In case you didn't pick up on it in my last post, I have been worrying about money lately. A student loan that will be paid out THE LAST day to pay for tuition, combined with my inability to get a job in my current no-man's land, the need to buy my school books which I actually have to read this time, and my loathing to ask for money, have combined to make me a slight basket case. (On the plus side, I lost seven pounds in one month, so it's not all bad.)
Anyway, this past Saturday, I was kind of freaking out (as my mother, who was chatting with me over FB at the time, can attest), and wondering what the heck I was going to do, and if I should just come home, because besides books and basic needs, I also have a car payment, and two credit cards that need payments on them, and at least in CA I can sub. Mum reminded me that, hey, you can always pray about it. Heavenly Father wants to help us, but we've gotta ask. I was praying about it in my head during the R.S. broadcast, and when we were at Wal-Mart that night, Auntie Cath gave me a Sobey's gift card she never used, "Just in case." I prayed long and hard that night, thankful but still freaking out, and got some comfort, and the thought that I should fast the next day.
So, I fasted. It was hard, because I have church from 12:30 to 3:30, don't get home till four, and I'm hungry by then even when I eat before church. Sacrament meeting seemed to be geared toward me, what with all the "Trust in the Lord" theme woven throughout the talks. After church, Aunt Cathie and I went to Aunt Lilas' and Uncle Walt's for dinner, where Uncle Walt made the most delicious chili I have ever had the privilege to taste. I'm not kidding, I ate a huge bowl of this stuff, with visible mushrooms, kidney beans, and tomato chunks, all of which I dislike - honestly, I don't like chili in the first place. I like Uncle Walt's chili. I luuuurrrrve Uncle Walt's chili. I want to maaaarrrrryyyy Uncle Walt's chili, except I can't, because I'm already married to his biscuits, which are even better, and I don't want to be a bigamist. The only reason I didn't finish ALL my chili was because I had to save room for my biscuit, and even then, it was a struggle. I didn't even get to the coleslaw :-(.
Although I was quite content food-wise after dinner, I still wasn't sure what to do about the whole I-need-money-and-a-job situation.
Monday passed, I worked on my journal review for Wednesday, went to FHE, nothing of note.
Tuesday, I went to my Curriculum Theories class, chatted with my new friends M and J, and when the conversation turned to jobs, I mentioned how I wasn't working, which led to a recounting of my saga.
Wednesday, I had a scheduled phone meeting with CA unemployment to assess my eligibility to receive CA unemployment (I can, even though I am in Canada), and over the course of the conversation, I explained my predicament to the interviewer, who approved me for one week of unemployment payment (I'm getting some money, yay!), and then gave me some tips on the next round of interviews, which aren't yet scheduled. He told me to be honest that I am willing, ready, and able to look for work, and take any work I qualify for. He then advised me to look into on-line work, which I hadn't even thought of, but there's tons out there. I'm applying for freelance editing companies, we'll see what happens. He also told me to refrain from telling the next interviewer the saga, and basically "Don't cut yourself off from options" and I should be good for collecting unemployment. Very nice man, has visited Edmonton before, very helpful. Weird, because he works for the government ;-).
Then, that night at Research Methods class, my friend J surprised me with a gift certificate to Tim Horton's, a deli-ish restaurant, saying she had a hard time when she first moved to the states, and a lot of people helped her out, so she was gonna help me. I almost started crying in the middle of class, I was so touched. And thankful.
This morning, I was thinking I needed to get gas, because I have institute tonight, and I don't relish the thought of taking the LRT home at 10 p.m., so I was going to have to call Dad and ask for money, which I hate doing, because he never tells me no. Apparently, Heavenly Father (and Mum) had already talked to him about it, because when I went to check my bank account balance, he'd already put some money in.
So here's what I've learned: Anyone who says Heavenly Father doesn't answer prayers is either praying for the wrong thing, or more likely, not paying attention. And if you have something you're stressing about, pray. Pray hard, pray often, be specific about what you need, and then, (and this is the really hard part) be patient. And pay attention to what happens, not just in the hours to come, but days, weeks, and months. Often, it's like President Spencer W. Kimball said: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs”. That's a lesson that I am probably going to have to learn, over and over, but I can tell you that this week, Heavenly Father heard my prayer, and answered it multiple times through many people. And I am thankful to Him, and to everyone who answered my prayer.
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