Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Donna got a new (to her) oven today!

  This has been a long time coming . . . But I am amazed at how God worked it out, like only He can.
  Donna, this woman I have met at McDonald's, needed a oven.  Donna works at McDonald's.  I'm in there often - for breakfast, for my much needed diet Dr. Pepper, for various meetings with various people and groups.  I am intrigued by the concept of marketplace ministry, so I make the effort to learn the workers names and to say hi to them.  One day, they all sat with me! 
(I often think that the fast food workers of today are the modern day "shepherds" of the Christmas story.)
  I remember that a little before Thanksgiving, I overheard Donna telling people that she and her husband would be going to Golden Corral for Thanksgiving, because her oven didn't work, so she couldn't cook dinner.  At that point, I asked, "gas or electric?" because I thought my husband, Dean might run into something. 
  Around this time, Dean hurt his back and he just wasn't getting better. At some point, I knew, with Dean's hurt back, it was going to take more than Dean and I to help Donna get a oven. 
  At some point, I posted on my facebook page that I had a friend that needed an oven and Joe Horodyski responded that he might know of one.
  Then on 12/4, I posted again that she needed an oven and wouldn't that make a great Christmas project for a small group.  I didn't have any takers.
  So, at this point, this has taken maybe two months.  Perhaps, I should point out here that if I had money and a truck and I could lift an oven by myself, I guess I wouldn't need anyone else.  And maybe things would be quicker.
  Friday, I got a call that Garden Road Baptist church would be cleaning out their old building and it was time for the oven to go.  I alerted Donna, who I'm sure, after all this time, thought she was never getting a stove.
  Saturday, my daughter had an ear infection, so I had to take her to the emergency room.  On the way, I breezed thru McDonalds and saw Pastor Daniel Davis of Covenant Community Church and I quickly explained the situation - the oven was ready, I had no truck, I'm on the way to the ER with Allie, have you met Donna?  Can you exchange phone numbers?  Could you help me?  And I left.  (Allie had a major ear infection, a ruptured ear drum, but she is healing.)
Maybe God needed me to get out of the way . . .
  Well, today, it happened.  Daniel contacted Justin, who contacted me.  Justin had me call JourDan.  I met JourDan at GRBC and someone else met him there to help him get the oven into Donna's.  So the good people of Covenant Community got the Garden Road Baptist Church's oven to Donna.
  How many people did God use to get an oven to Donna:  me, Daniel Davis, Joe Horodyski, Vicki Frame, Justin Mullins, JorDan (with the truck), Andrew and I'm afraid I might be leaving someone else out.  Seven that I can name who did one thing or another to help make this happen.
  Only God can orchestrate getting the oven out of Garden Road Baptist Church's old building by the good people of Covenant Community.  It makes you feel like you are part of a body . . .