In the details

I know I said this in my last post, but God's name is written in all the tiny details of this story already! I want to share another "detail" that God worked in a couple weekends ago when I was teaching a lifeguard class. You see, the class itself was an answer to prayer, because it just so happens that they needed me to help teach right around the time when Joshua and I were thinking, "How the heck is Hilary going to be able to bring in extra money as a stay at home mom?!". So we were thrilled to have a job present itself that I love to do & I could do on the weekends when Joshua was home with Jude!

This lifeguard certification class had about 30 students in it, and there were 3 instructors, so we just split them into groups of 10 to make it easier to teach. I quickly introduced myself to my group of kids, let them know my background in aquatics, that I had worked at a high adventure youth camp before moving to TX, and then I jumped right into teaching water rescues. Throughout the class one of my students, Tyler, started asking me questions about the camp I had worked at and after talking to him for a bit I found out that he'll be working at Sky Ranch this summer as their head lifeguard. This of course made my heart happy because I could talk all day about these two loves of mine, aquatics and camp! In passing, he asked if I taught these classes full time, to which I told him, "Nope- just picking up classes when I can to help bring in some extra money for an international adoption that my husband and I are trying to pursue." He was encouraging and said he thought the whole idea of adoption was cool. But truthfully that was about the extent of our conversation because the class was still going on and he needed to jump back in line. Well...

The next morning when all the students were arriving and coming into the classroom, Tyler came up to me and handed me an envelope with my name on the outside. I can't even remember if he said anything when he handed it to me, I just know I was curious as to what it was. But with class about to start and fearing I'd look too eager if I opened it right away I went ahead and tucked it away in my purse. At lunch break, with curiosity getting the best of me, I finally had the chance to open it. Have you ever just had one of those moments where you're so humbled by someone's actions that you're left speechless? Yeah, this was one of those moments. Inside the envelope I found one of most encouraging letters I've ever received. Part of the letter mentions that he makes very little money for his fraternity, but he wanted to help in any way he could to get an orphan into a Christian home. He included a personal check for a generous amount that I know was a big sacrifice for him to make, and in the memo wrote, adoption support! "Seriously God?! You're going to use a kid in his early 20's, that I barely know, to help make this adoption story unfold?!"... I was speechless, and thankful, and humbled, and encouraged, and again reminded of how God works in ways we can't imagine! Tyler's letter ended with Jeremiah 17:7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him". I don't think it was coincidence that Tyler got split into my group of 10 students for this guard class. I'm sure that God intended for Tyler and I to meet that weekend and share a little bit of our life story. And I know that God used Tyler to show both Joshua and I that we don't know how it's all going to pan out or from whom we will be blessed... but God knows, and I can't help but think He likes to sit back and orchestrate these little details just to blow our socks off! How true Jeremiah 17:7 is... we are trusting in the Lord and He is blessing us in ways we would have never guessed!