What I learned from a phone book... (Part III)

As Andy approached his high school graduation, it was unclear what he should do with his life.  He prayed regularly, asking God for guidance in this matter.  Arthur was still very much a part of the lives of the Donnellys and suggested that Andy work in the warehouse where he worked.  Andy felt that was the right decision and so began the most wild ride of his life.  Andrew Donnelly began his first day at Riteden Publishers on June 21, 1954.  What a day it was!  He was to be a runner in the warehouse – filling orders, bringing supplies to coworkers, cleaning up messes, etc.  However, on the Friday before he began his job, a man quit a higher position that was much more crucial.  Mr. Riteden asked Andy if he was up to doing the more difficult job.  Andy said that he certainly was up to it.  So began his journey through the ranks of Riteden Publishers.  God saw fit to bless Andy with two new positions and three pay raises in two years.  He was able to help his family move into a house.  A real house!  In late 1956, when Andy was twenty years old, he met a beautiful girl named Donna Hammond at a dance.  He knew from their first glance that this was the girl God had for him.  Donna’s spunk and candor were catching, and her heart was full of love for her Savior.  Andy brought Donna home to his mother, and they hit it off almost immediately.  A year after they met, Andrew and Donna were married.  The congregation continued to listen attentively to Mr. Donnelly’s testimony.  He continued by saying that in the next ten years he was blessed with two beautiful daughters and became the junior vice president of Riteden Publishers.  Arthur had become the vice president.  God had blessed Andy with enough money to buy his family (including his ailing mother) a beautiful home in the Winchester Gates community.  In 1976, shortly before his fortieth birthday, Andy became the president of Riteden Publishers, when Mr. Riteden passed away.  I was beginning to get restless with all these facts.  Mr. Donnelly’s testimony seemed to lack a point.  Should I keep listening?  It’s my imagination, I can do whatever I want, right?  Okay, okay, I’ll keep listening.  Mr. Donnelly handed the microphone over to Mrs. Donnelly at this point.  She grasped it nervously at first and then began to finish the testimony.  She stated that the truth in the testimony was that God had blessed a boy with His love and blessings.  God had given Andrew Donnelly a way to help his family and those around him.  In every way Andrew Donnelly could imagine, God had blessed him.  Donna said the reason that they attended Valley Christian Church was not only because of the wonderful Pastor Fitch but also because this was the neighborhood where Andrew had grown up.  He had first come to Valley Christian over fifty years ago with Arthur Ruset.  Andrew felt this was the church God wanted him to always be at, bad neighborhood or good neighborhood.  Donna continued to speak to the congregation about the other reason they were in front of the church today.  The Donnellys were going to turn their home into a haven for people in need.  They want to bless the people that they love so much with a place of security, comfort, and love.  The congregation was standing on their feet now clapping so loudly the walls seemed to shake with it.  Oh, my.  What a testimony!  The phone book fell to the floor next to me with a loud noise that made me blink awake.  What in the world?  Had I fallen asleep again?  Grandpa would be here soon.  He wouldn’t like it if I left the phone book on the floor.  I leaned over to pick it up just as the doorbell rang.  I walked to the front door cradling the book in my arms.  When I turned the knob and pulled the door open, I was able to look into my grandfather’s face.  He smiled at me and winked, “I see you’ve got the phone book in your arms.  Anything I can help you with?”  I just smiled into the eighty-year-old face of Grandpa Arthur, and said, “Not a thing, Grandpa.”  God certainly does teach us things in mysterious ways.