Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted a beautiful white dress that was gauzy, that would make me look dreamy on a beach. Whenever I thought about my honeymoon, I would envision myself standing on a beach with turquoise water behind me, and the wind blowing my beautiful white dress and my long red hair behind me. I never told anyone about this dream. Only God knew.
While Alan and I were in Oregon before the conference, we stayed at the house of one of Alan’s friends. As a thank you present we wanted to get them a basket with some gourmet foods in it. I told Alan that Ross Dress for Less had good baskets, so we pulled into the parking lot. As we walked through the store, I noticed a white gauzy dress, hanging alone amidst various other dresses. It was my dream dress. I was stunned as I stood there. It was a size small, so I didn’t think it would fit. But after trying it on, I saw that it fit me perfectly, almost as if it was made for me. I showed it to Alan, and his face lit up. He said, “You look really good.” I wondered if it was too low cut. He said, “I wouldn’t wear it to church, but it would be fine on a beach.” He smiled.
It cost $12.99. My dream dress. Nobody knew but God. At that moment, I knew I was going to the Bahamas. I can’t explain it, but this was the first step that led to us going to the Bahamas. This was the day before my speaking engagement in Oregon, so I hadn’t made money yet. I had no idea how God was going to provide for it, but I knew from the moment that dress fit, that we were going to the Bahamas.
Back home in Spokane, I found the second article of clothing for the Bahamas. I was walking around the house one Saturday afternoon, when I saw a coupon clipped to the board for the Salvation Army, for 30% off clothing. I suddenly felt a surge of peace, and I wanted to go there. I told Alan I wanted to go to a resale shop, and he said, “Bye.”
When I drove up, I saw that all the items in the entire store were 50% off. It was the first time I saw a 50% off sale at this store. There are four resale shops in this area, and strangely, this was my favorite because the clothes prices were so low. For some bizarre reason, I was looking at the evening gowns, and I found a gorgeous turquoise evening gown for $8 (which cost $4 with the sale). I tried on the dress, and it fit me perfectly. I looked like a mermaid. I pulled my hair up, and I thought the dress would look lovely on a cruise. I felt so much joy, I almost started crying. It was similar to how I felt about the white dress.
On other days I found other clothing for the cruise, all from resale shops. I prayed for specific items. For example, since it was the summer, I wanted some shorts. I also wanted cute jeans that fit me properly. I wanted all my clothes to be super attractive, since that’s the whole point of a honeymoon. God provided every little thing I asked. God is good.
I want to pause to say God is good. I’ve been through a lot of pain in my life, a lot of horrible things that have sometimes seemed beyond my ability to endure. A couple of times I thought I had lost my mind with grief. But I’m telling you that through it all, God is present. God will pour Himself into you in your moments of greatest horror, and then later He will turn around and surprise you by giving you something extraordinary. But the greatest gift is always God Himself.
(Stay tuned for part 3 of my Bahamas trip, where God set the finishing touches in place before our departure…)
