Do you have personal goals in mind and see your present situation as a hindrance to achieving them? Are you struggling with finances, relationships and forgiveness? Faith and trust in God may be the answer to your concerns. At the completion of high school, it was my dream to attend college. Having no money, I realized that I had to do something to make my dream a reality. In this book, I share how I made a start toward achieving my first dream by getting a job and then watching numerous doors open. Learn from my personal experiences the goodness of God and how He saved me from death and opened doors, enabling a single mother to obtain a college education and provide for her son. It is my hope that the readers, particularly adolescents, will find this book useful in dealing with life's problems and issues, and realize the importance of perseverance while allowing God to work things out in their lives. As for adults, I hope they will be strengthened in their determination, focus, fortitude, understanding and forgiveness, and learn to lean on God to help them through the hard times. Virginia Romer, PhD

EXPERIENCING THE GOODNESS OF GOD

By Virginia A. Romer

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Virginia A. Romer, PhD.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-8772-6

Contents

Introduction...........................xiA Humble Beginning.....................1Opening of Doors.......................5Speared Life...........................15Forgiveness............................23Ongoing Goals..........................27Making ends met........................33Ongoing blessings......................41

Chapter One

A Humble Beginning

My God shall supply all your [our] need according to his riches in glory. Philippians 4:19

I was born in The Bahamas on the island of New Providence, to parents who had not obtained a high school education. My parents, based on the mere fact that they did not complete school and the difficulty they endured making ends meet, thought it important that their three children received a good education.

Although strong church goers, my parents were not of the same religion. My father was Anglican while my mother was a Seventh-day Adventist. Who would have thought that the marriage of persons of different faith would stand the test of time, lasting for over fifty years? Although of different faith, they respected each other's religion. However, for my two bothers and me, it meant attending church both on Saturday and Sunday. By the time we reached the age of twelve, we were allowed to make our own decision and we all believed in and followed the Seventh-day Adventist faith. A faith in which two of us continue to be strongly active.

I grew up in a home that consisted of my father, mother, paternal grandmother, two brothers and me. My grandmother was a domestic worker, my father a licensed plumber while my mother was a homemaker. With my grandmother making just forty-five dollars per week and my father sometimes not bringing in anything at the end of the week, life was difficult. However, we were blessed to have a grandmother to whom God had granted the ability to budget and somehow stretch her small wage and be the provider for the family when at times my father brought in no money. Her sacrifices and budgeting enabled her to build a roof over our heads and an apartment building for extra income. How could one achieve all of this on a merger salary which had to stretch so far?

Since money was not always available, the thought of my brother and I obtaining a "good" education founded in my mother's religion, seemed an unobtainable dream. Yet, this was the dream and desire of my mother. Despite the difficult times, my parents and grandmother operating on faith, made the sacrifice to enroll my second brother and myself in a private school - Bahamas Academy of Seventh-day Adventists, to receive an education. My eldest brother was in the United States attending school, living with my aunt and uncle. Although back in those days fees were around fifty dollars and eventually increased, by my recollection to approximately one hundred dollars per term by the time I graduated in 1979, it was a challenge for my parents to pay.

Growing up as the daughter of a plumber, I had firsthand experience in watching both contractors and homeowners take advantage of my father whom they hired to work for them. If only my father was to collect the thousands of dollars owed to him to this day, then maybe he would be able to leave something for his grandchildren when he passes. Watching the pain my family went through having to experience once again "no show" of a contractor or homeowner who promised to drop off money that was owed, led me to make a personal commitment that at no time will I ask someone to work for me unless I already had the money put aside.

Fridays were often dreaded as we were never sure whether grocery money would come in or not. It seemed to a young child that disappointment came every Friday. Despite the many Fridays when no money came, we were able to have a meal. Often, we watched my mother and grandmother invent new dishes using whatever was available. Surprisingly, their `unique meals' did not make us sick but rather provided us with a full stomach. This continuous experience allowed me to develop an appreciation for the simplest meal. I often spoke of these experiences with my son and nieces during their younger years.

Although blessings came during my childhood, thought was not given to them as coming from God but more so from my parents. After all, they were responsible for me. It is only after I became an adult and reflected on my own experiences, that in retrospect, I came to recognize the working of God in my life, during my childhood days.

Chapter Two

Opening of Doors

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." -Mark Twain

Where there is no vision, the people perish. -Proverbs 29:18

When most adolescents are about to complete high school, they give thought to either furthering their education or entering the world of work. Indeed, it was the same for me. My mind was set on furthering my education. The school I attended, Bahamas Academy, was a strong promoter of tertiary education. To venture in such direction was quite costly in my circumstance as my parents did not have the funds. It was a dilemma staring me in the face. However, determination and faith eventually made my dream a reality.

In June 1979, with pride I graduated from Bahamas Academy with honors. Some twenty-six years later, in the month of May 2005, I walked across the stage of Pioneer Church at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, the recipient of a PhD Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Like many others, it had been a long journey, one with many bumps and detours. From time to time during this journey, I clearly saw the works of God and the outpouring of His blessings in my life.

After completing high school and not knowing where money would come from to further my education, I embarked upon finding employment. It did not take long for me to find a job. However due to my decision not to remain employed beyond a year, I did not take a glamorous job. A receptionist typist was the position I held at a Woodwork Shop, making seventy-five dollars per week. Determined to save, each week I deducted my tithes and offering which totaled ten dollars, and four dollars and fifty cents for a small medical insurance. The balance I placed in my savings account.

I often, at lunch time, wished I had kept enough money to purchase lunch rather than having to eat what was in my brown paper bag. Right across from my work place was a Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant which made the contents of my brown paper bag less appetizing. However, I constantly reminded myself of my goal and allowed it to lift my spirits. My work place was minutes away from a well known shopping area. When I wanted a change of scenery, I would take a stroll to the shops and browse knowing full well that my wallet was empty. This endless torture and self determination lasted for a year, at the end of which I had saved enough to pay for my first year and enrolled at Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Words cannot describe the pride I felt purchasing my own airline ticket and having enough funds to pay my own tuition. My second brother and...