A testimony gained

I have a new understanding that my Heavenly Father really does know me personally and that he does hear and answer our prayers. I feel the need to write this down to serve as a reminder, lest I ever forget.
For 6 months Daniel and I have been searching for other management opportunities. Managing our apartment complex has been a great blessing to us, especially while Daniel is finishing school (2 more years). Our current situation has been rather difficult to say the least, so after we had a years experience, we decided to pursue other things. We began the search and submitted resumes for months. We went a long time with out so much as a nibble. Then a phone call finally came. The job was in Washougal Washington. We didn't like the idea of moving to another state, because we would then have to pay out of state tuition. We decided to go to the interview any way. We were on the road for about 15 minutes, on our way to Washougal, when another phone call came. We were told there was a position available in Scappoose! (Oregon). Just 7 miles from where Daniel grew up in St. Helens. It seemed like the perfect opportunity. We called and cancelled our other interview, we knew it wasn't the one we needed. Everything was perfect about the Scappoose job. The compensation was exactly what we wanted. There was one problem though. It wasn't an attached office. I was going to have to be in a separate office, away from my kids. I would still be on the property, but Daniel would not be able to work while I was working. This was a problem. I went to the interview anyway. We would have loved to move to Scappoose. This is the first example of the Lord truly knowing us and our needs. At the time, we didn't understand why we didn't get the job, but I trusted the Lord in HIS decision, even though it wasn't what we hoped for at the time. We didn't hear from anyone for a while after that, but one day a call came that intrigued us. It was for a job in West Linn. Wow! was our initial reaction. It was going to have amazing compensation, more than we had hoped for, but more money also means more work. We went through 3 interviews and they gave us a conditional job offer. On Thursday, they told us we would hear from them on Monday. Nothing. Tuesday, we left a voicemail for them. Nothing. 3 voicemail and 2 e-mails later, we had given up hope. They weren't even going to have the decency to call and tell us they changed their minds. We were left to wonder "what could have possibly gone wrong?" Then they finally called 2 weeks later... "We have decided to keep the current managers due to performance improvement." BUT, then she told me that we have been approved to hire, and that as soon as they had another position open, we were going to the first people they called. This was good news to me believe it or not. During the entire process of interviewing for the West Linn job, I was torn. It was going to be very time consuming and difficult to do with the kids. I felt like it was going to be very hard on the kids. They demand so much of my attention, and I WANT to give it to THEM. There is a list of worries in addition to this. Daniel and I were not on the same page about this. He really wanted this job. So I went to my Heavenly Father in prayer, and told him all of my concerns. I gave him the whole long list in faith. This is the lesson I guess I needed to learn. He heard me. The very next day after we were told we weren't going to get the West Linn job, they called us with another opportunity. At first, Daniel and I thought, "no way!!" That simply will not work for us. We didn't want to be rash and tell them no right away, so we agreed to go and check out the property. Meanwhile, we were praying fervently about it. We knew it was really His purposes that matter, not what we imperfectly think. On Sunday we drove to the coast to see it. We prayed together and asked for Guidance, wisdom and discernment. As we pulled in we could see that the office was closed, which meant we wouldn't be able to see an apartment, but, as we got out of the car, the Manager decided to take her garbage out. It was perfect timing. She took us around the property, and we liked what we saw. We asked her several questions about the job, and the opportunity really began to grow on us. It was everything that I had hoped for. My big long list of worries about the west linn job were all addressed, the main reason being that I wanted to be a Mommy first, no matter what. When Daniel and I left there , we both felt an overwhelming confirmation that this is what we've been looking for, one of which was the fact that we BOTH agreed that this was right, where as we had not been agreeing on that before. We again prayed together in thanks. Another interview later, we have been offered the job and are now being sent for the drug screen. The Testimony gained, is that Heavenly Father ALWAYS knows best, and things will work out in your best interest. He knows us and he heard our prayers. He knows our needs. He taught us an invaluable lesson through out the last 6 months. That He is there, He hears us, He knows us personally, and that through our faith in Him, we will have our prayers answered in HIS purposes, and not our own. It feels so good to me, to know that because I can pinpoint a specific prayer that I said, that through this experience Heavenly Father has let me know he heard it. What a kind and fatherly way to teach me. This was a testimony I thought I already had, but I guess I really didn't. He made it a specific example for me, that I will now treasure and hold to when the storms of life roll in.