout the past few months she had been saving a few dollars a week and was able to get her boys some really great presents that they had been asking for all year. All the presents were wrapped and hidden in her closet in preparation for Christmas morning. Now here is where things get worse.
It was December 11th and I was working my evening job. I got a call from the neighbor and she told me there was a huge problem and I needed to hurry home. I left the restaurant and sped home. As I turned down the street I saw several fires trucks in front of my home. My house was in flames! Nothing could be saved. I lost almost everything I owned. Thank God my kids were staying at my mom's house that night or things may have been even worse.We went to Mass the next day and news of the fire spread pretty quickly through our small town. Friends began offering their condolences and offered to provide meals for our family. Several of the men volunteered to help clean up the debris from the fire and even hauled it off to the dump for us. A few days before Christmas our family was presented with a special offering that had been collected for us. We were so surprised and touched!
We spent Christmas with each other and friends from church. I tried very hard to give my boys the best Christmas by getting them gifts they wanted, but looking back... this was the best Christmas ever. We truly felt the love of Christ from our friends and our church family.
Autom's Testimony Tuesday is here with our final post before Christmas. This Testimony Tuesday is about our friend Joyce. She has followed the example of the Good Samaritan and is a true example of what the Christmas season and giving is all about!
Joyce is a reporter at one of the local Catholic newspaper here in Arizona and has been a great supporter of Autom for many years. After the hostage situation at the Catholic Church in Iraq on October 31st, she was assigned to cover the story. Joyce began reporting on the incident and the overall persecution of Catholics in Iraq. She contacted a local priest from Iraq who not only gave her a lot of information, but also informed her of the increasing waves of Iraq refugees entering the United States. These refugees are fleeing from this war torn land with little or nothing to their name. One of these areas in particular is Phoenix.
When Joyce heard about the large community of Catholic Iraqi refugees here in Arizona she decided she was going to give back. When writing the article for her newspaper highlighting their continued persecution of Chaldeans, she brought the story back home and made our community aware of their need for religious goods and supplies. She then proceeded to contact many of the local Catholic businesses and organizations asking them to help and make a donation to the refugees. On her own time, aside from anything work related, Joyce has been able to gather a great deal of supplies and goods for our Iraqi friends living in Arizona.
As some of you know, modern day Iraq was once was known as Ur, the hometown of Abraham. Ur, now Iraq, is the home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the entire world. We know that Abraham was once a refugee of Ur, fleeing to find the Promised Land in Israel. Now as we look to the present, think about these current refugees fleeing their home in search of freedom from the persecution of religion. Isn't it great to know that there are amazing people like Joyce welcoming them into our country with open arms and providing them with love and support when they probably could not feel any more alienated? Thank you Joyce from everyone here at Autom. You are truly a role model!
We invite all of you, our readers, to please pray for the Chaldean Catholics and indeed all Iraqi refugees. If you would like to help in any way, please contact us.
Thank you and Merry Christmas to you all!
This week's Testimony Tuesday from Autom is a little different from what you have come to expect. This Testimony Tuesday is about the great work of several people on two different continents, half the world apart.
Let me introduce Fr. Raphael Dembele of Mali. Raphael was born and raised in the country of Mali. For those who don't know much about Mali, Africa, it is comprised of 95% Muslims. As the only Christian family in his town, you can image times were tough for Raphael. He stayed devoted and was just recently ordained a priest at his local Cathedral. Through some mutual connections, Raphael was introduced to a couple that lives here in the United States, Chris and Pat. They became aware of his ordination and the struggle he faces living as a priest in this primarily Muslim country. Pat and Chris began raising money through a Women's Sodality to help support Raphael by providing him several new vestments. Pat and Christ then contacted a friend they have here at Autom and told us of their story. With the help of a couple great employees, Bart and Ebonee, we were able to get the Women's Sodality some great vestments at an amazing bargain.
When Raphael received the gift box and saw the Children of the World Chasuble, he actually began to cry for joy. So we write this Testimony Tuesday honoring the great work that Raphael has done and continues to do against all odds in his country of Mali. In his first year since his ordination, he has been put in charge of a great number of ministries including Eucharistic Adoration catechesis, youth training, evangelization, and developing 40 barren acres into a "self-care" project to raise food. We must also recognize the amazing couple who have supported and continue to aid his work. They recently were able to raise enough money to provide his brother with oxen and a plow to work the barren land. Let us pray for both parties and see them as an example of God working in our everyday lives.Attached below is an excerpt from an email Raphael sent to Pat after he received his package:
My dear beloved mom...Being unable to find the right word and proper to express what remains at the bottom of my heart, I still cry this:
- Long live the Lord of lords, Who is forever!
- Long live Lord, Creator and Lord of our lives!
- Long live Lord, the infinite good and eternal glory!
- Long live Lord, the Good, the Wonderful One who makes us happy today!
My mom thank you for gifts. And when I opened the package and saw the Roman chasuble I cried with joy.
I can never thank you enough for always the favors you have bestowed. Thank you so much or thank you a thousand times, not to say that you my deep gratitude is expressed continuously.
Many thanks, for your affection, your support diverse and multifaceted and also for all the prodigious efforts made during my training.
I express a genuine recognition to Father Clement and Doug for their willingness to support me.
To all those who were and are still with me in heart and mind, be they near or far, I translate my deep gratitude.I thank Mother Mary, woman blessed among all the others. She has loved, pampered, and offered me divine grace.
To finish without stopping to think and internalize what you have done for me, I implore the Lord verbally.
"God Almighty in his great goodness fills all of you its thanks to the extent of his Will, his mercy and his love! "
And without really knowing what to tell you more as a sign that your love is palpable and manifest, however, are here and there, my hope to count on you again. In addition, I send you all my gratitude!
Thank you! Your son Rapha
Testimony Tuesday from Autom is back again this week with a story from our friend Sister Julianne. A truly inspirational story of one person that changed so many lives, and now 30 years after her martyrdom, she is still making an impression.THIRTY YEARS LATER: We Can’t Forget!
Sister Dorothy Kazel, OSU: Her Message, Her Mission, Her Martyrdom
by Sister Julianne McCauley
by Sister Julianne McCauley
Bishop Anthony Pilla’s first official act as spiritual leader of the Diocese of Cleveland was to meet the body of slain missionary Dorothy Kazel at the Cleveland airport. Sister Dorothy, a member of the Cleveland Latin American Mission Team in El Salvador, was assulated and murdered by Army assassins on December 2, 1980 along with lay missionary Jean Donovan and two Maryknoll Sisters, Ita Ford and Maura Clark.
Dorothy L. Kazel was born in Cleveland in 1939. After entering the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland in 1960, she was given the religious name Sister Laurentine, an Ursuline nun martyred in the French Revolution. Her evolution from Dorothy to Sister Laurentine to Madre Dorthea reflects her life’s journey as one of passion, joy, service and commitment to the poor in every ministry endeavor she embraced. One of Dorothy’s life themes was reaching out to those marginalized within our schools, our city, our nation and those at-risk from violence and war. In 1967 Dorothy wrote to her superior expressing her desire to help people, especially the Spanish and Indian people to whom she felt a deep calling.
Archbishop James Hickey established a Cleveland mission in El Salvador asking local clergy, religious and laity to serve. Dorothy joined the mission team in 1974. She came to know and love the faith-filled Salvadoran people who lived in extreme poverty and oppression. Dorothy showed women how to care for and nourish their children, taught native men and women to read and write, and trained lay leaders to teach religion as she shared faith and life with them. When the civil war broke out in 1977, professional death squads murdered campesinos, catechists and priests as they destroyed homes, villages and crops. Dorothy worked with the victims and refugees of war. She said, “I could not leave Salvador now…I am committed to the persecuted Church here.” That commitment cost her life.
As she and Jean were returning from the airport with the two Maryknoll sisters, they were all abducted, interrogated, abused and shot by five National Guardsmen. A milk truck driver discovered their bodies in a ditch on the side of the road. He and other villagers clothes and buried their bodies in a common grave marked by a cross made of twigs. On December 4th, the women’s bodies were drawn from the burial site as co-workers and villagers stood watch. At a funeral mass in San Salvador, Jean and Dorothy’s co-workers lifted their caskets to carry them from the church. As the caskets passed from hand to hand, shoulder to shoulder, the villagers climbed on the benches and started to applaud. A crowd lining the streets leading to the airport greeted the funeral cortege with thunderous, triumphant applause. Likewise, as Bishop Pilla concluded the Mass of Christian burial for Sister Dorothy at St. John Cathedral in Cleveland, her casket was flanked by an honor guard of more than 100 priests while thunderous applause burst forth from the 1500 people who attended the funeral.
Dorothy’s ordinary life as a women with the title of Sister was revealed through the tragic impact of her death to have been extraordinary. Her death has been a catalyst for many groups of diverse people to join together to advocate for social justice at local, national and international levels. The Ursuline Sisters continue to serve the people of El Salvador through the Cleveland Diocese’s mission team. Ursuline College established the Sister Dorothy Kazel Center for Global Awareness of Peace and Justice Issues. All religious communities of women were inspired to action on behalf of women as victims of violence. After the murder of another Cleveland Ursuline in 1995, the congregation initiated Women Watch, an annual event commemorating women and children who were victims of violence in Cuyahoga County within the past year.
Death couldn’t stop Sister Dorothy’s influence. Continuing the work of social justice and commitment to the poor is the legacy she has left us. She was a role model living the Gospel to the fullest. Each of us is called to be that too. Dorothy would tell us to rejoice; she has fulfilled her dream to become “An Alleluia from head to toe!”
This week's Testimony Tuesday from Autom comes from our friend Joe. Each week we post another inspirational story of God working daily in our lives. Have a story you would like to share? Send it to us at blog@autom.com and to show our appreciation we will give you a $5 gift certificate when we post your story."Soon after my ordination to the diaconate, twenty-nine years ago, I was handed a list of 30 names and a large pyx full of consecrated Hosts. I was told by our new pastor that the hospital had called and that patients were waiting. I was the only one available to bring our Lord in Holy Communion to them. On the way to the nearby National Orthopedic Hospital in Arlington, Virginia, I kept asking our Lord to tell me what to say to these patients, who would probably be in pain from surgery.
When I asked to see the first patient, the nurse at the station said, “She should be coming out of the anesthesia. She was in surgery six hours ago.” I approached the bed of a twenty-four year old woman who was facing the wall, grimacing in pain. “Do you want to receive Jesus?” I asked.She saw me out of the corner of her eye, and nodded her head. Then it came to me. I told her, “Unite your sufferings with those of our Lord’s on the Cross, for your salvation and for the salvation of those you love.” Then I held up a Consecrated Host from the pyx and said to her, “Receive the Body of Christ.” She said, “Amen,” and closed her eyes.
Then she lay back on the pillow. I saw the beginning of a smile. I sensed Jesus' Presence in her room that day. Her God had come to her. And He was holding her in His loving peace.
Remarkable as this witness was, it happened over and over again, twenty-nine more times! Jesus love for us is endless. His mercy endures forever. He knows our pain and suffering, and our God cares for us. Pray and persevere in Christ. Jesus, we put all our trust in Thee!"
This week's Testimony Tuesday from Autom comes from our friend Janet. A great story about love and promises that transcends our earthly bodies. Want to share your story on the blog? Send your story to blog@autom.com. My husband and I had a Catholic bookstore. We worked together even though he (Philip) had a lot of chronic illnesses and was sick often during our married life. The store gave us a purpose together and we enjoyed our hours together and hated to be away from each other.
I once told him that if he died before me, when he got to heaven (because most of us spend time in purgatory) he had to send me 2 blue roses & the 3rd rose was to be pink or blue, the color to represent the baby that we miscarried. Therefore it had to be in that order -- 2 blue & then the 3rd was to be pink or blue. I had also told him that if I died first, I would do the same.
He died in the hospital after being told that he was medically ready to be released the next morning. On the day of the funeral, I got the baby pink rose, but I completely forgot about the blue roses. A week later on May 1 (the patron saint day for our store) a woman came in and told me that she had gone looking for a blue rose for me (May being Mary's month). I then told her the story that I had asked Philip to send me blue roses. She told me that I would still get one, but I told her the fact that she mentioned it was enough.The next day a man came in the store who had been in once and had put something on hold. On his first visit I told him that my husband was in the hospital but he would be coming home on a Wednesday, so to come on some other day as I might not be around. When he came in again, he asked me how my husband was and I told him that he had died, but I knew he was in heaven because he had sent me a blue rose. The man purchased what he came for and left the store.
On Monday he came back to the store with 2 dozen long stem blue roses & the next day I got 1 dozen pink and white roses. I asked my husband for 2 blue & 1 pink or blue and I got 2 dozen blue & 1 dozen pink.
There is more. When we had the store we always renewed our wedding vows on Tuesday and Philip died on a Tuesday. Also, he was buried on the anniversary of the day that we got engaged.
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.
Isaiah 49:15
This week's Testimony Tuesday from Autom is a truly inspirational story of faith and trust in God. Keep sending in your stories to us at blog@autom.com.
Our son Jack is 21 years old and will soon be leaving home to finish his college degree. Over the past 2 1/2 years he has been living on and off at home and attending a local Community College to save up for this next chapter in his life. To help with the move, his mother and I recently sold him our old Suburban, which is more reliable than his previous vehicle and will give him a decent ride for the snowy conditions he will be facing at school.
Now that Jack is moving out on his own, we felt it was time for him to move onto his own car insurance plan, but we wanted to keep it under our policy since we have a long-standing relationship with our insurance company. When the transition was put into place, our agent noticed a red flag! Jack had received 3 traffic tickets in the last 3 years—two in early 2008 and another one early this year. Not only were his rates going to skyrocket from $55 to over $150 per month, but he could not longer be insured with our company. Even worse, we were going to be forced to sign a waiver stating that Jack did not have permission to drive any of our vehicles.
Thankfully our agent, a dear friend of ours for sometime now, informed me that she was going to look for another company that would be able to carry Jack and would contact us in a few days. Our family, Jack in particular, was very upset with the recent news and we all looked to God for help. We all prayed that night and asked for solutions or at least an ease in the pressure of this financial burden lingering above us.
The following day our agent called with some great news! She had talked to the underwriter on our policy after our initial conversation the previous day and informed her of our situation and long-term relationship with their company. It seems the underwriter found an error in their company’s automated system for dropping customers. Their company’s policy was that it must give the customer at least 35 days notice of being dropped. They missed my son when sending out their notices and his policy is up for renewal at the end of November, which at the time was 33 days. Because of this lack of notice, we are able to sign Jack up his own account under our policy for another 6 months at the current rate of $55/month. And to make it even better, at the time of his next renewal in another six months, the first two tickets will be over three years old and therefore off of his driving record. Our agent did make it very clear that Jack MUST drive more carefully and not get any more tickets. Let me assure you that Jack got the message! Praise God!
The essence of this story is God’s personal concern for each of us, and for our hearts. His mercy triumphs over judgment (see James 2:13). Right now, if you are feeling abandoned or ignored by God, do not lose heart! He is your loving Father! He does want to help you. Call upon Him in faith, and put your trust in His Son Jesus Our Lord. Be not afraid!
Our son Jack is 21 years old and will soon be leaving home to finish his college degree. Over the past 2 1/2 years he has been living on and off at home and attending a local Community College to save up for this next chapter in his life. To help with the move, his mother and I recently sold him our old Suburban, which is more reliable than his previous vehicle and will give him a decent ride for the snowy conditions he will be facing at school.Now that Jack is moving out on his own, we felt it was time for him to move onto his own car insurance plan, but we wanted to keep it under our policy since we have a long-standing relationship with our insurance company. When the transition was put into place, our agent noticed a red flag! Jack had received 3 traffic tickets in the last 3 years—two in early 2008 and another one early this year. Not only were his rates going to skyrocket from $55 to over $150 per month, but he could not longer be insured with our company. Even worse, we were going to be forced to sign a waiver stating that Jack did not have permission to drive any of our vehicles.
Thankfully our agent, a dear friend of ours for sometime now, informed me that she was going to look for another company that would be able to carry Jack and would contact us in a few days. Our family, Jack in particular, was very upset with the recent news and we all looked to God for help. We all prayed that night and asked for solutions or at least an ease in the pressure of this financial burden lingering above us.The following day our agent called with some great news! She had talked to the underwriter on our policy after our initial conversation the previous day and informed her of our situation and long-term relationship with their company. It seems the underwriter found an error in their company’s automated system for dropping customers. Their company’s policy was that it must give the customer at least 35 days notice of being dropped. They missed my son when sending out their notices and his policy is up for renewal at the end of November, which at the time was 33 days. Because of this lack of notice, we are able to sign Jack up his own account under our policy for another 6 months at the current rate of $55/month. And to make it even better, at the time of his next renewal in another six months, the first two tickets will be over three years old and therefore off of his driving record. Our agent did make it very clear that Jack MUST drive more carefully and not get any more tickets. Let me assure you that Jack got the message! Praise God!
The essence of this story is God’s personal concern for each of us, and for our hearts. His mercy triumphs over judgment (see James 2:13). Right now, if you are feeling abandoned or ignored by God, do not lose heart! He is your loving Father! He does want to help you. Call upon Him in faith, and put your trust in His Son Jesus Our Lord. Be not afraid!
Autom's Testimony Tuesday is back this week with another great story of how God is working in our everyday lives. One of our friends Matt is providing this weeks story. We need your stories like this. Send them to our email address at blog@autom.com. We will reward you with a $5 off coupon and you are automatically entered for a chance to win our quarterly $100 drawing. Last week we announced our first winner, Jill! The next one could be you. Take it away Matt!
This story is a few years old now, but I feel its impact warranted a write-up.
Let's set the scene: It's a few weeks before tax season, and the previous year I started my own business. This being my first business, I didn't know much about all the extra costs and legal mumbo-jumbo associated with owning your own company. The only thing I did know was that I was going to owe some taxes seeing as my business barely stayed afloat. How much? I did not know. I sent my tax information to my accountant, who resides out-of-state, and waited in anticipation.
Expecting to owe thousands of dollars, I began to pray asking God to somehow reduce my taxes. After a few days of praying that my taxes would be low, I was reminded of a story my priest had once told us. He said praying in specifics is a better route than praying in generalities. Meaning, if my taxes should have been $5,000 but they were only $2000, I would have no way of determining if God answered my prayer. As opposed to asking the Lord to make my taxes only $2,000 and if I receive my bill for $2,000, then I know that God has heard and answered my request.
So this is exactly what I did. I went online and checked the balance of my bank account. A measly $842 was all I had to my name. For the next several weeks I prayed intensely! God please make my taxes only $842, that is all I have to my name. And that is how I spent my time.... waiting.
It's Monday evening after a long day trying to keep my business afloat and I pull into the driveway. I visit the mailbox before making my way in the front door and as expected I see the letter from my accountant. Talk about a bad day that is only going to get worse. I rip open the envelope, anticipating the impending debt that I just know is going to be hanging over my head. My frantic ripping motion causes the bill to fall to the ground. As I bend down to pick up the paper, my eyes are drawn to a very familiar number, $842. Once finally near my eyes the blur disappears and I can make out the number clearly. I owed the IRS $842.
From that day forward, I only pray for specifics and I cannot tell you how many prayers God has answered for me!
God bless! - Matt
This story is a few years old now, but I feel its impact warranted a write-up.Let's set the scene: It's a few weeks before tax season, and the previous year I started my own business. This being my first business, I didn't know much about all the extra costs and legal mumbo-jumbo associated with owning your own company. The only thing I did know was that I was going to owe some taxes seeing as my business barely stayed afloat. How much? I did not know. I sent my tax information to my accountant, who resides out-of-state, and waited in anticipation.
Expecting to owe thousands of dollars, I began to pray asking God to somehow reduce my taxes. After a few days of praying that my taxes would be low, I was reminded of a story my priest had once told us. He said praying in specifics is a better route than praying in generalities. Meaning, if my taxes should have been $5,000 but they were only $2000, I would have no way of determining if God answered my prayer. As opposed to asking the Lord to make my taxes only $2,000 and if I receive my bill for $2,000, then I know that God has heard and answered my request.
So this is exactly what I did. I went online and checked the balance of my bank account. A measly $842 was all I had to my name. For the next several weeks I prayed intensely! God please make my taxes only $842, that is all I have to my name. And that is how I spent my time.... waiting.It's Monday evening after a long day trying to keep my business afloat and I pull into the driveway. I visit the mailbox before making my way in the front door and as expected I see the letter from my accountant. Talk about a bad day that is only going to get worse. I rip open the envelope, anticipating the impending debt that I just know is going to be hanging over my head. My frantic ripping motion causes the bill to fall to the ground. As I bend down to pick up the paper, my eyes are drawn to a very familiar number, $842. Once finally near my eyes the blur disappears and I can make out the number clearly. I owed the IRS $842.
From that day forward, I only pray for specifics and I cannot tell you how many prayers God has answered for me!
God bless! - Matt
Congratulations to Jill, our first Testimony Tuesday $100 gift certificate winner!!As you may know, we recently started our Testimony Tuesday blogging program. Each and every Tuesday we post another story from you, our customers, about how God is working miracles in our everyday life.
Jill's story is truly inspirational and shows that even when things seem to be at an all time low, God is always there, every step of the way. He can provide blessings in the most unlikely of situations.
Autom would like to send out a big thank you to Jill and everyone else who has participated in the Testimony Tuesday blog! We could not have done this without you!
If you would like the chance to win the next $100 gift certificate, send your story to us at blog@autom.com. When we post your blog we will send you a $5 off coupon to say thank you for taking the time to share your story with us. You are then automatically entered into the quarterly drawing for the $100 giveaway!
Autom's Testimony Tuesday is here again with another great story of how God is working in each and every one of our lives! Thanks Dave for sharing your experience, send us yours at blog@autom.com.
About 9 years ago when I first started teaching CCD at my local parish in D’iberville, MS, I received in the mail some “saints cards” They were very nice and would fit very nicely in a three ring binder that the company would gladly give me for free if I would buy the saint card collection. (I know this because they recently sent me the same package again! I lost the first “teaser’ set in Hurricane Katrina so these were a hidden blessing). Well as a convert my devotion to the saints and to Mary was basically in the Creed only. But one night I was suffering from a bad migraine headache that had been going on for several days. It was one of those that “tortured” me in varying degrees of intensity. After tossing and turning in the bed and unable to sleep I finally got up and went into the living room. I decided to watch TV. And at 2:00 a.m. there is not a lot on TV worth watching. So for the very first time I selected the cable channel for EWTN. They were playing a Spanish movie (sub-titled in English) about the life of St. Teresa de Avila. For over an hour I sat glued to the TV watching this movie. I was fascinated about this woman’s life story. And then I remembered the holy card I had on her. I went to the card and picked it up to read. I read that she was the patron saint of headache sufferers, because she herself suffered many headaches. Again for the very first time I prayed to a saint. I asked very simply “Please Saint Teresa help me with this headache.” I put the card down, went back into the living room to watch the last 15 minutes of the movie. At the end of the movie I realized that my headache was gone. I was pain free. I said a thank you prayer and went to bed.
I woke up in a few hours refreshed and ready for work. As a result of this impact on my life by a saint, I also began to pray to the Blessed Mother for her help. And after a few prayers to Her, I began to pray the Rosary.
Again I say a prayer of thanksgiving to St. Teresa for not only relieving me of my headache but bringing me to the Blessed Mother. And through our Blessed Mother I “found” the Rosary.
And yes I have “discovered” other saints that help me only a daily basis.
- Dave
Testimony Tuesday is back at it again, but we already need your help for next week. For the purpose of this example lets say that the stories we receive from you all is like a river. Well this week that river has run pretty dry. We could call it a stream, but that may be over exaggerating as well. The point is we need your story! There are no rules on the length or content; we just want to get as many great stories of how God is working in our everyday life! Send your emails to blog@autom.com.
That being said, I'd like to share my own story from this weekend, but first I have to give you a little background info. My name is Chris and before taking my position here at Autom I was living and working in San Francisco. I loved everything San Francisco had to offer except for my working situation. I didn't feel challenged enough, and kind of was just skating through life. This last May I flew out and met with everyone here at Autom and immediately knew this was the place for me. The only thing holding me back was my amazing girlfriend in San Francisco. Could we manage a long distance relationship for a year while she finished school? After a lot of discussion and prayer, we decided I should take the position. We also agreed that in order to keep the relationship healthy we should try and see each other about twice a month.
From July until now (the middle of October), my girlfriend and I have been able to see each other on a bi-weekly basis. However, this has begun to dig into our savings accounts and we were discussing the possibility of moving our visits to every 3 weeks. So this last weekend I headed out of PHX heading to SFO to see her, with plans to discuss the matter in greater detail. At this point I was willing to do whatever I possibly could to cut my expenses in order to continue seeing her this often, but in the end if I couldn't afford it, I knew I couldn't go.
After getting through security I head to my gate and hear the airline employee talking about the flight being over sold. As someone who has been doing a lot of flying these past 4 months, I'm typically the kind of person who puts in my headphones and zones out until boarding begins. For some reason, this trip I had forgotten my headphones, but I'm sure glad I did! The announcer was offering a $275 voucher to fly into OAK instead of SFO. I decided to go check out the details and determine if the reward was worth cutting into my 46 hours that I had to spend with my girlfriend that weekend in San Francisco.
This is where God answers my unasked prayers! Not only was I able to get the voucher, which is more than enough for another round-trip ticket, but my new flight into Oakland left only 5 minutes after my original flight into SFO. All said and done, I think I lost about 25-30 minutes of time that I was able to spend in SFO. Our weekend together was great, probably the best one since I moved and to make it even better, I have already booked my next ticket!
A bit less important, but I still feel is worth noting; my returning flight was delayed because of weather in San Francisco. Because of the delay I was able to spend an extra hour in the city and I was also able to meet my uncle who flew into SFO that evening for a connecting flight to Asia. After a cup of coffee and a nice chat I was on my way back to the Valley of the Sun. It's amazing how God provides when you are striving to do His work!
That being said, I'd like to share my own story from this weekend, but first I have to give you a little background info. My name is Chris and before taking my position here at Autom I was living and working in San Francisco. I loved everything San Francisco had to offer except for my working situation. I didn't feel challenged enough, and kind of was just skating through life. This last May I flew out and met with everyone here at Autom and immediately knew this was the place for me. The only thing holding me back was my amazing girlfriend in San Francisco. Could we manage a long distance relationship for a year while she finished school? After a lot of discussion and prayer, we decided I should take the position. We also agreed that in order to keep the relationship healthy we should try and see each other about twice a month. From July until now (the middle of October), my girlfriend and I have been able to see each other on a bi-weekly basis. However, this has begun to dig into our savings accounts and we were discussing the possibility of moving our visits to every 3 weeks. So this last weekend I headed out of PHX heading to SFO to see her, with plans to discuss the matter in greater detail. At this point I was willing to do whatever I possibly could to cut my expenses in order to continue seeing her this often, but in the end if I couldn't afford it, I knew I couldn't go.
After getting through security I head to my gate and hear the airline employee talking about the flight being over sold. As someone who has been doing a lot of flying these past 4 months, I'm typically the kind of person who puts in my headphones and zones out until boarding begins. For some reason, this trip I had forgotten my headphones, but I'm sure glad I did! The announcer was offering a $275 voucher to fly into OAK instead of SFO. I decided to go check out the details and determine if the reward was worth cutting into my 46 hours that I had to spend with my girlfriend that weekend in San Francisco.This is where God answers my unasked prayers! Not only was I able to get the voucher, which is more than enough for another round-trip ticket, but my new flight into Oakland left only 5 minutes after my original flight into SFO. All said and done, I think I lost about 25-30 minutes of time that I was able to spend in SFO. Our weekend together was great, probably the best one since I moved and to make it even better, I have already booked my next ticket!
A bit less important, but I still feel is worth noting; my returning flight was delayed because of weather in San Francisco. Because of the delay I was able to spend an extra hour in the city and I was also able to meet my uncle who flew into SFO that evening for a connecting flight to Asia. After a cup of coffee and a nice chat I was on my way back to the Valley of the Sun. It's amazing how God provides when you are striving to do His work!
Testimony Tuesday is here again with an inspirational experience from Nancy, one of our regular Autom retail store customers. Thanks Nancy for sharing your story with everyone! Help us keep our Testimony Tuesday blogs going. Send us your stories at blog@autom.com.
Just to give you a little background about my life: I am an Italian immigrant who moved to the states when I was 16 years old. Every year I go home to see my family and friends in the south of Italy. As a devout Catholic, I have always dreamed of visiting Medjugorje. After 29 years of desiring to visit Medjugorje and see the Blessed Mother, my dreams finally came true.
This Saturday will mark my 60th birthday. For my birthday, my daughters surprised me with a train ticket from Milano and accommodations to stay in Medjugorje. After spending a few days with friends and family at home in Italy, I boarded a train for Medjugorje. The next morning I woke up early to spend the day in prayer.
At 8:45 AM there were about 25,000 Italians and tons more from all over the world. We saw the visionary Mirjana and then everyone saw the Blessed Mother in the sun. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. Her gown was green, blue and white, and everyone began smelling the scent of roses. Immediately every person in the crowd began crying, praying, or singing Ave Maria! Everyone there joined in on the celebration. For the next 20 minutes the sky near the sun turned green and blue and began spinning around the sun.
My experience is so hard for me to explain to others that I doubt much of this even makes sense. The colors and the smell were unlike anything you could ever experience anywhere in the world. I strongly urge every Catholic to take a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. It will change your life!
Just to give you a little background about my life: I am an Italian immigrant who moved to the states when I was 16 years old. Every year I go home to see my family and friends in the south of Italy. As a devout Catholic, I have always dreamed of visiting Medjugorje. After 29 years of desiring to visit Medjugorje and see the Blessed Mother, my dreams finally came true.This Saturday will mark my 60th birthday. For my birthday, my daughters surprised me with a train ticket from Milano and accommodations to stay in Medjugorje. After spending a few days with friends and family at home in Italy, I boarded a train for Medjugorje. The next morning I woke up early to spend the day in prayer.
At 8:45 AM there were about 25,000 Italians and tons more from all over the world. We saw the visionary Mirjana and then everyone saw the Blessed Mother in the sun. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. Her gown was green, blue and white, and everyone began smelling the scent of roses. Immediately every person in the crowd began crying, praying, or singing Ave Maria! Everyone there joined in on the celebration. For the next 20 minutes the sky near the sun turned green and blue and began spinning around the sun.
My experience is so hard for me to explain to others that I doubt much of this even makes sense. The colors and the smell were unlike anything you could ever experience anywhere in the world. I strongly urge every Catholic to take a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. It will change your life!
Testimony Tuesday from Autom is back with another heartwarming story of how God is working daily in people's lives. Visit Autom.com for a great selection of affordable church supplies and the best value on clergy shirts. Keep submitting your Testimony Tuesday stories of how God is working in your life to us at blog@autom.com. When we post your story, receive $5 off your next order and get entered into a drawing for the $100 quarterly gift certificate.
"My oldest brother Will, an Evangelical Christian, had always been interested in attending seminary, but never thought it was his true calling. For some reason he felt he needed to follow in the footsteps of our father and grandfather and make a career in business. He attended a four year university and received his Bachelor's degree in Marketing, then earned his Master's Degree immediately after. Six years of schooling, two degrees, a family, and several thousand dollars in financial aid debt later, he felt more lost than ever before. Unsure of where to turn, he looked to God for answers.
"He got more involved each week at church and after some time he was ordained a deacon. With the fire of God raging inside, Will began toying with the idea of attending the seminary, but was still burdened with the financial debt he accumulated from his schooling. After spending many hours in prayer and consulting with the pastor of his church, Will decided that he was going to start attending evening and weekend seminary classes. He decided to enroll in one course the next semester and began preaching about once a month at his Protestant church.
"Meanwhile, our grandfather, the business man, received a message from God while in prayer. He was having some issues with his current church, and felt God telling him to accumulate his tithe for a special purpose. Two weeks later our family got together on a Saturday for my mother's birthday. The following day, Sunday, my brother was to preach at his church, so the entire family decided to attend and give him our support. That morning while watching and hearing Will preach, our grandfather heard God again. This was what he had been saving up for. Not knowing about Will's interest in the seminary, that morning our grandfather felt God pushing him to help Will get through his seminary classes. After talking with the church's pastor, he donated $5,000 to help pay for Will's seminary classes.
"My brother just finished his first seminary course, and is enrolled in two more classes that will be starting in the next few weeks. I am so happy that God is using my brother to share His Word."
- Matt
"My oldest brother Will, an Evangelical Christian, had always been interested in attending seminary, but never thought it was his true calling. For some reason he felt he needed to follow in the footsteps of our father and grandfather and make a career in business. He attended a four year university and received his Bachelor's degree in Marketing, then earned his Master's Degree immediately after. Six years of schooling, two degrees, a family, and several thousand dollars in financial aid debt later, he felt more lost than ever before. Unsure of where to turn, he looked to God for answers. "He got more involved each week at church and after some time he was ordained a deacon. With the fire of God raging inside, Will began toying with the idea of attending the seminary, but was still burdened with the financial debt he accumulated from his schooling. After spending many hours in prayer and consulting with the pastor of his church, Will decided that he was going to start attending evening and weekend seminary classes. He decided to enroll in one course the next semester and began preaching about once a month at his Protestant church.
"Meanwhile, our grandfather, the business man, received a message from God while in prayer. He was having some issues with his current church, and felt God telling him to accumulate his tithe for a special purpose. Two weeks later our family got together on a Saturday for my mother's birthday. The following day, Sunday, my brother was to preach at his church, so the entire family decided to attend and give him our support. That morning while watching and hearing Will preach, our grandfather heard God again. This was what he had been saving up for. Not knowing about Will's interest in the seminary, that morning our grandfather felt God pushing him to help Will get through his seminary classes. After talking with the church's pastor, he donated $5,000 to help pay for Will's seminary classes.
"My brother just finished his first seminary course, and is enrolled in two more classes that will be starting in the next few weeks. I am so happy that God is using my brother to share His Word."
- Matt
Testimony Tuesday from Autom is here again! This week we have another story of how having faith in God's blessings really does pay off, no pun intended. Email us stories of how God has worked in your life at blog@autom.com.
Growing up I was never too excited about tithing or giving an offering out of my own funds to the Church. Like any child or teen, I really wanted to keep all of that money that I worked so hard to earn. I didn’t mind giving, as long as it was from my parents’ wallet or purse. This phase continued through college, but after my husband and I got married, we decided that we were going to both try and be better givers. Little by little we were starting to notice more blessings in our life when we gave freely.
Fast forward 5 years into our marriage. My husband and I now have two kids and we are living off of his salary which wasn’t much. Barely scraping by and living paycheck to paycheck, we continued to offer our 10% to God. We did the best we could to provide all the necessities for our family. After a few financial issues (a car accident that wasn’t our fault, and my husband getting hurt at work) we had $152 in our bank account to last us another eight days. We talked about skipping our tithe that week at church and making it up to God after he got paid the following Friday. I had this unsettling feeling after the conversation. Something wasn’t sitting well with me, and I knew it wasn’t the enchiladas. I knew God didn’t want me to do that, and that if I gave willingly and faithfully He would provide.
Three days later, I wrote a check for $150 to our church. Signed and sealed, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to our family. We had $2.37 in our bank account and an empty kitchen to last us the next 5 days. The following day after my husband left for work I decided to check some side job listings on craigslist, but couldn’t find anything. Stressing out a bit, I decided to talk a walk with the kids down to the neighborhood park. On the way home I stopped by to check the mail box and received God’s answer.
Inside the pile of junk mail was a letter from the IRS. A little hesitant to read what the letter had to say, seeing as I had no money and they probably wanted more, I began. The letter went on to detail that because we had our daughter the previous year that we were entitled a larger tax refund than we had received. Enclosed with the letter was a check for over $1800. Now try and tell me that God isn’t great!
Growing up I was never too excited about tithing or giving an offering out of my own funds to the Church. Like any child or teen, I really wanted to keep all of that money that I worked so hard to earn. I didn’t mind giving, as long as it was from my parents’ wallet or purse. This phase continued through college, but after my husband and I got married, we decided that we were going to both try and be better givers. Little by little we were starting to notice more blessings in our life when we gave freely.Fast forward 5 years into our marriage. My husband and I now have two kids and we are living off of his salary which wasn’t much. Barely scraping by and living paycheck to paycheck, we continued to offer our 10% to God. We did the best we could to provide all the necessities for our family. After a few financial issues (a car accident that wasn’t our fault, and my husband getting hurt at work) we had $152 in our bank account to last us another eight days. We talked about skipping our tithe that week at church and making it up to God after he got paid the following Friday. I had this unsettling feeling after the conversation. Something wasn’t sitting well with me, and I knew it wasn’t the enchiladas. I knew God didn’t want me to do that, and that if I gave willingly and faithfully He would provide.
Three days later, I wrote a check for $150 to our church. Signed and sealed, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to our family. We had $2.37 in our bank account and an empty kitchen to last us the next 5 days. The following day after my husband left for work I decided to check some side job listings on craigslist, but couldn’t find anything. Stressing out a bit, I decided to talk a walk with the kids down to the neighborhood park. On the way home I stopped by to check the mail box and received God’s answer.Inside the pile of junk mail was a letter from the IRS. A little hesitant to read what the letter had to say, seeing as I had no money and they probably wanted more, I began. The letter went on to detail that because we had our daughter the previous year that we were entitled a larger tax refund than we had received. Enclosed with the letter was a check for over $1800. Now try and tell me that God isn’t great!
Enjoy Autom's latest edition of our new Testimony Tuesday blog. Let us know how God is working in your life. We would love to share your story! Please send your stories to blog@autom.com.
"It always amazes me how strong a child's faith can be! Everyone has heard the Bible verse Mark 10:1, 'Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.'
Having grown up going to church since before I can even remember, I have heard this verse paraphrased in more ways than I can even recall, but I never realized the truth of this statement until I had a child of my own. Earlier this summer, my 6-year old daughter Faith and I were out shopping on a Saturday at Costco for some groceries, when this mammoth redwood playground set weighing in at a whopping $1,250.00 catches her eye. Like any normal child, the sheer size and functionality of this thing blows her mind to the point where she must have it. Today!
Like any parent, I had to burst her bubble telling her that we didn't have the money and I also faced the dilemma of letting her down easy. As my parents always told me, I recommended that she pray and ask God to provide her with the playground set. That night when her mother and I were putting her to bed, Faith asked if we could pray and ask God to give us the money to buy the playground set. So we did, and for some strange reason she seemed very convinced that God was going to answer her prayer.
Later that night, while getting ready for bed my wife and I were discussing the events that just unfolded. Not thinking about the faith that our daughter Faith possesses, we referenced the event as nothing more than a great learning experience for her and to teach her to always look to God for answers.
The next day was like any Sunday; we attended Mass and then went out to lunch with my folks following the service. We were not home more than 20 minutes when we receive a knock on our side door. Very few people come to our side door, aside from family and friends. It just so happened to be a very close friend and our next-door neighbor Tom.
Tom was standing at the bottom of the steps with a huge grin on his face, looking rather mischievous. He asked me to get my wife and Faith, and bring them over to his house because he had something to show us. Low and behold, sitting there in the back of his Chevy pick-up was the exact playground set that Faith had prayed about the night before. He said, "I hope you don't mind, but I was at Costco today and I saw this playground set and just couldn't stop thinking about how much Faith would probably like it." Like a brick hitting me on the head, I recalled the events that took place the day before and was completely blown away!
This event happened just a few months ago, but I have already seen and reaped the rewards from this experience. Seeing my daughter, who is only 6, have such strong faith in the Lord has completely revived my life. She was so confident that God was going to provide her with whatever she asked of Him. I can see her faith is much larger the size of a mustard seed and because of that she is already starting to move mountains in her life.
Sincerely,
Dan, Sarah, & Faith"
We hope you are inspired by Dan's story of returning to that child-like stage of faith. Have an inspirational story of how you God is working in your life? Send it to us at blog@autom.com.
"It always amazes me how strong a child's faith can be! Everyone has heard the Bible verse Mark 10:1, 'Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.'Having grown up going to church since before I can even remember, I have heard this verse paraphrased in more ways than I can even recall, but I never realized the truth of this statement until I had a child of my own. Earlier this summer, my 6-year old daughter Faith and I were out shopping on a Saturday at Costco for some groceries, when this mammoth redwood playground set weighing in at a whopping $1,250.00 catches her eye. Like any normal child, the sheer size and functionality of this thing blows her mind to the point where she must have it. Today!
Like any parent, I had to burst her bubble telling her that we didn't have the money and I also faced the dilemma of letting her down easy. As my parents always told me, I recommended that she pray and ask God to provide her with the playground set. That night when her mother and I were putting her to bed, Faith asked if we could pray and ask God to give us the money to buy the playground set. So we did, and for some strange reason she seemed very convinced that God was going to answer her prayer.
Later that night, while getting ready for bed my wife and I were discussing the events that just unfolded. Not thinking about the faith that our daughter Faith possesses, we referenced the event as nothing more than a great learning experience for her and to teach her to always look to God for answers.
The next day was like any Sunday; we attended Mass and then went out to lunch with my folks following the service. We were not home more than 20 minutes when we receive a knock on our side door. Very few people come to our side door, aside from family and friends. It just so happened to be a very close friend and our next-door neighbor Tom.
Tom was standing at the bottom of the steps with a huge grin on his face, looking rather mischievous. He asked me to get my wife and Faith, and bring them over to his house because he had something to show us. Low and behold, sitting there in the back of his Chevy pick-up was the exact playground set that Faith had prayed about the night before. He said, "I hope you don't mind, but I was at Costco today and I saw this playground set and just couldn't stop thinking about how much Faith would probably like it." Like a brick hitting me on the head, I recalled the events that took place the day before and was completely blown away!This event happened just a few months ago, but I have already seen and reaped the rewards from this experience. Seeing my daughter, who is only 6, have such strong faith in the Lord has completely revived my life. She was so confident that God was going to provide her with whatever she asked of Him. I can see her faith is much larger the size of a mustard seed and because of that she is already starting to move mountains in her life.
Sincerely,
Dan, Sarah, & Faith"
We hope you are inspired by Dan's story of returning to that child-like stage of faith. Have an inspirational story of how you God is working in your life? Send it to us at blog@autom.com.
This Testimony Tuesday, we wanted to share a story that really hit home with everyone at Autom. One of our customer service representatives submitted this inspirational story about her best friend and the power of prayer! Remember, send us your story for your next Testimony Tuesday and get a free $5 gift certificate.
“My best friend Yoanna is a Mexican citizen currently residing in Arizona. She has lived the majority of her life here, while her husband has lived and worked in our state for over 10 years. Just over 2 years ago Yoanna gave birth to her first child, a son. Young Carlos, an American citizen, was given a greater opportunity than both of his parents and seemed to have the ‘American Dream’ well within his reach. But all that seemed to change two months ago.
“While making a right-hand turn, Carlos' father was pulled over for failure to use a turn signal. As most of you know, SB 1070 is the Arizona state law that allows police officers to ask for legal documentation of residency. Obviously Carlos' father, being an illegal immigrant, did not have the legal documentation the police department requires. He was immediately arrested and placed in jail, awaiting deportation. A month later, Yoanna, who was already without her husband, received another blow of bad news. Her son Carlos began walking very strangely and appeared to be in severe pain with each step. Yoanna took Carlos to the doctor, who diagnosed him with neuroblastoma, a rare and cancerous tumor, near his hip.
“With her husband in jail and her son facing a terrible disease, Yoanna turned to her friends and family. I spread the word about Carlos and Yoanna's situation with my fellow co-workers. We organized fund-raising events to provide Yoanna with some help against the financial burdens she faced. Most importantly, we began to pray for young Carlos, that God would lay His hand upon this beautiful child and remove his tumor. We also prayed for Yoanna, that she might be filled with God’s strength to continue being the great mother and wife she has proven to be. Lastly, we prayed for Yoanna’s husband, that he might return to her side so they could fight this battle together, as a team.
“After several weeks of prayer, we received news that Yoanna’s husband would be released from prison! The judge also awarded him a working visa, so he could help support his family through this strenuous time in their life. This rare situation is truly a sign of God's work. Yoanna’s husband was just released last Friday, September 10th, 2010, and he was able to see his son and wife for the first time since the diagnosis.
“Carlos has been through three sessions of chemotherapy and is showing signs of improvement and recovery. He should be released from the hospital today for one week, and will then return to the hospital for his fourth round of radiation. The doctors are very optimistic that Carlos is going to fully recover from this tumor.
“I have always been a firm believer in the power of prayer, but seeing these results is proof that God is listening and watching over us. Please continue to pray for Carlos and his family as he finishes up his chemotherapy.”
- O
Please post any prayers, comments, or words of encouragement in the comments below and we will forward them on to Yoanna.
We need to hear your story about how God is working in your life. Send your story to blog@autom.com and if posted, you will receive $5 off your next order and also be entered into our quarterly $100 gift card drawing!
“My best friend Yoanna is a Mexican citizen currently residing in Arizona. She has lived the majority of her life here, while her husband has lived and worked in our state for over 10 years. Just over 2 years ago Yoanna gave birth to her first child, a son. Young Carlos, an American citizen, was given a greater opportunity than both of his parents and seemed to have the ‘American Dream’ well within his reach. But all that seemed to change two months ago.“While making a right-hand turn, Carlos' father was pulled over for failure to use a turn signal. As most of you know, SB 1070 is the Arizona state law that allows police officers to ask for legal documentation of residency. Obviously Carlos' father, being an illegal immigrant, did not have the legal documentation the police department requires. He was immediately arrested and placed in jail, awaiting deportation. A month later, Yoanna, who was already without her husband, received another blow of bad news. Her son Carlos began walking very strangely and appeared to be in severe pain with each step. Yoanna took Carlos to the doctor, who diagnosed him with neuroblastoma, a rare and cancerous tumor, near his hip.
“With her husband in jail and her son facing a terrible disease, Yoanna turned to her friends and family. I spread the word about Carlos and Yoanna's situation with my fellow co-workers. We organized fund-raising events to provide Yoanna with some help against the financial burdens she faced. Most importantly, we began to pray for young Carlos, that God would lay His hand upon this beautiful child and remove his tumor. We also prayed for Yoanna, that she might be filled with God’s strength to continue being the great mother and wife she has proven to be. Lastly, we prayed for Yoanna’s husband, that he might return to her side so they could fight this battle together, as a team.
“After several weeks of prayer, we received news that Yoanna’s husband would be released from prison! The judge also awarded him a working visa, so he could help support his family through this strenuous time in their life. This rare situation is truly a sign of God's work. Yoanna’s husband was just released last Friday, September 10th, 2010, and he was able to see his son and wife for the first time since the diagnosis. “Carlos has been through three sessions of chemotherapy and is showing signs of improvement and recovery. He should be released from the hospital today for one week, and will then return to the hospital for his fourth round of radiation. The doctors are very optimistic that Carlos is going to fully recover from this tumor.
“I have always been a firm believer in the power of prayer, but seeing these results is proof that God is listening and watching over us. Please continue to pray for Carlos and his family as he finishes up his chemotherapy.”
- O
Please post any prayers, comments, or words of encouragement in the comments below and we will forward them on to Yoanna.
We need to hear your story about how God is working in your life. Send your story to blog@autom.com and if posted, you will receive $5 off your next order and also be entered into our quarterly $100 gift card drawing!
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