God Stop

"Heather will do anything for a t-shirt," is a common saying in our house. George tells me that every time I come home with a new t-shirt from some event I've been to, or when "mysterious" charges to non-profit organizations appear on our bank or credit card statements.

For example, I rode this ride at the Iowa State Fair last summer so I could get the t-shirt that proclaimed I had survived my ride on the Skyscraper.

I rode it when a thunderstorm was moving in, so I think it is safe to say that I have some issues. And, even though I wasn't in Tennessee (where this video was taped), I'm pretty sure you could have heard me scream in Tennessee. But, I survived, and I got my t-shirt.

Now, I've also been to many, many concerts in my day. And, yep, you guessed it. I always get a t-shirt. I have so many t-shirts that I have an entire dresser devoted to them.

But, I don't get just get my t-shirts at the Fair or concerts. I have also gotten t-shirts by walking many, many miles for a lot of different charitable organizations. I have also gotten t-shirts by serving at many different events for myriad organizations. And, when I walk to raise money for cancer, or I volunteer at an event to raise awareness and to help the refugees from Darfur, I obviously get more than a t-shirt. I get the wonderful opportunity to be a part of something that is helping others, and I love that.

So, while I guess it is true that sometimes I will do anything for a t-shirt, other times the t-shirt is just the added bonus I get for helping someone else out. I mean, I'm the type of person who will order something from every child who comes to our door peddling something. Even if that means I end up with several Entertainment books or more cookie dough than I should eat. (I was going to say could eat, but that really wouldn't have been true...I can eat a lot of cookie dough!) And, I will donate to your cause, especially if you catch me on the telephone. I think I am totally incapable of saying "no" to cute children, or, even worse, cute old people. (I also like the Home Shopping Network, but that's a post for another time...) In other words, I'm an easy mark. You can see me coming from a mile away. I have a capital "S" tattooed on my forehead. Which, as my friend Cindy told me, obviously stands for "saint." *wink*.

Now, you are probably wondering, "Why is she rambling on about this stuff?" Well, that's a very good question. You see, you need to understand this background information, so you can understand my latest God-Stop.

When we walked into the Women of Faith conference a couple of weekends ago, I had said that I really wanted to buy a new tote bag and a water bottle. But, I was too lazy to stand in line right then, and I thought I'd come back later during a break. While we were sitting in the conference, Mary Graham started to give a presentation about World Vision, and she asked that everyone consider sponsoring a child. Now, we already sponsor one child through Compassion, so I wasn't exactly listening. But, then this happened. Mary Graham said to the audience, "If you sign up to sponsor a child this weekend, you will receive a World Vision tote bag and a water bottle." WHAT?!? A tote bag and a water bottle? You have to be kidding me, right? And, I immediately thought to myself, "Are you there God? It's me, Heather." I mean obviously God was there, and I thought He was trying to tell me that I needed to sponsor a child.

So, the next morning, I decided I would go "look" at the World Vision table. You know, just to see. Because, after all, maybe I was blowing what had happened the night before out of proportion. Maybe God wasn't really trying to tell me that I needed to sponsor a child. Maybe it was all in my head. So, I went to the table. And, who came rushing up to see if I needed any assistance? The cutest older woman I had EVER seen. She called me "honey" and patted my hand. Clearly, she was too much for me to resist. I was completely overwhelmed by her. All 90 pounds of her. And, while this may seem silly, it was confirmation to me that I was, indeed, supposed to sponsor a child.

So, we are now the proud sponsors of Yvonne, a seven year old girl from the Congo. And, I think that is exciting. But, I'm even more excited that the God of the universe would show His will to me by speaking my love language. Even if that language is a water bottle and tote bag wrapped up nicely by the cutest old woman I have ever seen.