A New Van! (x2)

For the last few months we had been searching for a replacement for our 2001 Chevy Express 15-passenger van. Since we calculated that we will need a 15-passenger for several more years, we needed to upgrade sooner rather than later. Well, a few weeks ago, we found the perfect new van! It's a 2010 Express with a bigger engine, FlexFuel, better mirrors, and other exciting additions. We got several thousand dollars for our old van as a trade in. It's perfect for our family!

Then, yesterday, the dealer contacted us to get some paperwork straightened out, and mentioned that our old van had been sold - to a family with 12 children who have been looking everywhere for a good 15-passenger van! The father drove almost 6 hours to get it, and was very happy with it.

2 answers to prayer for 2 families! How cool is that? :-)

losing things...

So the title doesn't really make sense, but I was never a good title-maker...

I don't lose things that frequently... ok, maybe that's a little too relative, but I don't lose things as often as the other females in my family :P .

However, if I do lose something... here comes "terrific" (as in terrifying) frenzy.

I look EVERYWHERE for that one object... notebook, nail clipper, guitar pick, special eraser, ... occasionally my cellphone or permit, etc., whatever.  It's awful.  I look in every place possible... even the places impossible.  At least, that's what it feels like.  And it often happens when I most need it (of course, that's because you only find out when you need it).

And I've noticed, my problem with losing the object wasn't as big a deal as getting upset about HOW it got lost.  I would always try to figure out who was the culprit of misplacing my necessity, why did they misplace it, and of course, where did they misplace it.  Sometimes, I made the mistake and sometimes others and sometimes no reason could be found for its disappearance or misplacement.  Regardless, I got upset.

Honestly and shamefully, I confess I showed my frustration in an un-Christ-like manner.  In fact, it has happened soo many times, I got fed up with myself.  It's obnoxious to both me and those around me. I wondered how in the world I was going to stop sinning in this area.  Kind of hard when I can't force myself not to lose things.

*ding ding* Why not just ask God to help me find my things?  He never said we couldn't do that!  It would save both me, the innocent bystanders, AND God, the aggravating grief.  

And what do you know?  When I started asking God to help me, HE ANSWERED.  That's not to say, I sat back and waited for my lost things to come floating into my hands, "Ooo, thanks God, that was easy."  No, I still did my part, but calmly asked Him before I started searching, "God, please Please PLEASE, help me find ----. I need it pretty soon but I have no idea where it is.  I'm sorry if I misplaced it and I'm sorry I wasn't more careful, but please help me!"  And I knew I would find it.

Sometimes, within 5 minutes I will find that "thing".  It's amazing, I didn't even have to ask every single person in the house if they had seen it.  Nope, God knew where it was and helped me find it. It saves time and effort.  Other times, I realize in a couple minutes, "Ok, this isn't working, but I don't have to worry.  I'll find it later."  And on my next attempt, I will find it in <30 seconds, or even maybe "chance" upon finding it.  It's so amazing, it's weird.

It's mind-blowing to think, "Wow - God just stooped down to help me find my guitar pick... the little plastic chip no bigger than a memory card... why in the world did You do that, God?"  Why? Because He is faithful to His promises.  He will never back down on His Word:

Mark 11:24 (ESV)
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Soli Deo Gloria,
~CJ

RA Job

Reviving this blog!!!  :D :D

If you didn't know - I'm a research assistant at CollegePlus! and have been for almost 2 months (wow, it feels like it's been forever and yes, I'm the one who's probably editing your template, hehe).

I have heard several times that people applied for that position and it wows me to think God allowed me to be selected for that position.  I know Erica (my boss) prayed over the situation and she says she doesn't hire someone until she gets the "go-ahead" from God to do so.  (We've been praying for a degree consultant and God just answered with the perfect person at the perfect time, when another degree consultant was transitioning to a different department - hallelujah!)

It's also funny (and embarrassing) how I asked God to give me the job, but didn't really expect Him to answer positively.  In fact, I was planning on it not working... yes, I know shameful.

I wonder how many times I've done that and God might have said, "Alright then.  Since you don't believe I'm going to give it to you, I might as well not.  It's not all that glorious if you get something that you didn't have faith for."  Maybe that's not the best way to guess at what God is thinking, but it definitely reminds me to BELIEVE I have received and not worry or keep asking like He won't answer me ALWAYS.

Mark 11:24 (HCSB)
Therefore, I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for -- believe that you have received them, and you will have them.

Soli Deo Gloria,
~CJ

Fridays.

Every Friday, and often Thursday night as well, both my parents and my only older sibling are gone. This leaves me "in charge" of my grandma who has Alzheimer's, and my three younger siblings. I have sort of come to dread this day as it can be rather stressful and hectic.

I told this to Miss CJ, who greatly encouraged me and offered to pray for me.

Guess what..? This Friday has been the best yet! It's my little brother's birthday, so I made a cake for the party tomorrow. And by God's grace and through Him alone, I didn't get frustrated with my grandma at all. :) Which... if you've ever helped someone with Alzheimer's... it takes a ton of patience. ;)

On top of that, my little siblings had bunches of fun watching a military exercise that had helicopters flying very low right over our house, and dropping men who parachuted into the lake across the street. This went on for several hours, with two copters containing 6 parachuters each coming and dropping about every ten minutes. So that added a special fun twist to the day which kept my siblings occupied and happy... when they weren't decorating the house with paper snowflakes and snowmen cut out from Christmas wrapping paper. :D (I'll let you guess whose idea that was)

Anyways, I am ever so thankful to God for answering my prayers and giving me a happy day. ;)

Contentment

This is something I've been praying for for a long time - specifically contentment in my current life situation. It's so easy for me to get caught up in the "what-if"s and the "I can't wait until"s and to become dissatisfied with where I am in life now. It has been a gradual process and it is still a continuing battle, but God has been granting me more and more contentment. It's a great feeling to simply do what God has set before you in the present - and feel excited about it! :-)

~Mac

My prayers have finally been answered :D :D

After much contemplation and prayer over how to raise funds to buy a newer ultrasound machine for our Center, God placed one right in front of us FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!!! Our ultrasound is almost as old as me- that says a lot! All we wanted was a newer one, not a 2011, just a newer one. If you've ever read up on prices for ultrasound machines, you'll understand how expensive they are. Well, we need not look any further! We're getting a free 2004 ultrasound machine!!! God has been blessing the Center so greatly in so many ways, I'm sure 90% of my prayer request posts will be about it! Praise and thanks be unto God!

Before they call I will answer . . .

Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.
(Isa 65:24 ESV)

That verse sums up my answered "prayer request." Not sure I can exactly call it a prayer request as I didn't even begin to pray, and it was already answered! You see, where I work at, a pregnancy center, our Ultrasound Technician staff is decreasing because one of our Technicians is pregnant and soon to deliver. This worried me as I knew we'd be short on Technicians and doing Ultrasounds for free is a great need there at the Center. We'd be down to just one technician! Even before I started to actually pray for another volunteer Technician, lo and behold, one of our former Technicians came back! She is undergoing training again to get the hang of things, and Lord willing, we won't be underhanded! Plus, I found out we have a backup Ultrasound Technician too! Praise God for knowing our needs and answering even before we can utter words!

HHHUUURRRAAAAHHHHH!!

Ok, so I've been under the misunderstanding that my cousin accepted Christ several weeks (maybe a couple months) ago.  But, I have been under the correct understanding that my uncle has not done so.

But does it matter?

NOPE! *insert big grin here*

This morning (before I replied to Mac's comment, sorry) my Mom was able to talk with my uncle about Christ a little more.  And both he and my cousin prayed and accepted Christ as their Saviour!!!!! Praise God!! :D

We'd been worried about my uncle, because we didn't want to present the Gospel in a manner that he would reject. And we really wanted to do it when he was ready and not push him.

The cool part? My uncle was "ready" and open about a week ago. He was just confused about Baptism and "praying the prayer".  He thought you had to be baptized to be saved. He'd even asked to be baptized in America! (which, btw I'll record). But you can't blame him for not knowing, because my Mom only had been telling him bits here and there, hoping to give a thorough presentation when the opportunity came.

It came this morning. I don't know the details, but after my uncle prayed, Mom said he was silent for such a long time and suddenly began weeping, he was so touched.  Oh how I wish I was on a 3-way call, then.

It's so wonderful how God has been working in my relatives' hearts. We've all been waiting to see this happen for over a decade... and it FINALLY HAS!! :D

And God's timing is always perfect.  My uncle and were just considering whether or not to let my cousin into some Youth Communist organization.  It's not to say you can't be a Christian then, but it's so much harder if you're bound by that.  Little to say, we're relieved my cousin came to Christ before going into their hands. God is so good. Can I get an amen?! :D

Soli Deo Gloria,
CJ

P.s. I'm gonna send contributor invites to all the followers of this blog (that I have email addresses of), so yeah - heads up. :)

Guidance for the Future

I know I already posted a bit about this, but something else happened yesterday that was so neat I want to post on this topic again! I have been praying about the future and that God would show me what I should do for my career and for my ministry. I have talents in music and audio recording and production that I know God has given me to use. I was just having trouble figuring out exactly how I would get into such a competitive industry, and how I would attract clients. I didn't have a sense of whether He wants me to use them as a ministry, as a part-time job, or as a full-time job.

This is where the answered prayer comes in. :-)

A few months ago I scored a movie for some friends of ours and they were very impressed with it. They've been talking about me and my work to a lot of people :blush: and they heard about a couple who work for a ministry that uses media to reach people in other countries and in the US with the Gospel. They invited me to a presentation that these people were doing. As they presented their ministry and the work they were doing, I got very excited - I could see the vision and also how my God-given skills could be used to minister to others! I talked with the husband, who is an executive producer, and he mentioned several jobs in the ministry that match my abilities (and my Life Purpose Statement! :-) ). He also said that they offer internships, and gave me the info that I need to follow up. I'm going to keep praying about it, but God is definitely showing me that He has a purpose for my talents and that He has a plan to use them for His glory and work! Very encouraging and exciting :-)

~Mac

Visas

The U.S. does not want Chinese people to enter their territories. There are several reasons, most of which I don't know. If it's because they don't want to be over-populated, they should have some mercy on China and let their people in.

Anyways - my uncle, aunt, and cousin (the same mentioned in the School post) have wanted to visit America for longer period of time to improve my cousin's English. What better way than total immersion? 8-) One of the bigger problems, excluding costs, was the visa application. Even though my uncle is my mom's brother, it's pretty impossible for relatives to get even tourist visas, unless they're your spouse.  And if you're rejected by the US Embassy, bye bye. You are not gonna get another chance at visiting the Land of Opportunity.

The scary part: you know the ambassador interviewing you and investigating your application? Your chances are completely in his hands (Please, don't accuse me of blasphemy! I know God is holding the ambassador in His hands). If he's grumpy, you're shot. If he had some nice coffee in the morning, congratulations, you're in.  Just like that. It's such a delicate balance. They're watching you too. Anything hinting you're not telling the whole truth, bloating about salaries, status, social networking, etc. and the like, completely negates your attempts.

The session itself is 4 hours and very grueling. I won't go into detail about how my mother and I quintuply checked all my relatives information in their visa applications online (which had numerous bugs driving me up the wall!) before the actual session. I knew my cousin's family was nervous. My immediate family was nervous (I don't think my Mom, sisters, or I slept), which was wrong, because we had prayed and given up the situation into God's hands.

You don't have to guess. My relatives were accepted!! Everything went smoothly. The interview itself was only 30 minutes long, in which my uncle answered several strange questions (like how many cars his company sold in one week :-/). I know it increased my aunt and cousin's faith. And my uncle is definitely beginning to think there might be a God up there.  And He is :) . Praise God for working a miracle!

The tickets are bought and they're coming in ten days!! I'm so so so so excited. :D

Soli Deo Gloria,
~CJ

In a Rut...

I know no one has posted here in quite a few days... But just about every day, and sometimes more than once a day, I try to think of what I could post here. What prayers has God answered for me recently?

Sometimes it seems like we're stuck in a rut, a daily routine of praying for something, but it doesn't seem to help, and God seems to have gone on a vacation from listening to us. It might even become hard to feel His presence in our lives at times, just like He's gone away, out of site. But even if we can't seem to see Him or feel Him or reach Him... we can know... We can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is there! Why? How? Because He promised us so.

But why would God ever allow us to feel that way, like He's far away? In many cases, I would suggest that He's testing our faith through it. There have been times in my life where the world seemed to be crashing down around me and it was trying to bring me down with it, and to top it all, God seemed far away. But ALWAYS... Every single time in situations like that... When I ran to my Father and poured out my heart to Him and pleaded with Him to help me draw closer to Him that He might draw closer to me... Always - He answered. This doesn't mean He would always perform a miracle and fix whatever situation I was in right away... But He would assure me that He is the Father who gives only good and perfect gifts (James 1:17), and that He had a plan for all this which would be far better than anything I could fathom.

Yes, I know this blog is mainly for posting specific answers to prayer... But I just wanted to encourage you all... and myself... and put out one of those reminders that at least I seem to need waaayy too often: God is good. He lets us fall in ruts for our good. And He has and does and always will answer prayers.

God Bless,

Essie

Internet

This morning my dad worked from home, and it was a crazy morning - he was on the phone a lot helping people fix problems. In the middle of one call with a lady, our internet died. From past experiences - when our internet dies, it won't come back on right away, it will stay down for hours. I knew that would make my dad have to drive into town (he can't work without internet) and it would be an unnecessary trip (plus gas is expensive :P ) So I just prayed and prayed that the internet would come back on soon... and in about 2 minutes IT DID!!! Halleluyah!!! (and thankfully, the internet company is coming to fix our internet - hopefully for good - this afternoon :D )

Shalom,
~India

Finally...!

I can't believe I forgot to post this earlier... But after studying since November of last year, I am FINALLY done with Western Civilization I!!!!!!!! :D

Believe me, this is a HUGE answer to prayer. I went in to test last week and God blessed me with the (passing!) score of 57 :) I am now halfway through my Sophomore year in college! So I'm excited. And ever so thankful to all you out there who helped me out, and encouraged and prayed for me. I thank God for you! You are such a blessing to me! :)

God Bless,

Essie

Come On!

Ok - here's a plug, people! JOIN us! Let me know if you want to be a contributor to this blog. :D

Also - note to current contributors, Essie suggested we tag "big" and "little" answered prayers when we blog.  I know all answered prayers are a blessing to us, but it'll help with organization. :)

Blessings!
~CJ

It's RAINING!!

:D :D
*is dancing with joy*
It's raining, praise God!  And it's a nice slow steady rain, that won't wash away all the good dirt and mulch we just distributed.

Here are some pictures! :)

Sorry it isn't that good quality... I don't know how to take pictures of rain :P .

Soli Deo Gloria!
~CJ

School

In China, you have those nasty entrance exams and processes for getting into Middle School and High School, the same way you get into college in the US.  It costs more, too.  And the good schools are just as hard, if not harder to get into.  Why? Because, you need "connections/ fame" and money to get into the good schools.

There's an excellent and prestigious middle school in the district my 12yo cousin lives in, that her parents supremely wished for her to attend. During the last few weeks of classes, a committee selected the top students for 2nd Railroad Middle School (I know, strange name).  She had good grades, good scores on entrance exams, etc. but not good enough to get into the school.  After a while, the committee went through again choosing more students to fill up open spots.  It's tough, like I mentioned.  My uncle and aunt don't have connections with officials, CEOs, and whatnot, and they're not filthy rich.  So, we all prayed that God would have mercy on my cousin and let her be among the students of the second "pool".   She and her mother are new Christians, and they've been taught that whatever we ask of God, He will answer.  They were told that, but they'd never seen it happen.

And guess what?  Several days ago, my Mom got an email (in the middle of the night) that Lili was accepted to 2nd Railroad Middle School! :D WHOOT!! and PRAISE GOD.  :D

God answers prayers! :)

I've got another post coming up about my cousin's family... that most of you probably know through Buzz :) .

Soli Deo Gloria
~CJ

School and Job Questions/Worries

If any of you are like me, you have occasional bouts of worry - worry about school, work, future, etc. I've been going through one of those recently - I still don't know exactly what God wants me to do after I complete my degree, and I'm having a hard time focusing on school (which is going very slowly right now because I'm in a sort of gap between tests and final classes). Needless to say, these items have figured prominently in my prayer life over the past few weeks! Funny how much more you seem to pray when life isn't going according to your plan (or if you have no plan) :-P

I really wasn't discerning any obvious answers. Until the last few days.

I got an email with answers (or at least next steps) to several of my education questions. I researched jobs and found some that are promising opportunities when I'm finished with my degree. But even more than that, I received a bit of the peace that passes understanding. It was like God was telling me, "I have a plan for you - just because you can't see it right now doesn't mean that it isn't there." It's a wonderful thing to be free of fear and worry, knowing that God is in control! And when He answers some of your questions - well, that's icing on the cake :-)

~Mac

And more rain . . .

Where I live, we have been experiencing a great drought. Very bad drought. It's unusual, and it has been detrimental- causing wildfires. Every morning at work, the staff and volunteers gather around to pray before starting the day. This time, I prayed for rain, that God would give us the rain we needed. Right after I finished praying, I went to my office and heard the downfall of rain! It was so exciting to see how quickly and timely God's answer to my prayer was, and not only me, but all the others who voiced prayer for rain. It may not have been much rain, but I am thankful God answered prayer!

Sunday Morning...

A lot of you know that I usually play the organ for church. Well, this Sunday, my brother who usually plays the piano wasn't going to be able to attend the morning service due to work... So the pastor's wife began to practice with me, but was/is not feeling well at all and couldn't make it through the first song. Her son took her home. That left me to play the piano. O___O Now I've played the piano for around 9 more years than the organ... But I find it much more difficult to play for church services.

So the pastor and I started practicing the songs. We both messed up here and there. He asked me if I was okay, and I replied I was - just really tired. The feeling was mutual. My cup of coffee-mixed-with-an-entire-packet-of-hot-chocolate-mix didn't seem to be extremely helpful.

Finally, as we stumbled to the end of a song, he set down his hymnbook and said, "We haven't prayed yet, let's go do that now." Whoever happens to be at the church early enough usually meets in the pastor's office and prays sometime before the service. My brother was there as he didn't have to leave till after Sunday School, so the three of us went in and gave it all to the Lord.

The rest of the practice went comparatively well.

And the service was noticeably better than practice had been. :)

It is my prayer that my actions, such as playing instruments for church, will bring glory to God and not myself. The answers to those prayers are seldom visible - But I know that God has everything orchestrated perfectly, and He can and does use everything for His glory. So I can know for certain that my prayers are being answered!

God Bless,

Essie

RAIN!!

I know lots of my friends need rain in their states.  So it's been on my mind a lot. We need a some here in NC, too. And guess what? IT RAINED YESTERDAY!!!  It poured for several minutes, lightning, thunder, a little hail, and they whole rigamarole... so awesome. Too bad, I was sleepy :P .  But God answered my prayer. Now our garden has been feeling better, today :) .

I'll will be praying for everyone else, too :) .

~CJ

P.s. Sorry about double posting :P .

Kid's Bible Study

I guess I'll start :-/ .

I've been leading the kid's Bible study (it's actually kind of like Sunday school on Friday night with kids from our cell group) for about half a year now. I've been pining to teach the kids so much and I felt as thought I hadn't taught them as much as I'd like.  It's especially hard since ages range from 2-10, all with high activity, curiosity, and mischief levels.  Last Friday morning, I simply asked God, "Please let me be able to teach the kids a lot tonight. I'm not very prepared this time, but I know these kids need to know more about You before they can live according to Your Word.  Help."  It wasn't eloquent, but I couldn't think what else to ask for.

7:45pm and only 4 kids, ages 7, 8, 9, and 10.  "Snap, I forgot to ask God would bring lots of kids to the Bible Study as well. *facepalm* Oh well, it's in God's hands now.

The study ended up being TWO and a HALF HOURS LONG!!  The parents evidently had dragged their study and prayer longer than usual. But with these four kids... wow. I started with a Bible Story book that gave a summary of the Old Testament. We never got past Solomon. The kids had so many questions. And for once, they were 99% relevant to the discussions at hand.  We talked about
original sin,
heaven and hell,
Satan and his fallen angels,
lots of Biblical history and how each person obeyed/disobeyed God,
not to be yoked with unbelievers (Solomon),
salvation,
new spirit/creation,
sinful nature,
fellowship,
going to church,
prayer,
the Holy Spirit,
and so much I can't remember.
I tried to find Scriptures off the top of my head that would support everything I was saying.  It was both amazing and humbling (man, do I need to study the Bible more).  At the end, I found out all four of them had unclear definitions of what Christians and children of God were, even though 2 were baptized. I pray I made it clear to them (and I think they understand now).  The other 2, I led to pray acceptance of Jesus as LORD and Savior. Hallelujah!!

10:15pm Jason: My iPod says it's 10:15... I'm tired.

God answered my prayer in an unexpected way. I wanted to impact a lot of kids and "hit them hard with the message."  God knew I couldn't handle it and He gave me a precious 2.5 hours with four of them. I was so amazed they were able to pay attention for so long and not complain.  Praise God for answering prayers and doing a better job than we could ever imagine.

Well - so much for keeping it brief. *rolls eyes at self*  Forgive the rambling and I'll try to do better the next time.

Your turn. :D

Soli Deo Gloria
~CJ

Starting Out

John 14:13-14 (NASB)Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me anything in My name, I will do it.

This a place to share answered prayers, both great and small.  


This blog (prayerfully) will be a huge motivator to pray constantly.  Our prayer lives could always use a boost.


We will share more personal instances of answered prayers, especially situations in which we knew we couldn't do much about it, but God was in total control.  

We'll post about how God does things for us BEFORE we think to ask Him. 


We'll talk about how God answered our prayers, not necessarily in the way we were hoping, but we found His plan to be sooo much better in the end.

Or like one of Essie's prayer requests (not on this blog): that God would make her have a good attitude toward the day or a task (or something like that), and He answered!!  

Basically, going for very specific cases and maybe giving an encouraging word at the end. Keep each post very short and too the point. 7 page-long sermons are unnecessary. :)

We can post the actual prayers we prayed. Post pictures if needed or just to add some "flair" to the posts. Be creative!

Currently, authors are CollegePlus! students/alumni and you are welcome to join the "team". The more contributors, the better!   It also means the rest of us don't have to post as much.  

Just kidding - God is to be glorified and we know He can't be glorified too much.  Please forward this to anyone else, who you think may be interested! 

(And if you do post, be sure to tag/label your posts with your name.)

It's so good to look back on our lives and see God's answered prayer! 

~Excelsior

~CJ