Of all the places

A few days before our trip to Arizona, I got an email from a blogging friend. I'd emailed her several weeks before and she finally found my email and replied. She mentioned she was from Peoria, so I emailed back and told her we'd be staying in her town the next week. She emailed me back asking me if we'd be staying at the Cibola Vista Resort, because that one was near her house and next to the building they met at for Church. Of all the places for her to live and for us to be going! It had to be more than coincidence that we'd become friends and that those emails had been sent right then. She immediately invited us to come to dinner (I would have protested except she said the magic words, "yes, I know you have seven kids," and therefore my best excuse was taken) and we arranged to attend Church in her ward the next two Sundays. (Ironically, when we were taking our kids to Primary after Sacrament meeting, who should we meet but an old friend from our college ward! Small world, isn't it?) Dinner was wonderful. Lori and her family had set up a wonderful buffet with lots of choices and the kids were fairly well behaved. Even timid Eliza was off and running around after dinner, blowing bubbles with Lori's daughter Michelle. And we had excellent chocolate chip cookies for dessert, so my kids are her friends for life. Her husband told us about a path to take hiking near our resort and DH took the oldest two on a sunset hike there later in the week. Kathryn and Kristen attend BYU, which is in our neck of the woods, so we look forward to seeing this family again and perhaps returning the dinner favor. If that were all of the story, I'd end this post by saying how neat it was that we were able to meet up and that it was amazing. But there's more. Lori tells it better than I can, so here's what happened in her words:
I love to travel, but I do not like having to stay in a hotel on Sunday where our only option for food is to eat out. We always attend church and each time I silently pray a family in the ward we are visiting will invite us to their home for dinner, as my husband’s family often did for tourists while they were living in Mexico City. So far, however, no one has answered my prayer. But, for some reason that thought was on my mind last Wednesday when it occurred to me that we live near a new resort and it is possible families on vacation there might attend our sacrament meeting services. I decided that if I learned of any who were visiting I would be sure to invite them over for Sunday dinner. As I thought about it however, I decided it would be helpful if I could get a prompting in advance so I could be sure to have enough food on hand to feed extra people. And so I said a prayer and explained my desire to feed those who might be traveling and asked for a prompting when they might come so I could prepare. A few hours later I received a comment on my blog from a blog friend, Lisa, asking if I had received her email. I hadn’t, as I never check the email address (before now :-) listed with my blog. So I got on to read her email and discovered another one sent May 5 from a blog friend, Christina. In Christina’s email she asked a question and while responding, I randomly told her what town I lived in. I didn’t know why I included that at the time, I just did it. Christina quickly wrote back telling me she and her family would be in my town that very weekend staying at the resort near our home. And so I invited her, and her family to dinner. I was so amazed and thrilled how my prayer was answered so quickly and in such a fun way. If Lisa hadn’t asked about her email I would never have checked that email address and found Christina’s note. If I hadn’t randomly included the name of the town we live in, she would not have told me they were visiting near us this weekend. And they would have come to our ward, and left, and since I was attending another ward during our SS and RS, I would have never met them and been able to have them over for dinner at our house. And I would have missed out on meeting a very sweet blog friend. I love it when prayers are answered like that! It is always such a comfort to me to know our prayers are both heard and answered.

Comments

3in3mom said…
How perfect for you both. Angels are among us. I love that story!
Wendy said…
Simply AMAZING!!! I'm glad everyone was all helped out in the end. Life surely can be sweet and you never know when a "miracle" will happen. It's a great thing to know that we have a loving Heavenly Father that looks out for all of us and that he can use others to bless us, while we're away from home.
* said…
I just found your blog via Mormon Mommy blogs. I also have a daughter named Eliza (after Eliza R. Snow) and twins (b/g fraternal ;)

Wow, 7 kids! Your family is beautiful!
Unknown said…
so fun!!
i am in the same city as and have yet to meet her!
I have been out of town the past week and did not have any internet. We have been back for a day and I have been trying to get caught up on everyone's blogs so I just got to this! Oh, it so made me cry. Thanks for being so sweet in your writing. We loved having you with us--and as you say, I know it was much more than coincidence!