The Tapestry
Introduction
In this short story I am sharing with you one of my life's experiences and the wisdom the Lord Jesus has given me through it. My hope and prayer is you will be both blessed and encouraged by this little booklet.
This story is about God's amazing grace, faithfulness, and provision. He puts the desires in our hearts, then He gives us our desires. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him.
May the Lord richly bless you in every way and give you the desires of your heart.
1
Starving Children
Have you ever watched a TV
program showing pictures of starving children from other countries and then
they ask for you to send money?
Well I have.
Before I became a Christian I believed as the world does. I believed all the excuses people use to explain why they were not going to give to help these starving children.
Below are a few of the excuses I have heard, believed, and used myself.
This TV program is just playing on my emotions to get my money.
The money never even gets to the children anyway; it is all eaten up by administrative costs, etc.
There wouldn’t be as much poverty in that country if they practiced birth control.
Why are those parents having children when they can’t even provide food or water for them?
I’m married and I don’t have enough money for my own family never mind for a family in another country.
I’m single and I only have one income. I need to take care of myself.
The list of reasons for not giving goes on and on.
I was born again into the family of God on November 25, 1997. So as a Christian, only three years later in the fall of 2000, I was watching a Christian program.
On this program they would have good teaching and a lot of interesting guests with testimonies of what God had done in their lives. But, when they started to show pictures of starving children and ask for money I would get uncomfortable and shut off the TV.
Well, the Lord convicted me on this. I started to pray He would soften my heart. As a Christian I knew I should care about the poor and the hungry. I should also be willing to do something about it.
I started watching the Christian program right to the end and allowed God to soften my heart towards those starving children. Soon I found myself weeping for them.
On the program they were advertising a patchwork quilt made up of pictures the children had drawn. For $100 I could feed 30 children for 30 days and the Christian ministry would send me this quilt free as a thank you.
I believed in my heart the Lord was prompting me to give. So, I sent them $100, and they sent me the quilt.
It was a very nice quilt. I gave it to my sister for a Christmas present. It felt so good. I had done the right thing. I had been obedient to the prompting of the Lord and had pleased the heart of God.
2
Strawberry Lake
The summer of 2001 was the first time I went to Christian Retreat, Strawberry Lake, MN.,(here after called S.L.). During the two weeks I spent vacationing at S.L., I enjoyed the praise & worship, the anointed teachings and the fellowship.
One of the teachings at S.L. was a message on foods that harm the body, healthy foods and proper eating habits. They were teaching a vegan lifestyle called the Hallelujah! Diet.
I learned Christian Retreat also had a few other locations across U.S.A. At their Bradenton, Florida location they were offering an Institute of Ministries (I.O.M.) course that lasted for ten weeks.
The course was to start near the end of January 2002, and finish the last week in March. The ten weeks consisted of good anointed Christian books to read, praise & worship, many teaching from anointed men and women of God, and fellowship.
While at S.L. I met Heather, a woman from Australia. She had given her notice at her job and was taking a year off to travel Canada and the United States.
She was a volunteer at S.L. from May to September. When she completed her volunteer time her plan was to head up to Canada.
Heather and I became friends during the two weeks I was vacationing at S.L. The Lord was prompting me to offer her a place to stay with me in Winnipeg as a stopover between her visits to Eastern and Western Canada. So I obeyed Him, and extended the offer to her.
3
Trials and Tribulations
After I arrived home from S.L. I became very ill. I had been sick for quite some time, but this time I knew my body was shutting down and now believed I was close to death.
So, for a short season I became a vegan, according to what was taught me at S.L. about the Hallelujah! Diet.
I ate only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains. I drank plenty of water. I did not eat sugar, meat, or dairy. I did not drink coffee, soft drinks or tea. I used a small quantity of sea salt instead of table salt. I juiced about 4 to 6 glasses of carrot juice everyday and took it to work and drank it throughout the day. I took a Herbal blend for regularity and had a barley supplement for extra nutrition. As I took responsibility for my health, God started to heal and restore my health slowly.
Heather came and stayed with me for a week before traveling to Eastern Canada; then she stayed with me for another week before traveling to Western Canada and on into the United States.
When she was with me she would talk about all the different places she wanted to see in the U.S. Her plan was to arrive in late December at Christian Retreat in Bradenton, Florida. There she would work as a volunteer and take the I.O.M. class.
I really admired her. What incredible courage to cross the ocean and spend a whole year traveling by bus through countries she had only heard about. For the whole year she was trusting in the Lord to provide for her food and lodging.
I listened to her as she planned her travels and soon a strong desire to go to I.O.M. in Florida was birthed in me. If Heather could come from Australia and travel all around Canada and U.S.A. by bus, surely I could summon up the courage to go to Bradenton, Florida for I.O.M. and then back home.
There were only two things stopping me. I could not afford to take time off of work, pay for my apartment, my trip to Florida, my accommodations at Bradenton, and my I.O.M. tuition. Also, I was working full time and it was unlikely I would be able to take a leave of absence for two and a half months.
4
The Tragedy of 9 11
I remember being at work the morning of 9 11. People at work started running around and talking to one another. I soon heard about the planes crashing into the twin towers.
Everyone was in shock and some were listening to the radio for up to date news as it became available. My very first thought was “Jesus is coming soon!”
When the tragic reality of 9 11 started to penetrate my shock, I began to think about, and pray for, all the people and families who were devastated by it.
5
Laid off from My Job
I knew as a result of 9 11 there would be layoffs where I worked. I started to pray I would get laid off. I had enough of working for the company I was working for and wanted to get laid off. If I did, one barrier to my going to I.O.M. in Bradenton would be removed.
Later in the fall of 2001, I was watching the Christian program showing starving children. Again the Lord laid it on my heart to give something. The promotional item they were giving away this time was a tapestry of the American Flag. I really did not want a tapestry of a flag, but as a Canadian I did not think I would have any use for an American Flag.
But my purpose was to give to feed the children, not to receive a gift, so in faith I gave the $100. I reasoned I could store the tapestry in my linen closet. Perhaps later I could give it to someone in America, perhaps someone at Strawberry Lake.
About a week later, the same program was giving the promotional deal with a choice of an American or Canadian flag. I thought perhaps I could phone and ask them to send me the Canadian flag instead of the American flag. I felt a check in my spirit that said “Don’t do that!” So I said out loud: “God, it’s in your hands. I don’t know what they will send me, it could be either flag. So I will trust You to take care of this, and I'll just wait and see.”
In the mean time I was praying I would be laid off from my job as I was hoping to go to I.O.M. in Bradenton, Florida.
I was still fighting my health battle by eating vegan and juicing carrots. The thought of another long cold winter in Manitoba was discouraging when I was feeling so ill. I prayed all the harder. “God, please help me to go to Bradenton Florida this winter and take the I.O.M. course.”
In November 2001, four years after I had been born again, almost to the day, I was laid off. I was at work, and "The Phone Rang". I knew it was my manager calling me into her office to give me my lay-off notice.
As expected, I was laid off and received a severance package. I enrolled in I.O.M. and made all the arrangements to travel to Bradenton in January 2002.
I was praising God for answering my prayers and believing in Him to take care of me. Now I must wait on the Lord.
6
The Tapestry
In late November the tapestry finally came. I was really curious which flag I would receive. I knew whatever was in the package was from God according to His will. I did nothing to manipulate the outcome.
In anticipation I started to unwrap the parcel. As I peaked in I could see the colors deep blue and rose. I thought two things: 1) those are not the colors of either the American or the Canadian flag, and 2) those colors match my living room furniture. “GOD, what did you give me???!!!”
I continued to unwrap the parcel. To my surprise and delight I saw a beautiful tapestry. The background of the tapestry was a light tan color and the border was in deep blue and rose. Written on the tapestry was a promise straight from the heart of God.
They that wait upon the LORD
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up
with wings as eagles;
they shall run,
and not be weary;
and they shall walk,
and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 N.I.V.
I received this promise of God from God personally. The Tapestry was a memorial of the promise fulfilled even before it had come to pass.
I was waiting on the Lord for the trip to Bradenton, the I.O.M. class, and for healing and renewed strength.
Below is a list of what happened from November 21st to Jan 22nd.
laid off on November 21, 2001.
received a generous severance.
enrolled in I.O.M.
bought a bus ticket to Bradenton, FL.
received The Tapestry from God.
waited and prayed throughout Dec.
fasted and prayed 1st week in Jan.
arrived in Bradenton on Jan 22nd.
met and taken to Christian Retreat.
shared a room with Heather.
