A Widow’s Prayer

The following article originally appeared in the Good Neighbors February 2019 Print Newsletter

Written By: Rachel Metzger

Annette sat in her dining room and laid a handwritten list on the table. Dozens and dozens of answered prayers filled two and a half pages. “I started this list after my husband Kevin died,” explained Annette. “It’s a constant reminder to me that God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we can ask or thing.”

It’s this verse in Ephesians 3 that has sustained Annette for the three years since her husband died unexpectedly, leaving her and her teenage daughter to face the prospects of managing a household on just a small insurance pension for income.

“We had debt when Kevin died,” Annette explained, and her part-time job as a preschool teacher was not enough to cover the loss of her husband’s income. Yet, since that time, Annette’s testimony of how God has taken care of both of them has continued to astonish everyone that knows about her circumstances. It is so astonishing that Annette’s willingness to ask God to do far more than she could imagine has grown bolder.

For years, her basement suffered from constant flooding. So much so that there was continuously water in her basement which, over time, developed into a sludge riddle with iron bacteria. Contractors estimated that the cost to redo the French drain and install a new sump pump would cost around $12,000. This was money that she did not have. So Annette asked God to do more than she could imagine and provide the means to fix the basement. Not too soon after that prayer, a friend mentioned Good Neighbors to her. She called the office and within a week, a project manager was in her basement.

Good Neighbors agreed to install a French drain and to waterproof the basement, but while waiting for the work to begin, matters grew worse. The standing water in the basement caused her aged heater to stop working. Annette and her daughter had to move in with her mother because they were now without heat. Quickly, she contacted three heating companies to assess the situation. The first two companies gave her estimates to replace her heater that were far beyond her budget. When the last heating service arrived, Annette reluctantly showed him the heater. As they stood in the basement, her hopes were dashed when he too estimated a replacement cost that was just too much. Then they began to discuss the flooded basement and Annette mentioned that Good Neighbors would be fixing that very soon.

“I’ve heard of Good Neighbors,” the gentleman said. For a moment he paused and said, “You know what, last year we ordered the wrong heater for a job and it has been sitting in storage ever since. It is the right size for your home. What if I give you the heater for free and we ask Good Neighbors to cover the cost of installation?”

Annette was overwhelmed when Good Neighbors agreed to the deal. All of the work was done by December and Annette and her daughter got their wish to be back into their home by Christmas! “I’ve added this to my list,” she said. “Every day God reminds me that He is taking care of us. I know it sounds silly, but sometimes I go down into my basement and just stare at it because it makes me so happy.”