--What Prayer Can Do~~
-Power in our Day-To-Day Lives~

~~JUST A FEW weeks into summer break and I was already at a breaking point. Five children at home meant being on call 24/7.

"Mom, play with me!" seven-year-old Lea called.
Before I could even read the game's instructions, eight-year-old Jordan ran in. "Mom, help me fill these water balloons," he said. "There's going to be a battle. An epic battle!"

He ran to the kitchen where 12-year-old Austin and five-year-old Julia were waiting for lunch. "I want grilled cheese" said Austin.
"I hate grilled cheese?" Julia said.
You loved it yesterday," I said.-
"I hate it now."

In the playpen, baby Nathan was teething. I picked him up to soothe him.

Board game opponent, water balloon infantryman, short-order cook. Was there no end to the jobs a mom had to do? How would I get through a whole summer of this?

It wasn't the work that got to me. It was the lack of gratitude. I'd been running around all day trying to fulfill every request my children had--not one of them had offered a thank-you!

"I'm going out to get the mail," I said, putting Nathan back in his playpen. The walk down the driveway would do me good. Just getting outside into the quiet was a relief. For a few minutes, it was just me and God. "These kids don't appreciate anything I do," I griped as I walked. "They make demand after demand. God, I need help. I need time to get the laundry done in peace. I need to get through this month without any surprise expenses. I need Julia to remember she loves grilled cheese. I need...."

I stopped short. I was piling demands on God just the way my kids did to me. Had I thanked Him for all he's already done for me? No!

"Thank You, Lord God, for my family..." I said. The rest of the way to the mailbox, I thanked Him for my blessings--especially the blessing of being a Mom. By the time I got back to the house, I felt as if I had everything I needed to deal with the kids.

Those mailbox prayers got to be a daily habit. Gratitude got me through the summer and beyond.~~
-GUIDEPOSTS
["In all things give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." ~~(1 Thessalonians 5:18) ]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--PGM NEWS~ [Pacific Garden Mission/ Chicago, IL. 60607]

--"PGM: A Spiritual Hospital"

--KEYONNIE FRANKLIN ~~ -
-(My Personal Testimony / October 2019)

"Growing up, I was one of the only girls, so I did a lot of the stuff boys did. I had a mom and a dad, which I am grateful for, but I felt like I was alone much of the time and even though I was around a lot of people I still felt isolated and misunderstood. I started looking for relationships with guys as a way to fill the emptiness I felt.

"Trying to get relief from the loneliness I started wanting to find someone that I could eventually get married to and live life together. Unfortunately, I seemed to look for love in all the wrong places. I went through a lot of trials because of this, and the emptiness was never filled with anything sustaining. I ended up getting tired of the fruitless searching and all the silly stuff, and at the same time there began a desire within me to seek the Lord.

"I started to read a Bible that my cousin had left at my house and soon after I started looking for a church home. I found a church home, and I have been seeking God ever since. I did well for a while, but I lacked an intimate relationship with God. The church I had been attending before coming to Pacific Garden Mission had not taught me about salvation and Jesus dying on the cross for us. My church hadn't taught that part of Christianity. I began to drift away again back into sin. My mother knew I loved God and I wanted a better life for myself and seeing me struggling through certain life events she suggested I come to PGM. I believe the Lord wanted me to come here.

"I have been at PGM now for almost a year, and I enjoy living here. My relationship with God is more stable now, and especially since I came to Pacific Garden Mission I have been able to focus on Him [Jesus] more. Before I surrendered my life to God I had been entrapped by sexual immorality, and it had gotten horrible. Even though I had a nice job I still felt like a failure. I felt hopeless, and I was bound in sin.

"When I gave my life to God and received Jesus as my Savior it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. Being here has helped me to grow to know Him and trust Him more. I know It's about a relationship with Him now. Being at Pacific Garden Mission I have learned what Christ did for me and that I can never lose my salvation. Jesus died to pay my sin-debt. My mother is started to trust me and our relationship is growing closer with the each passing day.
'"One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 8:28 / 'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.' I know that even though I have made some crazy decisions in the past God knows my heart, and He knows I love Him. I am focused on Jesus, and now know everything works out for the good for those that love Him. If you trust in Him, He will have a path for you that will be encouraging, as we trust in Him. Even if you have backslidden just turn back to Him, and He will be there for you. Jesus said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
The people at Pacific Garden Mission will encourage you, pray for you, and help you grow closer to Jesus. ~~
--Website: www.pgm.org
--------

--WHAT PRAYER CAN DO ~~

--'POWER IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES'

--I SAW THE SIGN ~~

--I spent my first two years of college in California. But Los Angeles ended up being just too far away from my family in Maryland, so I came home. Now I was ready to return to school. Specifically to The New School, in New York City. That University wasn't as far away as L.A., but still....Was I about to make the same mistake?

"I need a sign, God," I said, looking at the university's website for the umpteenth time since I'd been accepted. Then I thought, Did I actually say that?

You see, I've never been a person to ask God for signs. The whole idea of asking for one struck me as lazy. It felt like expecting God to do all the work without me taking on any of the responsibility.

No, I need to figure this out by myself, I thought.

But making that decision was easier said than done. Days later, while ringing up customers at the store where I worked, I was feeling scared and confused.

Maybe just this once I'll ask for a sign. I thought. After all those occasions I hadn't asked God for one, surely by now I'd proved that I wasn't just being lazy. God, is New York the place where I should be?

Before the week was out, I was surprised to receive a letter from The New School. The university was offering me a scholarship.

"I didn't even apply for one!" I told my boss at the store. "But there it was. 'Awarded for academic excellence.'"

"The New School, right?" my boss said. "My sister goes to New York University--that's in the same neighborhood. She's got a great apartment in the area. But she'll have to give it up when she goes to Europe for her senior year. I don't suppose you're looking for a place to live that's close to campus?"

Was I ever! The apartment was just right. Perfect place, perfect price. I signed the lease and accepted my scholarship.

The funny thing was, I didn't feel lazy at all. Just grateful to God for showing me the way. ~~
-GUIDEPOSTS/AC~
-"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not" [Jeremiah 33:3/KJV-]
~~~~~