The Awakening--Part 3

Tina visited with Addi at length. She showed her the scars and tattered veins that had collapsed from drug use. She showed her where she would be shot up in her neck. Tina was just mortified that Addi had sunk so low and had felt so lost. She also said something else. She said "I cannot go back to Joplin or this area. I will die. I cannot die. I want to live. I want to go as far away as possible and I've filled out my paperwork to where I want to go." Tina looked at her and said "OK, kid. Let's do this."

Tina contacted the prosecutor, who then spoke to the judge--and they agreed to let her go--on a very tight rope, with lots of reports from the facility. We contacted the place she chose and she had to have a physical. IV drug users can contract so many dangerous diseases. She had to pass those before she could be finally accepted. It was Easter week. I called my cousin, a doc to see if he knew a doc in Newton County--he did, but they didn't accept our insurance. I called my mother-in-law who works for Freeman Surgeons--and she found a nurse practitioner willing to see her on Good Friday. So on Good Friday, she was escorted by a deputy, with her pretty orange jumpsuit and given a physical and blood work. She wouldn't learn the result of her tests until Monday.

In the meantime, I had been still receiving prayer texts from our divorce client that were so sweet, faithful and just determined they were going to pray Addi through this. I also started talking to my aunt. My aunt and uncle are on my mother' side. My aunt was the perfect wife for my uncle and she is the closest thing to my dear Grandma, who was perfect. A perfect Christian. My aunt prayed with me, and I told her about possibly sending her to Teen Challenge. My aunt said "Stephanie---you know that Grandma and Grandpa Kelly were big supporters of Teen Challenge. They faithfully gave to Teen Challenge. I thought, "My grandparents had no drug addicts in their lives. Why would they choose such an organization?"  My aunt said "Do you suppose God led them to give to Teen Challenge all these years, KNOWING that someday, their own family would need them?" Woah. Woah. I had that tingly strange excited feeling again. I told my aunt the story about the man on the phone who made me cry by comforting me and telling me I wasn't in control. My aunt said "Stephanie, that is the holy spirit." How can that be the holy spirit? I never even understood that term." I felt it. That WAS it. I felt the holy spirit.

I'm friends on Facebook with the daughter of my grandparent's pastor and longtime friends I messaged her "Could you ask your dad how he feels about Teen Challenge? Addison is thinking of going there." She immediately wrote me back, "My dad said their success rate is astounding and grows even more after being there 2 weeks and people that complete the 12 months have a greater than 85% success rate. "He said to let him know if she ends up there--that their church would love to sponsor her." Ok, so wow. My grandparents, now deceased, who were instrumental in all our lives, were donating to a place for addicts our whole lives. Wild. Now their church is willing to help my daughter? Wow. I called my son, who thinks his life is blessed simply because his middle name is "Kelly" that last name of my grandparents. I told him these bizarre coincidences and he said "Grandma and Grandpa have a hand in this. This is happening for a reason. The Lord is using them to guide Addi." Ok, this was just too crazy.

Easter came and Addi's arm turned red. She called us collect multiple times on Easter fearing she had TB and she would not pass the physical. My nurse mother in law explained to her that a lot of people have that reaction and she may just have to have a chest xray. but not to worry about it. I told her that her Aunt Denise said any time the negative thought enter our heads, to pray. I was trying, but I was also sweating it...the next day they took her to her follow up. All tests were negative and they did do a chest xray which was clear---she passed her physical. She was going to get to go.

I called the facility and they told us she could come that Wednesday and gave me a list of items she would need to bring....which brings me to shopping for a Study Bible...I go into ForAll Bible and the place is packed. I am looking at the mountain high shelves of Bibles and people were moving all around me and I obviously looked lost. A gentleman said "May I help you find something in particular?" I stammered at first, and then said "Well, here is the deal. I need a study Bible. My daughter is headed to a faith based treatment facility. She is a drug addict. He pulled out an NIV Study Bible and he began to read scripture in it that applied to her situation and would show me the study parts and the whole time, he's telling me how successful the program was and that she will do great and we were just lost in this conversation of scripture reading. I felt like we were the only people in the store. I chose a rose colored leather bound NIV study Bible. I went up to pay for it and the lady asked me if I wanted her name on it. It was cheap to do, so why not. She showed me where the service department was and I meandered back to the store. I ran into the same sales associate clear on the other side. I said "Well, I decided to get her name on it." He said "Well, I was going to suggest that, but we had such a good conversation, that I didn't want to try to give you a sales pitch." He asked the lady how long it would take and she said "15 minutes"  He said "write her name on this card right here so I can make sure we spell it correctly." I wrote her name down. He then, in his calm voice said "I wanted her name any way, so I could pray for her." Wow. God was pulling at my heart with full speed.

I raced out to find some shoes for Addi and wanted to call my Aunt Denise to tell her "I felt it again...listen to this story!"  I had two missed calls on my phone---it was my Aunt Denise...

Yes,, Stephanie Patterson was feeling God working in her life and that of her daughter's--and it only gets better...