"Thank you Brian Chury and Team Town East Ford!"
Dear Friends and Family,
God has blessed the L. family through you. Thank you all for your continued prayers and donations. I have been searching the metroplex for the vehicle that God wanted the L's to have. For about three weeks I have been calling, emailing, driving around to various dealers and individuals looking at minivans. I have learned something?a picture on the Internet can make anything look good.
On Monday I called a man in McKinney about a minivan, telling him what we were trying to accomplish. After work I went by to test drive it. I noticed a Bible in the driver's door pocket as I was getting out after the test drive. When I was taking a look at the engine, the man came around to tell me more about the van and he asked if I was being led by the Lord Jesus Christ to help this family. I told him I was.I said that I wanted to go home and pray about it that night to know for sure that this was the vehicle for the L's. He offered to pray with me right there, and his prayer was that God would show me the vehicle for the L's, whether it was his or not.
So I went home, prayed, and decided to look at AutoTrader.com one last time. There were still two other vans that I was considering. One was a bit more than we had collected, plus you still have to add TT&L to the price. Tuesday morning I setup appointments to go look at these during my lunch break.
On my way down to look at the last two minivans, I got a call from Brian Chuny, Internet Sales Director at Town East Ford in Mesquite. He had the 2006 Ford Freestar that was quite out of our price range. Brian and others at Town East Ford were touched by what we were doing and offered to sell it for about what we had collected--including the TT&L! I told Brian I would come there first, take a look, and I would know if that was the vehicle God wanted the L's to have. It was.
This minivan, by far, was the nicest, most well-maintained, of all the many that I had looked at. And a special thanks to Brian, Gerald Whittington the Internet Manager, and Todd Clarke the General Manager for making this possible. Also, for their excellent and friendly service! I encourage anyone looking for a new or used vehicle to give these guys a call.
Needless to say, Joseph and his family were quite surprised Tuesday night and are so very thankful for how they have been blessed by God through all of your prayers and donations. They still had no idea all this was going on behind the scenes. I could not possibly relay to all of you how this has touched the Lee's, but I think Joseph's email to me on Wednesday morning does a good job.
Joseph L. wrote:
THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!
I cannot begin to tell you how moved, overwhelmed and grateful my family and I are for your continued acts of kindness and generosity!
God has truly blessed us through you and He keeps on proving His faithfulness time and time again! To God be the Glory!!!
My week just started out really rough at work and I was taking it day by day. We were also struggling on how to make it through the week and trusting God to provide for us somehow, someway. My family and I were just reflecting and meditating on Jesus' words in Matthew 6:25 - 34 about the futileness of worry. When you called me yesterday, I just had managed to borrow bus-fare for me and Joey for the rest of the week so I could get to work and he could get to football conditioning and all the while the Lord was moving in a much bigger way on the hearts of you and all the wonderful brothers and sisters of Christ whom I haven't even had the pleasure of meeting or fellowshipping with yet!!!
I sincerely want to thank each and everyone who God has used to bless us in this way!!!
You all are truly CONDUITS of God!!! His vision to me through that dream a few years ago is truly manifesting!!! Glory Halleluiah!!!
Verse 33 states "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
We sought and God added through you!!! I just want to scream, shout and jump for joy but it is way too early and I am in the office right now but know that on the inside, I am turning cartwheels, singing, doing my happy dance and shouting for joy!!!
You all have blessed us with a really nice vehicle that can accommodate my whole family of six!!! I do not have to take the bus any longer!!! We don't have to take the bus any longer!!! My shoes which I got from my bosses boss won't wear out so quickly this time!!! This is just so wonderful that I want to shout from the mountaintops!!! Praise the Lord!!!
We have met people who have been a blessing to us and we ourselves have been and try to be blessings to others through Christ Jesus but this gesture is the single, most PROFOUND blessing by far!!!! HALLELUIAH!!!! Bless His Holy Name!!!
I am really touched by the magnitude of this gift!!! I feel like those people on EXTREME MAKEOVER home edition or something who have lost everything and God uses someone just like you to bless them in a mighty way!!!
This my friend, my brother, is a mighty, mighty, MIGHTY BLESSING!!!
When I shared this praise report with my loved ones back home in Philadelphia, all they could say is, 'Wow, are you serious? God is so good! We have been praying for you! That is so wonderful! God bless the Turners!' and so on and so on.
It is remarkable, the moving Hand of God is!!!
I am astounded!!!
I am humbled!!!
I feel like I am dreaming and I'll wake up and?? poof, it's gone.
I had to pinch myself and say, 'Joe, this is real and this is for you and your family!!!'
Wow!!!
My heart is so full right now!!!
You just don't know how much this means to me and my family!!!
I have to get back to work because I could go on and on and on about the Goodness of God and I must be a faithful steward with this job that He has provided and blessed me to have!!!
May the Lord bless you in a mighty, mighty, MIGHTY way with whatever it is you stand in need of!!!
Much Love Always,
Your Friend and Brother in Christ,
Joseph L.
Finally, I know that all of us who prayed and worked on this for the Lee's are rejoicing in God's faithfulness. This experience is a great lesson for everyone. And I'm not referring to the example of helping those in need. I'm referring to the example that Joseph sets for us all--a loving husband and father that always lifts up his worries to the Lord, that puts his faith in God not man, and gives all the glory to God who always brings him through any adversity.
Let me leave you with this verse that Joseph shared with me when I was having a bad day. Reflect and meditate on this at your next meeting with adversity:
"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy." - 1 PETER 4:12-13
God Bless,
The T'sThe T. Family,
18411 LBJ Freeway
Mesquite, TX 75150