Monday, May 24, 2010

A true story about a fridge

 
As I mentioned a few posts back......we've been in need of a new refrigerator for quite some time....but we've just tried to make-do with what we have.  If your fridge is laid out like mine....there's a little drawer right in the middle 
(that's where I keep.....kept.....my yogurt).
Well....anything you put below that drawer freezes as solid as if you had put it in the freezer!!!

So....being the frugal (cheapskate) person that I am…..I searched on Craig's List for a good deal….and I found one....or so I thought!!!
 
 Just the kind of fridge we were looking for….even had a few extras….still under warranty….and the price was much better than the “in store” price.

Well….I go to the bank to get the money to pay the lady (she asked for cash)…and I really dreaded just going to the bank….which should have been my first inclination that something might not be right.

And, if that wasn’t enough….it was pouring down rain….I go into the bank and notice it’s somewhat empty....I was actually the only customer….to find out that their computer system was down and they couldn't perform any transactions….which meant that I couldn’t get the money.

So….I come back home still having that little feeling deep down inside that maybe this wasn’t the wisest decision I’d ever made….buying a fridge off Craig's List.  But....we had already told the lady "yes" and I didn't want to go back on my word.

Anyway….long story short…..Pappy gets the money from the bank when he gets off work….borrows a truck and trailer from his brother….takes our son-in-law away from his family for the evening to help load and haul the fridge….goes to the lady’s house….only to find out that it wasn't at all in the “excellent” condition that she described it. Pappy said it had dents in the front…..scratches on top….and was filthy.

The moral of the story.....
....if it sounds “too good to be true".....
....then, it probably is!!!

And….we need to learn to listen to that
“gut feeling”…
(that still small voice)...
...and trust our instincts!!!

But....the reason why that "deal" didn't work out.....was that God had a better plan (and doesn't He always!!!).


Let's go back to the very beginning......
about 3 years ago my fridge quit working altogether.  We called a repairman to come work on it and he worked for hours and couldn't figure out what was wrong with it.  He finally told us that he thought lightening had ran in on it.    I knew that my mother-in-law had just gotten a new fridge, so I called and asked her what she had done with her old one, which still worked.  She told me she had given it away and asked me why.....so I told her about our plight with our fridge.

Now....you know how in scripture people were given names that they lived up to, be it good, or bad?  Well.....most of you know by now that my hubby's name is Jack.....and he certainly is a jack of all trades.  He took our fridge completely apart.....found 2 little wires that needed soldered.....did just that.....and VOILA.....she started working again!!!

Fast forward to about 6 months ago and that's when it started freezing.  A thermostat was purchased and installed....didn't help.  Some other part was purchased and installed.....still didn't solve the problem.  So....that was when the Craig's List story came into play.

So....we started searching for a brand spankin' new fridge.  Have y'all priced those things lately?!?!?
All I wanted was a GE fridge.....the old timey kind, with the freezer on top.....21 cubic feet....with an ice maker....and they are close to $1,000.00.  
Well....I told Pappy that I just could not bring myself to pay that....and that we would just wait until our fridge quit working altogether, then we would do something!!!

Now....go back to last weekend.
Pappy went to see his brother and he asked if we had ever found a fridge.  Pappy told him no.  My brother-in-law told him that he had one we could have.  I told Jack that I didn't want to take anything for free from him.....and sort of brushed it off.  Then.....I asked Pappy a bit more about it....where did it come from....what kind was it....things like that!
So....he took me to see it.

And.....here's the story about my "new" fridge.
The refrigerator was bought by my mother-in-law at an auction at her church sometime before she passed away going on 2 years ago.  It was left because nobody had purchased it, so she bought it.

Now....y'all might think I'm a crazy, old, fanatical woman.....but.....I know in my heart of hearts that she bought this fridge with us in mind because she knew we were having trouble with ours.
Know how I know that so well?!?
My "new" fridge.....is a GE....21 cubic feet.....freezer on top.....with an ice maker!!!
And....the best we can tell....it's only about 5 years old!!!

It's not odd....it's God!!!

Monday blessings to each of you!!!


In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

9 comments:

  1. Isn't it great that God works out his plan for our good. Love it!

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  2. Good Morning, Deb,
    What an incredible "God moment" story! It's all about trusting Him...don't you think? We had something similar happen to us with a stove and a dishwasher last year. My stove "died" literally, and we hunted and hunted on craigslist and Uncle Henry's...with no luck. We really couldn't afford a brand new one at the time. Then one evening, just before bed, my husband checked craigslist one last time, and there was a stove and dishwasher combo listed for $300...the stove was brand new and exactly what I had wanted. A too good to be true story...but I called the next morning anyway. Turns out, the couple selling it work for "summer people" in big homes along the coast, caretaking and maintenance work, and it was given to them! They just wanted to pass it along to someone who could use it...so they gave us the stove, dishwasher, and microwave, for $200...all brand-new! The neatest part...they are a family almost identical to us...and we have become wonderful friends. God is so good!
    Have a wonderful day, Deb, and thanks for sharing your amazing story!
    Blessings,
    Laura

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  3. What a freat testimony! God is even in a refrigerator isn't He? I've always said, "If it is important to me it is important to Him"!. Thanks for sharing. Be blessed. Cindy

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  4. GOD has a plan!

    It's in HIS time not ours!

    Congratulations on your new fridge!

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  5. I'm so glad you got the exact fridge you wanted! I tell you, our God is involved in every little aspect of our lives. He even guides us to great deals when we need to buy something. He has helped us in so many ways these last few weeks to get the things we need for the house we are moving into. We still need a couple of chairs for the den and a chest or dresser for the bedroom, but I know he'll lead me to them. He has led me to everything else I've prayed about. Yes, I pray about chairs if that is what we need! :) Isn't God great?!?!?!
    Hugs!

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  6. That is so sweet Deb! It's amazing how the Lord is always working ahead of our needs. I do hope he was making plans for our AC which just froze up tonight..and Tim is gone for two weeks. I'll be sweating tonight..sigh..

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  7. That is so sweet Deb! It's amazing how the Lord is always working ahead of our needs. I do hope he was making plans for our AC which just froze up tonight..and Tim is gone for two weeks. I'll be sweating tonight..sigh..

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  8. I believed, enjoyed, and appreciated your “frig” story. If ever I had doubted this still small voice within us than my story most certainly wouldn’t have materialized. I knew that I would write Mommy’s Writings, even when I didn’t know if I could type, but God did. I’ve walked a long road in having felt that I was a simpleton, since having had a head surgery, in 1983, known as an Intra-spinal Rhizotomy. A thousand miles journey began with one simple truth in The Holy Bible, of which its limitless knowledge blesses and guides all of us, and mine was ‘Psalm 116:6: The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.’ The still small voice within us is indeed our heavenly creator.

    Suzanne McMillen-Fallon, Published Author
    www.strategicbookpublishing.com/Mommy, would you like a sandwich?

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