The year was 1999. To say my life was in termoil would be an understatement, Very bad 2nd marriage, being pulled in to court just about every other month by my 1st ex-wife for petty junk. ( Judge finally told her no more and yrs later she admitted it was just to make my life "hell") Working 14 to 18 hr days (unless I had my kids) then lets add more fuel to the fire, my ex-stepdaughter decided to throw a bunch of legal stuff in the pot.

I had reach my limit !, I drove my 1977 Ford F150 truck ( my pride and joy at that time) over a 200ft cliff. that folded it up like a crushed Dr. Pepper can. At the bottom was also an irrigation canal that carries water from the dam into the valley. aprox. 30 yard wide and a good 20ft deep. I remember being on the passenger floor board, when a voice as clear as people in a conversation said " are you ready to try life through me son". I am now setting on the canal bank on the OPPOSITE side of the canal, paramedics asking me "how did you get over on this side?"

my 2nd ex files for divorce and my 1st ex files for custody of the kids ( knowing the are everything to me). I told Christ, Ok if your all that you say you are, then make all this go away. HE told me sign all documents, " I WILL restore the children to you". all the legal affairs where completely dropped, ( Thank you Lord) I was laying in bed reflecting, tears flowing and said " Lord thank you, forgive me and promise to be your servant always (Nov.99) I was baptized in Feb. of 2000 in a hot tub and 2 ft of snow on the ground.

I ( actually He) started a maintenance and remodeling business ( which is what I had been doing for the last 35yrs, just for other employers). Very hard to get and lucrative contracts started flowing in, "Albertsons food chains, 40 acre dental complex that had 6 dentist offices, did surgeries, made dentures ect. ( i know ya'll have heard of this one) Microsoft. was also involved in a music venue a group from my church started, designed to bring " street kids" in off the street, "MOM"as all the kids called her, set up things like..bring me this form back showing you attend school for 1 week and will give you free concert tickets, ( the music was very interesting LOL ... the Bands had to come through Boise from Salt Lake City or Wyoming to go to Portland or Seattle, we were at only venue that fed and paid for motel rooms or Mom and Pop would put them up at their 6 bedroom house, besides the Venue,i was doing sound for our Church as " we " didn't have a permanent building and used where ever businesses would bless us with. also volunteered at a mega food bank, ( the kitchen sat where the lady started serving food from her 1 room house during the depression)

one day I heard the Lord say" I want you to close it up" ..I was like naaa I didn't hear that, one by one the contracts started disappearing, to where I found myself living in a truck camper at my dads classic car restoration shop and getting food from a big food pantry that I was volunteering at .

Fast forward to 2005, I met a lady on a devotional site ( interestingly enough disappeared after we started communicating through emails and later by phone) I found out she had 3 boys The Lord tells me, you are to move and marry this woman, DO WHAT LORD!, 2 very nasty marriages plus I enjoy working her with dad building cars. "You made those marriages from the flesh, I'm making this marriage." I prayed and fasted for a week just to make sure I wasn't going crazy ( LOL)

tending a home group Bible study, one of the leaders said " so when are you leaving?" ahhhhh excuse me, Lord said to him you will be loosing a member, with all the details. plus I call ( now my bride) and she said to me, the Lord told me " prepare for a wedding"do you know anything about this...so I explained ( i had not talked to her for that week of fasting)

I moved to NC on the faith the Lord knows what he's doing. in late April of 2005 and we were married on May 5th.

we ( my bride and I) had been praying about a loan offer of 1% attached to the end of her mortgage. On July 1 2003 @ 5p.m a 20 min. storm rolled through, lightening hit a tree blew it into 5 pieces. took out part of the roof, the kitchen and the deck on the end of the house...all the things we had been praying about. ( you want to test a new marriage- go through a remodel..LOL)

I started as a volunteer at a men's prison work camp as an assist. to the Chaplin I had met at the Church my wife had been attend during this time my daughter found me through the website and after she graduated high school came to NC from NJ and live with us attending collage. Later I started and became a board member of the Pregnancy care center. about this time we discovered through talking with the youngest who was 12 at that time, he had been praying for several yrs that God would bring him a daddy that would love him very much ( AND I DO )

The Lord restored not only my kids but also added to that.

I praise the Lord for ALL he has done out of pure love, my heart and sol belong to him.