JUMPING FOR JOY!

I can't imagine better news than we got on Monday of this week. JOHN GOT AN OFFER FOR A WONDERFUL JOB!!!! This "jumping for joy" was literally happening around our house the whole day. What a long journey. What a long trial. What joy we feel knowing that it has come to an end. John will be working for Fox 35 here in Orlando as a promotion manager. Not just a job...but a job in John's industry (so hard to find these days), a job in Orlando (almost everything we were looking at previously ended up being in other states), and a job as a promotion manager (the exact position he wanted). We feel so blessed. This trial was one of the hardest we have had to bear, but we learned so much and most of all...learned that we can do hard things with the help of the Lord. We know the Lord helped us through so many difficult moments. There were many moments of confusion and despair, but we received so much peace and so many answers from the the scriptures. I do not feel gratitude only because we received this blessing. I feel gratitude that my Savior was aware of us the whole time and has felt the same pains that we felt. There were days I felt that I could not go on and felt that we had exhausted every resource and tried our hardest, but nothing was happening. I did not share "these days" on my blog, as I found comfort in my blog being an outlet for "counting my blessings". I would post about the happy things in our lives, and later look back and realize how very blessed we are. I recorded the "daily struggles" in my scripture journal, and realize now how much the scriptures helped me get through each day. I truly feel the Lord spoke to me that way. I am so thankful for the scriptures. I am so thankful for my husband. So thankful that he is man that honors his priesthood and did everything in his power to take care of his family. I am thankful for a strong marriage that can withstand this sort of thing. I am thankful for an amazing supportive family. I will never be able to repay their generosity. I am thankful for the prayers and fasting in our behalf. I am thankful for caring and giving friends that seemed to know the times I needed them most. True angels. I am thankful for my beautiful children and their bravery and their endless prayers. I am thankful for my Savior who, "lightens burdens" and suffered as we did. I am thankful for prayer and faith. You can try and try to be "prepared" for something like this to happen to your family, but the only thing that really matters, the only thing that truly got us through each day, was our faith in Jesus Christ. At the times I was the lowest and could do no more, he lifted me and helped me do the things I could not do on my own.

Isaiah 40:28-31
Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding

He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.

But 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 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; Yea I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

13-
for I the Lord will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, fear not;I will help thee.

17-18
When the poor and the needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the god of Israel will not forsake them.

I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.


So many scriptures helped me when we were going through this trial, but these are some that are truly special to me and came to me as I searched with such a sad and low heart. I took comfort in them so many times. Whatever we are going through...the Lord is holding our right hand (if we will let him) and pulling us along. Even if we can't always realize it.

John starts his job May 3rd. The happy dance continues in our house.