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Prayers Answered When You Were A WOW


J0nny Ling0
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Hello, I am very new at posting here but George knows me so I must be OK, right?

Here is my WOW story. I went out WOW in 1975. I had asked God to send me to the closest city to New Orleans but not New Orleans. My father lived in New Orleans and he and my mother had divorced when I was 5. I had seen him a few times since then but didn't really know him. I thought if I could get close enough to New Orleans he may come and see me and my son Kelly, his grandson. I had told no one of this request. The night we were commissioned I was so happy to be going to Baton Rouge, LA. I knew in my heart God had answered my request. I met my WOW family and there were only two others and no one had a car. We hitched a ride to Baton Rouge and I knew I was going where I was supposed to go and did not worry about a car. When we got there we got an apartment and started walking the streets looking for jobs. We did this all together and witnessed as we went. My WOW brother could repair TVs so we stopped in a TV repair shop and there was a customer waiting in line to pick up his TV. We started witnessing to him and I told him the story of how God had sent me to Baton Rouge because it was the closest city to N.O. and that I wanted to get to know my father. (BTW, it had been several years since I had talked with my father and I didn't even know his address or what his phone number was). The man in line asked me what my father's name was because he said he lived in N.O. himself. When I told him his name he told me my father was his best friend and gave me his phone number. I called my father that day and he asked me to come and see him. I told him I didn't have a car and he said "Well you get down here and I will have a car for you". My WOW brother and I hitchhiked to N.O. and we drove our 1967 Chevy Impala home. It had air conditioning and we drove it all year and it ran great. At the end of the year we drove it to the ROA and then I gave it to someone going out on the field because I was going in the corps and didn't want the responsibility of the car. I also got to know my father that year. He also gave my son a TV and that was a blessing because we didn't have one.

I know that my WOW brother has posted on GS before and if he reads this he can tell you this is a true story. Our God gives us things when we pray and when we don't. He knows our need and I am sure that He loves to bless us when we are walking in love as His children.

I know there are those who may think this story was just a few coincidences and those are the ones who believe their glass is half empty while I believe mine is filled to overflowing. That is a choice we all make every day. God Bless it's been fun to share with you all.

Jewel

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Jewel! What a wonderful story, or, should I say "historical record of God's goodness!"

You said;

quote:
I know that my WOW brother has posted on GS before and if he reads this he can tell you this is a true story.

Well it would certainly be a blessing to read your WOW brother's corroboration of this story (for I am sure it would be fun reading), but, no need! I believe you!

So nice that God found your Dad for you so easily. That is so cool;

"Uh, well, yeah, as a matter of fact, your Dad is my best friend...Here's his number..."

Whoaa! Sounds just like our Heavenly Father, to care of your desire to find your Dad. Ephesians 3:20 is real, I tell ya! But...you know that... icon_smile.gif:)-->

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Hey, thank you all for the welcomes. I just remembered there is another part to this story. That same year my friend Susie (Suz to you all) was a WOW in Mississippi and witness to a guy who later moved to CA. and he witnessed to the man I am married to. We have been married 25 years and I am thankful that Suz witnessed to that guy. My husband was witnessed to in CA. but he grew up in Emporia and both his parents graduated from the College of Emporia. (back in the 30's) My husband had never heard of The Way until he moved to CA..

Thanks again for the welcomes.

Jewel

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When I was a WOW in Sioux Falls I was driving my WOW sister to work and saw a sofa in the back of a truck. On the way back I told God whoever owned that truck had to come out for me to get that sofa. Yep, the guy came out. He said the sofa needed to be cleaned and one of the cushions' zipper was broke. He was taking it to the dump. Instead he took it to our duplex and dropped it off. Gold sofa to go with our gold and tomato red carpet. By the way we also got tomato red drapes and a chance to witness to the guy who dropped off the sofa later in the year.

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On the spur of the moment...seeing a lamp in a store in downtown Philly in 1979, I bought the lamp for one of the people in one of our WOW families. I knew nothing about what this person (or the others) had or didn't have. Just wanted to buy it.

After giving the lamp, I learned that this person was the only one in the "family" without a lamp, had wanted a lamp, and had prayed for a lamp. I don't know if the prayer had included the type of lamp (Snoopy & Woodstock), but that seemed to result in most of the appreciation.

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Another time it seemed completely evident that God answered my prayer as a WOW was when this happened:

I had gone to my fairly new job at a Firestone Tire center in Inglewood, CA, where I did break jobs, changed tires, and etc, only to find a small Vietnamese man wearing my shirt with my name monogrammed over his left shirt pocket. I looked at him in a bewildered manner and said; "Why hello there Jonny". He looked at me in excitement and said; "Me no Jonny! Me no Jonny! Jonny no work here anymore!" And so I turned and went in to talk to Will, the branch manager and asked; "Hey Will, what's with "Jonny" out there in the shop?" And I was informed that this guy was a refugee from Vietnam, and the big bosses had informed Will to lay off the newest employee and hire the Vietnamese guy. Will told me that it was a raw deal and that he was sorry that it happened, but that it was the way it was. He also told me that Mr. Nguyen was making $4.50 an hour compared to the $3.25 an hour I was making and that the Government paid half of his wage and Firestone paid the other half. It was a bummer, because it was a neat job, and I was enjoying learning the mechanics back in the shop. And so I figured he probably needed the job more than me, and that he must have had a hard time of it over in Vietnam, with the war and such, and that surely God could get me another job.

And so, early the next morning, during our family meeting, we all did our usual prayers, and I of course prayed for a new job. After that, some coffee and breakfast, I walked out the door literally quoting as I walked, out loud: Phillippians 4:19:

"But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus...."

And as I was walking I quoted that verse continuously over and over, only stopping when I stopped at some store or shop and spoke to someone about employment. When they said no but offered me to fill out an application, I just said no and moved on, quoting out loud Phillipians 4:19, knowing that I was not coming back without a job.

Finally after a couple of hours, I stopped at this gas station on the corner of Century and Prairie Blvds, and talked to this guy named "Mr. Franz", and Austrian American. He was thrilled that I wanted to work and wanted me to come in the very next morning. He had me take a math test to see if I could crunch the numbers for the shift change when all of the gallonage was counted up, and after passing it he smiled and said; "You're hired". It was $3.50 an hour which was pretty good for me at eighteen years old in 1976 (man times have changed), and Mr Franz went on to say that I would work Monday through Friday from six a.m. till two p.m. At that point I realiaed that this was a full forty hour week, ten hours beyond the thirty hour a week limit for WOWs. I was really bummed at first, but I decided that if this job was from God, then I would just tell him that I couldn't work full time.

And so, I told this guy; "Mr. Franz, I am sorry to have troubled you, for some reason I thought this was going to be a part time job. I guess I was confused by your companies name "Part Time Employment Inc". And I went on to tell him about the WOW program, and that I was only allowed to work 30 hours a week. But he just smiled and said; "No problem. Would you work from six a.m. til twelve noon?" and I told him that this would be perfect. And as I was going out the door, he said; "And um, Jonny, this gas station has been robbed three times by armed robbers in the last five months. No one was shot, but, just so you know that it is a pretty dangerous part of town...

Oh great I thought. But then I said; "Well sir, rest assured, it won't be robbed while I am working here, on my shift or any other because God will protect the business. I prayed for this job and God got it for me, and certainly He will keep it from being robbed". And so, I was shot an killed later that week and all of my shift money was stolen...He was doing that to me on

But it was quite an adventure there on the north western edge of South Central LA. The prostitutes were always parking their cars on my lot, and they always would come up to me to talk, but then their pimps would get mad at them and for trying to turn a trick with me when it became known that I wasn't buying, and it was really quite something. I eventually became very friendly with this one pimp dude who wore an outrageous "Super Fly" outfit complete with fur coat, lots of "bling bling" (although they didn't call it that back then), a walking cane with a silver knob at the top, and this funky round "Zorro" type hat with all of these little fuzzy black "dingle balls" placed about an inch apart around the brim that shook and danced as he walked and talked. He was funny because he wore only half of a mustache. Yeah that's right, one side was shaved completely clean, and the other side had a big old mustache. It was confusing at first, when he'd turn his head one way, there'd be no mustache, but then when he'd turn his head the other way I'd see this mustache. He was turning his head that way on purpose to pull my chain. Finally when he looked at me straight on with grin, I saw it. I asked him what the deal with the "half a mustache" was and he said that he did it because he wanted to be "different". Too funny! He also had a gold capped front tooth with a small diamond imbedded in it. Man, that guy was a character!

And, I worked there till it was time to go to thr Rock, and we were never robbed..

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I walked alone or with a couple of others at times down some of the shady side streets of Philly...partly because those shday streets were where one of our WOW faimilies...of four women...lived. In fact that was where I went to gove the lamp mentioned above. never has any problems there; neither did they that I know of (and I had better have known it since I was helping to run the WOW branch).

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  • 1 month later...
When I was a WOW in Sioux Falls I was driving my WOW sister to work and saw a sofa in the back of a truck. On the way back I told God whoever owned that truck had to come out for me to get that sofa. Yep, the guy came out. He said the sofa needed to be cleaned and one of the cushions' zipper was broke. He was taking it to the dump. Instead he took it to our duplex and dropped it off. Gold sofa to go with our gold and tomato red carpet. By the way we also got tomato red drapes and a chance to witness to the guy who dropped off the sofa later in the year.

No better place for God to answer prayers. BTW are you around? I see you have only two posts on your tally.

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It was my first ROA in 1981. I knew nothing about any of you. I knew God and that is all I cared about. It was hot and I had finished with WOW training and went to the Big Top To chill out. I like to be alone. I saw a fella out of the corner of my eye, running around the perimeter of the tent, when I had turned my head as far as it could go to the right, I said to myself, where is the fire? Then I turned my head and watched him round the other side, he got the aisle I was on and turned in, walked right up to my row and walked right next to me and asked "Are you Janis" I said yes, he said I am Rocky from New Orleans, and I am here to pray for you. I went ok. And he sat down thanked God for a brand new pink and healthy uterus, kissed my cheek and left. In twenty five years I have never seen the guy again. That was something I did not pray for, I had abused my body, used abortion (I don't want to hear your comments) as birth control and knew I had destroyed my body. I was willing to pay the consequences. But God's Grace and Mercy are sufficient for me and God went out of His way to heal me.

Thanks for listening,

Janis L. Lang

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It wasn't me - but my hubby was cured of cancer on the WOW field in Reno. It just turned out that that year was the year that the tow top oncologists in the country were at the VA hospital in Reno.

He says that had he stayed home he would have died.

Meanwhile, I didn't know him yet but I had met his mom and she had asked us to pray for her son - so at the time he was just a name on a prayer list - years later we met and married.....

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