My lovely niece Olivia was planning to move her growing family to a rental house in the Chicago suburbs today. My sister Lyn offered to help them with their two year old, Dominick and newborn baby girl while the boxes were being moved into their new residence. Lyn began to sneeze uncontrollably as soon as she stepped into the home and wondered what had triggered such a reaction. Upon further investigation, she discovered black mold to be the culprit. It was located in several closets and on the wall of what was to be the nursery! Obviously no one could live in that unhealthy environment so they would have to find another place to live. Lyn decided to call an attorney friend for advice; she was asked to take photos and swipe samples of the mold and place them in a sealed plastic bag before vacating the premises.

Since there were no cotton swabs readily available, my resourceful sister walked over to the house next door and rang the doorbell. Earlier that afternoon, Lyn had spotted a young woman pull up in the driveway so she figured she could ask her for a few Q-tips and baggies. When the door opened, an elderly woman stood before her with an oxygen tube affixed to her nose. Lyn explained her situation to the woman who kindly invited her to come inside. As Lyn followed her toward the bathroom, she heard a distinct beeping sound coming from the back of the house. She inquired what was making the noise but the woman said she could not hear anything. Well, it turns out the alarm on the oxygen tank was going off because there was no oxygen being released! Lyn instructed the sweet woman to call a nurse at the emergency number listed and waited until the woman’s oxygen tank was fully operational before leaving.

When we talked later that evening, she told me how God had divinely placed her in that woman’s house. Who knows how long her oxygen had been cut off and when would she have stopped breathing? I was amazed and told her she had probably saved this woman’s life. Lyn responded by saying, “What if that was God’s elaborate plan all along to guide me to that woman’s house? And the move was secondary? We would not be surprised because our God is an awesome God and always working behind the scenes for our greater good!