Answered prayers!

This Sunday morning is a late start morning, but it's a good tired! I have a drive home from Oshkosh Wisconsin on my agenda, a few audio books ready, a playlist or two, and some Alani and kettle corn. The road trip 'to' always seems more exciting than the road trip 'home' doesn't it?  Well, Lifest did not disappoint in any way! You could feel God's peacefully, joyful presence from the moment you set foot on the grounds. This festival was prayed over and it was just full of all the most beautiful, unique and full of life families and people. Top that off with constant music and you have created a little piece of heaven on earth.  And how the Lifest shoppers that wandered into our booth embraced our mission and blessed our artisans this weekend is spectacular!  So today, Joy-Creators, I'm just asking you to join me in thanking the Lord and blessing Him and honoring and glorifying Him for how he sees and how he cares for us!

Now let me tell you about a prayer He took 2 years to answer and then one he answered that I didn't even know to pray for. And it all comes back to Southside GB church in Mishawaka, Indiana and one special family.

2 years ago, our GB Summit made a decision to host in churches instead of hotels. I know this was a cost savings for GBs and I respect their decision. But what it meant for Alegria is that there would no longer be an exhibit space so we could not buy a booth to set up and sell product to our foundational supporters that know and love Faith Home.  This event was typically covering a good portion of July's expenses.  Enter a referral for an event in Nashville from a family at Southside. SING! Conference with the Getty's last year in September was our biggest in person sales event to date. And at SING! one of the other exhibitors referred me to Lifest. We applied and were accepted and guess what month it is? July! Hang on, it gets better.  I was at Mishawaka for their women's regional conference in the spring and was telling another member of the family that I might need a little help at this event and it would involve getting to see the headliners in the evening after the expo hall closed. Well one mention of Josiah Queen and she was in.  Fast-forward and I'm not wanting to reach out because I'm terrible at asking for help. But she was kindly persistent and asked if I still needed help. Yes, yes! So she makes the trek and I can't even begin to tell you what an answer to prayer this was...and I didn't even know to pray it. You see on Thursday, I started sneezing and then my nose started running...and Thursday night I tried to sleep sitting in a chair, tossing and turning in bed...it was a full blown head cold or something that knocked me down. I got up and went on Friday but I wasn't going to be able to pull off a 12 hour day.  She covered while I slipped out a couple of times to lay down in my car and rest for an hour. Without this sweet Joy-Creator friend, I think I might have either been passed out in my booth, or I would have had to close and go back to the hotel. One good night of Nyquil induced sleep and I was better on Saturday. I will always say that Stefani was an angel sent by God for this moment when Alegria needed her.  And as I added up the sales this morning, this event was about 1.5x the sales of our best Summit. One door closed...but one huge one opened! God provides! I think of Jesus saying that if the people aren't praising the rocks will cry out. God can provide water from a rock in the desert, and he can provide for his daughters in Honduras from a Rock concert in Wisconsin!

So as I sign off and head on out to get back to Evansville for our Fall Launch, open house and ribbon cutting, I am just full of praise for the God who sees and the God who is faithful!