Memorial Box Mondays

Last week I started posting my own Memorial Box Mondays (A Place Called Simplicity) to share my stories of how God has blessed us, and to remind myself of God's love and faithfulness throughout our lives.

Today I am remembering a time when God's answer to our prayers was a strong NO, and how God used that "no" to bless our lives forever.

We were living in Duluth, Minnesota where Joel was a Lt. in the Air Force forecasting weather for pilots. It was 1974 and we "just knew" that God wanted Joel to apply for an early out of the military so he could go to Seminary to become a pastor. We even looked at a house in St. Paul, MN near the seminary, and planned to give the agent an offer the next week. We drove back home, and the next day Joel went in to the base to fill out papers, but the person in charge told him he could not apply for an early out because he had orders to go overseas. He was stunned! He was sent to another office to get more information, and they told he was being sent to The Philippines ~ and when he asked if it was "unaccompanied" or with his family, to his relief it was an accompanied tour. We were very surprised that we were wrong about what God wanted for us.....and that God had not blessed Joel's desire to enter seminary immediately, but we were relieved Joel was not being sent to Viet Nam as the war there was still going on. We left that summer for a 2 year tour in The Philippines. It changed our lives forever in a very positive way, expanding our world and deepening our faith. We brought home many memories we cherish, and two special blessings~ a daughter and son that we adopted while living there! I can't imagine our lives without them. God's plan was certainly best.

I will add a photo of a 1950's house to my Memorial Box as a reminder of God blocking the way for us and opening doors we could not have imagined. By the way, after we left The Philippines, Joel entered the seminary and has been a pastor now for 30 years.