| A Godstory... |
 |
 |
| around the house just so I�d have gas money, but that was it. I was still doing the Experiencing God study every day, though. And the day after I told the department store not to consider me, the study was about praying for God to show you where He�s already at work, so you can join Him there. Feeling more strongly than ever that God had something different in mind for my summer, I prayed, �Lord, where are You already at work around here?� Well, one of the scriptures in the study for that day was from the sixth chapter of 2 Kings, and I saw that it was something about Elisha in the city of Dothan. That immediately caught my attention because I live very close to Dothan, Alabama, but I had never realized that there was a biblical city of Dothan. I prayed, �God, are You at work somewhere in Dothan, Alabama that You want me to know about?� |
| There I was back where I started. The summer was half over by that point, and I had no money and little to do with my time. My parents were paying me a little to do stuff |
 |
| With that prayer still in my heart, I got out my Bible and began to read the whole story of Elisha in Dothan. Elisha was a man of God, and he and his servant were trapped in Dothan, surrounded by an opposing king�s army. Elisha could see that God had sent His own army to defend them but the servant could not see |
| them and so was understandably scared to death. 2 Kings 6:17 says, �And Elisha prayed, �O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.� Then the Lord opened the servant�s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.� As I read the words �horses and chariots of fire,� I got a clear picture in my mind of a children�s home near Dothan, Alabama I had been to a year and a half earlier. My mom and I had just pulled up in the driveway of the home for a minute to drop off some donations a ladies� group at our church had collected. I remember thinking at that time that it was really cool that there was this little Christian children�s home run by a man and his wife and that they just seemed really nice, but I don�t think I had thought about the place since Mama and I went there that day. |
| Here I was a year and I half later, though, asking God where He�s working, and this place just pops back into my head. I think I prayed about it for a day before I called the children�s home. During that time, I asked God to guide me and to prepare the way if that�s where He wanted me to be. I also started wondering what they were going to think of some random college student calling out of nowhere. I mean, I didn�t even know exactly what I was calling for. What if they asked me if I had any experience? When I had that thought, I bet God was like, �Emily, think about it, silly. I�ve been getting you ready for this.� He had, after all. I had tutored at a children�s home near my school, I had mentored a girl at that same home, and I had even done yard work there! I was totally qualified to volunteer at a children�s home, so when I called the home near Dothan, I did it with confidence that I was in God�s will. |
| I basically just told the lady on the phone that I was a college student home for the summer and hadn�t had any luck finding a job, so I was wondering if they could use a volunteer. As we talked, I became assured that this was a godly woman, so I told her that I felt strongly that God was leading me to their children�s home. She was interested from the start, but when she asked if I had any experience and I told her, she became really excited. She said she was sure they could use my help, and she set up an appointment for me to come meet the directors the next week. I was thrilled when I got off the phone! God Himself had led me to something to do for the summer, and it wasn�t just any old something, either: It seemed that it was something He had orchestrated especially for me. |