I had an amazing experience two Fridays ago as I gathered my Veggie Gal girlfriends for a post-Christmas party. We had a potluck dinner and used book gift exchange. Oh my, it was so wonderful to laugh out loud so hard with some of my dearest, closest friends and eat yummy food to boot!

On the way over there I had the privilege to ride with my friend Michelle. I reminded her that I had heard a bit about her mother’s story a long time ago. Her mother, Julie, escaped Communist Bulgaria as a teenager in 1963. In a bygone era, LOL, I got to hear Julie speak at a family fireside because my sister-in-law is a neighbor with Julie. I have forgotten everything Julie shared that night, LOL, in part because I was a young sleep-deprived mama of many young children. I was probably out of the room most of the time keeping the kiddos quiet in the 1960s-bright-red-carpet-and-dark-wood-paneling basement dungeon, err, playroom, of my in-laws’ Brady Bunch style home. So, I was excited to hear a lot of the story that I had missed that night over two decades ago.

You, dear reader, are blessed to hear the whole story, by watching the video below. It is so full of miracles! One of the biggest one was what Michelle told me in the car, which is the story of Michelle’s grandfather casting lots to see who in his dental technician’s office in Bulgaria would be chosen to emigrate to Algeria. Her grandfather picked the lot to go 7 out of 7 times! Amazing!

I thought of this story this past week as I read about Nephi and his brothers in the Book of Mormon, how they cast lots to decide who would go get the plates of Laban. See 1 Nephi 3 and 4. I’ve often wondered if God is ever controlling how a die is rolled or lots are picked. Maybe Laman got the first turn to go get the plates and Nephi the second turn for some reason in God’s all-knowing wisdom? I don’t know.

It seems He was definitely controlling the lot to go to Michelle’s grandfather so he could go to Algeria and ultimately America with his family. Listen to the video above to hear the story. What are the odds that he would pick the paper that said “yes,” seven out of seven times? I believe God was directing that! It truly was a miracle!

It makes me think of miracles in my life lately. The biggest one I’ve seen is that my husband got a new job!! This is so amazing!!! It seems SO too good to be true! When we moved from AZ in August of 2020, he had a job that was an hour commute from our home. He ended up losing the job, last month. He had not been liking the job for over a year, so when he lost it recently, just after Christmas, I was rejoicing! This job had been such a grind! This was an opportunity for a new start! He had laid the groundwork before he lost the job with some interviews lined up for a new job. The first interview was two days after this past Christmas. A week later, he got the word that he got the job!

Happy dance!!!! This job is a lot more money, shorter commute (20 minutes one way), and on top of that, his new office shuts down every Friday afternoon at noon! This is such a HUGE change from his old job, after working 12+ hour days, missing family dinner every night, plus a two-hour commute for the old job! I have had a bunch of disappointments and frustrations the past year. This job blessing is a huge reprieve after all of that. I’m feeling soooo blessed by this tender mercy! I have prayed on and off for him to get a new job for over a year. Then with this interview I prayed even more fervently that he would get this job. I asked my extended family and closest friends to pray for him to get it. I know God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we want him to. So even if He had answered this prayer with a NO, I would still believe in Him. Just like in Michelle’s mother’s story. She was in a class of kindergarteners. The teacher told them to pray to God and ask for candy. No candy appeared so she told them God isn’t real. Does a “no” answer mean God isn’t real? No! Just like an earthly parent says “no” sometimes our Heavenly Parents say “no.”

I do know that God loves me, I know that He has a plan for me, and He has granted me many miracles. I look forward to seeing all the other miracles He has in store for me. I know He loves you, He has a plan for you, and He has given you miracles and has many more miracles in store for you! It’s so exciting to think about and look forward to!

If you want more of Julie Caswell’s story you can go here.