EXTREME HOME REPAIR

Today started out hectic and embarassing. Three interviews from different newspapers with no time inbetween, one newspaper was even representing our whole province. I hated publicity, somehow I associated every camera with corruption and never saw the greatness that came out of today until now. I never let my self trust God and know that He brings good out of every thing. Romans 8:28 tells us that "and we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God." As I was asked questions by reporters and hosts, I thought about how Jim had told me that it was awfully rare for this media attention to happen to people, and that when it does happen I have an overwhelming opporunity. I had a chance to share my heart and involve Christ in a real way! My whole family was captured by photographers and cameras filming our every move.

Now the most important part of my day, after all the cameras were gone and a group of 4o people all prayed over my family and cheered us goodbye my Dad showered money on our family. Not because he had some to spare, he simply doesn't. This is because he no longer holds onto money as if it was his life. My mom and dad left the church because of money and today they bought my family an abundance of things, I usually don't dare to ask but today I felt spoiled. God has caused such a giving heart from my Dad simply because so much has been given to our family.

Today God was faithful again and again and again and again. I am unworthy of a God loving me the way that He does. Today my father with an overwhelming exubarence and passion told my mother and out family something along the lines of "there is no way that this was all by chance," and "God turns everything for the good" like the Bible passage that I had described to him previously. "God isn't only good to our family," my Dad said that "God is this good to everyone." Yes Dad, you have finally seen it. I agreed with Him and my Dad said "yes Sarah, you have seen it so much this year," my Dad finally accepted the miracles that happened at Kaleo and in India to be God's own doing. As I write to you in tears realizing that all it took for my Dad to break down and admit that God is good and real was absolute and utter grace. It was grace!

My Dad asked me "Why would God do this for us? How come us?" I told my Dad it was "because God is obsessed with you," that God loved him and our family so much. My Dad said "I see it," and for the rest of the day, and even now is joyful. My mother sat in silence but her heart is softening quietly just as much as my fathers is. No longer can they deny that God loves them. This pride that I had prayed for to leave, was gone, and my Dad was left with a passion for the Lord, this stubborness is now to procclaim God's reality. My brother died three years ago to add to an overwhelming list of hardships in my parents lives. This hardened their hearts and displayed to them the pain of sin among other things in the world among their hard years growing up. Now God has choosen to pour grace over everything and this has changed our lives.

In ten days, my family will receive a completely renovated house, an opporunity to talk about community and how to change our town on a TV show on Oprah's network, an upgrade in my father's position at work does to this publicity, a greater chance to win the lawsuit of David's car accident against ICBC, and complete financial counselling and help to get our family back on track in three months. Three days to prove that a lifetime of pain was the shadow that proves this sunshine.

Love you long time Kaleo Eight!

As Jim requested some media links of this story:

The Province (BC wide newspaper)

Video of my family's story for the Province(my parent's interview too!)

Aldergrove Star/Langley Times (newspaper)

The Langley Advance (newspaper)