Brittney and I hope all of you are doing well. We are so blessed to have the family and friends that we have. In tough times it sure is nice to have Christian friends and family to turn to.
The boys are doing really well. Cooper still has daily struggles, but he is still progressing in a positive direction. God just continues to work in our lives, you know, I often wonder where my relationship with God would be if we had not taken this leap of faith and moved to Tampa, or if we did not have to face the issues we face with Cooper, or if we did not have the financial issues that we are facing.
In Corinthians Paul tells us to consider it "pure joy" when you are facing these struggles for they will make you stronger.
When Brittney and I find ourself in a tough situation with Cooper, or with our finances, it is tough to look at the big picture and see what God wants us to learn from that particular experience. After we are through the experience we can then look back in amazement and see how God had us in the palm of his hand the entire time, that we were worried.
Throughout the Bible God tells us not to worry, for if we have faith in him, he will provide for all of our needs.
The time that Brittney and I are in right now reminds me of the time we were in during Dec 07. We had just moved to Tampa in August 07 and enrolled Cooper in his new school. As I said earlier this decision was made on faith, In the worlds way of thinking it was not a smart decision, what we were trying to do versus the cost to do it did not make any sense economically. While people admired what we are/were trying to do for Cooper, there was still a skeptical side to some people as well.
God is God, sometimes it is easy to forget that, he is supernatural.
With that being said, I will get back to my story.
In Dec 07 Britt and I were out of money, business was slow as it is currently, we had just made Cooper's December tuition payment and we were totally depleted. That was also close to the time, when I was traveling back and forth to Nashville pretty regularly with work.
We had been praying fervently for God to intervene and help us throught these tough times.
I had a Monday morning flight from Tampa to Nashville. I was running a little behind already and after I had gotten checked in and ready to go through security and move toward the gate I realized I had Brittney's keys in my pocket. I did not have much time to spare, so I called my aunt Missy who had dropped me off about 10-15 minutes earlier. I had to go back out to the departing flights drop off and wait on her to get there. She got there, and when I finally got to the gate the last couple of passengers were getting on. I was actually the last person on the plane.
I was walking through the plane and I dont remember seeing any seats opened. I finally saw a window seat open. That was the last available seat on the plane.
There was a couple sitting there, a man on the isle seat working on his laptop and the women was in the middle seat. The women said " you can sit here" so i did.
As we sat through the first 20 or 30 minutes of the plane ride everyone was doing their own thing reading and the man on the isle was working on his laptop, then the lady in the middle (Paula) asked me if I wanted the other half of the sandwich that she had eaten. So we started talking.
The man on the isle seat (Jim) asked me what I was heading to Nashville for and I explained that I actually worked in Nashville, but lived in Tampa. They wondered why, so we got in to the story of Cooper's Journey and how we moved to Tampa to send him to this amazing school for autistic kids.
As I was telling them the journey that we were on and about Cooper and his disability, I noticed Paula crying. The story touched her and you could see the concern on both Jim and Paula's faces. Paula could relate to what i was saying because she had a child that grew up with a learning disability and she had went through some times caring for him that she could relate to.
So I guess the last hour of the flight we really got to know each other and I could tell these folks were genuinely nice people.
As the plane was landing I was telling them about Cooper's website and how they could keep up with his progress through it. They told me that they would definitely check his website out and they wished me good luck with everything, and we got off the plane.
My friend Jon picked me up at the airport and we headed straight to work. I remember telling Jon about Jim and Paula and how nice they were and how interested they seemed in Cooper.
Well, I worked the rest of the week in Nashville and flew back to Tampa on Friday evening. That night before I went to bed, I checked my email as I always do before I go to bed. I had an email from Jim. He got my email address from Cooper's website. He asked me to call him the next morning and gave me his number.
I remeber this morning with crystal clarity. Cooper is on a special diet so we have to go across town to the Whole Foods to shop for him from time to time. I took Cooper with me that morning to Whole Foods. On our way back at around 10 a.m. I gave Jim a call. I really didn't know what to expect. I knew he was concerned with Cooper and knew he and Paula were very sincere on the plane ride.
When Jim answered we spoke for a minute and he said " Tim we want to help you guys, we want to pay for Cooper's tuition the first month of every quarter starting in January", he said "I know it is the holiday season so we wanted to start in January so you will not have to worry about the tuition payment over Christmas".
So I get off the phone and start giving Coop high fives to his car seat in the back, and I am screaming, "Yes Sir Coop, we are back in the game buddy". I dont think he knew what I was saying, but he knew I was happy and he started screaming and laughing and high fiving me as well.
I called Brittney and I remember her crying on the phone and how happy she was.
God is amazing.
Jim and Paula have become really good friends to Brittney and I.
They have done so much for us, God has truly blessed us with their friendship.
I wont ever forget what Jim told me when Britt and I met he and Paula for the first time for lunch. He said "we have been blessed with abundance, one day it will be your turn to help a family in need".
Acts 4:32 tells us "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possesions was his own, but they shared everything they had".
It is amazing how God touches peoples hearts to help others in need. Brittney and I are planning for the day that we can give back like God/Jim and Paula have given to us.
There are other stories that I will share in the future, that you can plainly see God working in as well.
I would love to hear some thoughts or feedback from any of you regarding this story or how God has worked, or is working in your life.
When God is working in our lives I think it is important to let others know. Some people may say, that is not God that is just coincidence, but we as faithful believers know different.
God will meet our needs, we just have to remain faithful. We also need to be looking for others that we can help, not always financially, but praying for them, spending time with them, praying with them. There are numerous things we can do to glorify God.
Feel free to email me, I would love to hear how god is working in you. You may not have been on the recieving end, you may have been on the giving end, and have seen benefits in your life from that.
I look forward to hearing from you. Also feel free to give prayer request, we will pray diligently for your needs.
We love you all.
Tim, Brittney, Cooper and Christian
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