Going Home

from Grandma Stories: God’s Little Miracles by LDMahan

There once was a family who didn’t have a home.  They had lived in an apartment.  They had lived in a trailer.  They had lived in one room of somebody else’s house. They had moved thirteen times and lived in seven different cities.  Would you like to live in all those places?  They had seen Boston, Beverly and South Hamilton, Massachusetts.  They had been in Dallas, McAllen, San Antonio and Austin, Texas.  This family really had had a lot of adventures!

The four children of this family were aged twelve, nine, four and two years old, and they really wanted to have a home.  The mother was especially tired and really prayed to God for a home of her own.  Finally, even the dad got tired of moving and they began to look for a house.  The boy wanted a basketball hoop.  The younger girls wanted a trampoline.  The big sister wanted a room of her own.  And the mom wanted a big open kitchen.  They looked and looked, but nothing they could afford was big enough. 

One day while they were in the middle of supper, the phone rang.  It was their real estate agent.  A real estate agent is the person who helps you buy a house.

“Yes. Yes!  We’ll be right there,” said the father.  He hung up the phone and all the kids were herded into the family car for a quick drive across town to see a house that had just become available.  No one put the food away.  No one even looked for their shoes! 

The mom and dad raced across town and arrived at the house just before dark.  That was good, because the lights were turned off in the house and in a few more minutes they couldn’t have seen anything.  But what they did see got them all very excited. 

A big open living room, an extra living/dining area, and four bedrooms – the parent’s bedroom with a large mirror, vanity and bathroom.  The main bathroom had two sinks and a full-wall mirror!  And best of all for the mom – there was a huge kitchen with plenty of room for people to sit around and eat, cook and talk!  Walk-in closets!  A giant-sized yard with trees for hanging swings, a driveway for putting up a basketball hoop, and plenty of room for a trampoline or for playing Frisbee.

The mom and dad made their decision within twenty minutes and got right back in the car to meet the realtor.  That evening, before eleven pm, they had sent a contract and money to the seller of the house, telling them they wanted to buy it.

Now, you may not know it, but buying a house is not easy, even after you find the right one.  Getting through the process is like surviving an obstacle course—if you fall down along the way, too bad, but it you make it over all the hurdles—you get the house of your dreams!

The parents prayed—and the seller decided to choose them over another person who made an offer on the house.  They prayed some more—and the paperwork which had gotten lost was found.  More problems and more paperwork went flying back and forth. 

Finally, nothing happened for several weeks.  The mom had a bad feeling about this.  She drove to the front yard of “her” new house.  She committed this purchase to God.  She asked Him to open the doors that were closed and make a way for her family to have this house—which seemed to be standing there sadly, waiting for them to move in.  She asked His light to come in where there was any darkness.  She finally felt better and went home.

The day arrived for signing the final papers.  The appointment had already been cancelled and rescheduled several times, and the parents’ nerves were on edge. The purchase was taking so long that the family had had to move in with another family and put their things in storage.  What a hassle!  The closing time got closer and closer … 2 pm, … 2:30, … 3 pm, … 3:25.

At 3: 25 their real estate agent walked into the closing office carrying a house plant and wearing a big smile.  Five minutes before, she had just saved the deal from disaster due to yet another last-minute glitch.  Oh my!  The parents gratefully signed the papers and moved the family into their dream house. 

This family learned one more time that, even though their own efforts could not get them what they needed, “With God all things are possible.”

A Boy Far From Home

from Grandma Stories: God’s Little Miracles by LDMahan

The young girl was NOT ready to move far away.  She had been raised in this Ohio city, and knew nothing else.  The world seemed a big, scary place.  But all that was about to change.

College was looming ahead, and the brown-haired senior was not prepared.  She had tried very hard to be responsible, but how could you know what was “out there” before you arrived “out there”?  Unfortunately, after applying to a beautiful, ivy-covered university nearby, there were no funds to attend it. 

Now her father wanted to take her on an exotic vacation even farther away—to MEXICO!  She had never been out of the state of Ohio, never flown in a plane.  The thought of a foreign land made her knees tremble, but since her dad had been there before, she could hang onto his coattails.

The big day arrived.  The plane took off amidst loud, unfamiliar noises, strange uncomfortable feelings in her ears and head, and giddy, electric anxieties mixed with thrill.  Have you ever flown through huge mountains of puffy-castle clouds?  Awesome!  Mexico City was far stranger and far more wonderful than she had imagined.  Huge skyscrapers, ancient museums, cool cave-like cathedrals, and exciting night life.  Maybe going far from home would not be so bad after all.

The return trip was supposed to be routine, but she was in for another surprise—they had to deplane in Dallas, Texas.  Being an inexperienced traveler, the girl had expected to fly straight through to Ohio, but when she found herself on the ground in Dallas, the city where her boyfriend Bob now lived, she was simply struck that she had to see him.  You may know how it is with teenage girls! 

She pleaded with her father.  He checked with the airline clerk—it would be an additional charge of $100.00 each to interrupt their flight.  Dad thought a bit … he looked at his daughter’s hopeful face … he thought some more … then they picked up their baggage and headed for a Dallas hotel!

When she arrived at Bob’s home, she was greeted by his mother and three sisters with hugs and squeals.  It had been a year since his family had moved away from Ohio. The girl stayed with the family, while her father stayed at the hotel. 

She and her boyfriend talked about college life, he showed her a huge book that he had to read in less than five days, then he took her around the campus.  She met with the Dean of Admissions, and counseled with the Director of Financial Aid, all in a whirlwind two days.  Her friend tried to convince her this was the best school on the planet.

After she had returned home to Ohio, however, she began to feel as shy and scared as ever.  Taking an adventurous trip with her dad was one thing; moving to a strange place on her own was too much.  It was too big to decide on her own.  She would ask God.

She got down on her knees on the purple shag carpet of her bedroom floor.

“Dear Jesus, I don’t know what to do.  I’m scared and I have three problems.  First, I need money to go to the school in Dallas.  Second, I need to come back here and to be in my sister’s wedding two weeks after school has already started.  Finally, I don’t know any girls in Texas, so I need a roommate.  I leave it in your hands.”

Within the week a college financial aid officer called.  “We’re offering you all the money you need for school: loans, scholarships and work-study,” she announced.

“Wow!” the girl responded.

When she told her dad, he was very pleased.  “And don’t worry about your sister’s wedding,” he added.  “I will fly you back for that.”

Next, a letter arrived from one of Bob’s university friends.  This girl wrote: “I am in need of a roommate next year – won’t you please come and live with me?!”

So, that is the story of how God led a young girl to the college of her dreams – through an answered prayer and a boy far from home.

A Sermon for Joel

from Grandma Stories: God’s Little Miracles by LDMahan

Have you ever done something that really surprised your parents?  Maybe you have even surprised yourself!  This is the story of a boy named Joel who surprised people by preaching at a young age.

Joel was four-years-old and he had just attended Vacation Bible School at a nearby church.  One day he announced to his surprised mother and his little sister that they must “Sit down, the service is about to start!”  Her son pulled a large stereo speaker to one side of the room as a pulpit and arranged his small Bible on top of it.  The mom, with half a grin on the outside (but a HUGE grin on the inside) pulled up chairs for herself and her 2-year-old daughter, creating a “congregation.”

He opened with prayer.  He taught a Bible story about Peter, using his Bible story book as prop.  Then he lead them in a song called “I will make you fishers of men,” complete with hand motions.  His congregation of two interrupted his sermon and songs with hearty “Amens!” and when he was finished they clapped loudly.

His mother was convinced that she was seeing a future preacher in action!

Many years passed and the boy continued to love the Lord.  He worshiped openly in church, and sometimes adults watched him. He was a witness to his classmates and a good example to his little sisters. 

Later, the family became part of a church group that met in homes.  In this group the children were taught along with the parents, and were encouraged to worship and learn with the adults as much as possible.  One day the pastor of this small group asked who would like to bring the scriptural message the next week, and twelve-year-old Joel answered, “I will.”

Now, his parents were really surprised, but they tried not to show it.  After all, hadn’t they just been teaching the children that the same Holy Spirit ministers to and through them as with the adults?  As the week went by, Joel’s mother prayed for him and for his message, and kept a watchful eye to see if he was working on it!  Saturday came, and she reminded him of his promise to preach the next day.  Without any seeming anxiety, he went into his bedroom and closed the door.  When he came out a couple of hours later, he announced that his message was going to be on faith. 

At this point his mother needed faith--not to get worried on his behalf!  It was no small thing for a twelve-year-old boy to speak to adults, even if it was a small group in someone’s home.  How would he do?

But she needn’t have worried.  He talked about faith from the scriptures.  He told stories of faith and of answered prayer from his parents’ years of preparing for ministry.  His parents were stunned (that means they were so surprised they could hardly speak) at how easily he spoke, and the whole group embraced the message.  His mother inwardly glowed.

Later that same year this boy announced that he wanted to become a ...  doctor.  So, his early preaching was not a signal of his future career, but it was a sign of the touch of God on his life.