Seventy

Fall break. Tomorrow. One crazy night left, and then four glorious days of nothing. We're about halfway through the semester now; next week the countdown to Thanksgiving begins, then it's only a few more weeks until Christmas and winter break...Where is this year going???

Do you believe in coincidences? I do, in a sense; but I believe that coincidences are God's way of working behind-the-scenes. I think He uses these in a teaching way, just as He uses our screw-ups. Like freshman year, when my grades bombed and I blew a scholarship. That's how I ended up working at the store. And for the last two years I've been digging myself out of a hole that I created for myself, both financially and grades-wise. I'm .05 points away from getting the scholarship back, and the way this semester's going, that should be no problem. But if I hadn't lost it, I probably wouldn't have gotten the job at the store, met the incredible people that I work with and love like my family, and learned about fixing my own problems.

But the problem remains: I am now the proud owner of student loans that I earned myself. At the beginning of this school year, I decided to get a job. But when I looked around campus, there weren't many to be found. One door closed, this one never opened; and two months into the semester, I still had no job. I thought about selling some of my writing for money, but I don't feel confident enough about any of it to actually send to publishers. And there also remains the problem of having no money, which is usually needed when you submit works to publishers. I prayed a lot back in August that God would provide some kind of job opportunity. But so far...nothing.

Until Saturday.

I got an email from a lady on campus asking if I wanted to help out with mailers, stuffing envelopes, etc. I replied that I'd be interested in it and the pay they were offering. I went in yesterday to do my time, and she said that the email was intended for another girl on campus who happens to have my same name. (I've gotten several emails meant for her, and no doubt she's gotten some that were supposed to come to me.) BUT THE LADY PUT ME ON THE PAYROLL ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!! I was sitting sealing envelopes when I thought, This is an answer to my prayer from two months ago!! I still can't believe it! I'd totally forgotten about it, and here I am with a job!!

MY GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!! HE IS FAITHFUL TO HIS CHILDREN AND PROVIDES FOR THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!