The Never-EndingStory

This story began many years ago and God willing has many yet to come. Since finishing the manuscript for Glorified Un-Expectations, a variety of occurrences have taken place. I was once warned by a dear friend that once I began to get serious about bringing this book to market, whose purpose is to glorify God, that the enemy would come at me strong and hard; and he has.

During the Christmas season of 2017, Rick and Elijah volunteered to deliver Christmas trees for a fundraiser for a local organization. With a full load on a trailer, Rick was turning onto a road when he accidentally hit a utility pole. It was a minor scrape, and he was unaware that he had even hit it. However, a motorist behind him alerted authorities, and he was later cited for a hit and run requiring him to appear in court in January 2018. After all is said and done, this good deed ended up costing us not only

time, but also points on his driving record and an unexpected court cost, which really is not glorified at all, an Un-Glorified Unexpectation.

After 5 years of being seizure free, the end of the year 2017 brought about yet another seizure for our dear Elijah. This was a shock to us and left us a bit unnerved as since his surgery we believed that seizures were a part of his past. However, here we were, once again wondering what to expect next. After taking him back to his neurologist, we found that this had possibly been a result of needing to adjust his medication. He had grown much over the last five years, maturing from a boy into a young man. His medication has been adjusted and we have not had another seizure, praise Jesus. We hope and pray that we don’t, but we also know that nothing is guaranteed in this life. What we do know is that we have a loving God who is in control and we can rely on Him no matter what.

A few weeks after the seizure incident, Rick was rushed to the emergency room. He had a kidney stone that had unexpectedly blocked one of his kidneys. Within a few hours, we were told Rick had acute kidney failure which resulted in having emergency surgery with a fever of 101.1 and a five-day stay in the hospital. Unfortunately, the surgeon was not able to remove the stone. We are hoping and praying that it is no longer there. Only Jesus knows that answer. There have been no flare-ups or pain, so we are very thankful.

Another situation involved Jacob who is now married with three beautiful children: Manolo, Aras, and Camila. He was working as a manager in a firm that helped families who are experiencing the challenges of Autism. He loved his job and was doing well when he

found that the company was participating in illegal activities and fraud. Once he discovered this and reported it to what he thought was the correct authorities, he was promptly fired. This situation has led to a bought of depression and hardship for his family. God will open a door. I know that God is with him. In fact, I believe that his firing was only the beginning for the amazing things God wants to do with his life. Jacob loves the Lord and therefore I believe that he will be successful in his new career, or whatever door God chooses to open for Jacob.

Right after Jacob lost his job, a few weeks before Christmas in 2017, we were subpoenaed by the courts with a lawsuit for another good deed. Two years ago, 2015, our son Jacob, and daughter-in-law Marisa, were staying at our house for a few days. Marisa needed to borrow the car to get to her job and upon returning home early morning; she was involved in a motor vehicle accident. No one was hurt at the time. We are now being sued by the other party involved because we are the owner of the vehicle. Not sure how the glorified part works in that, but again, Jesus knows so we will continue to put our trust in Him.

We are not strangers to adversity and we know that these challenges are no surprise to God because His promise is revealed in 1 Peter 4:12-13; “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed” (NIV).

We will continue to praise God as we place every “Glorified UnExpectation” in His hands and pray that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Don’t be afraid of the unexpected. Rejoice, because this is where He wants you so He can teach you the next step to write your “NeverEnding Story.” When you are ready to climb your mountain and write your “Glorified Un-Expectations” life story for His glory, please contact me at www.kerridanielsminitries.com. Together we can share what God is doing. We give all glory, honor, and praise to Jesus Christ our Lord,Amen.