A little glimpse of our coupon class in Jersey City March 10, 2012. Yes, I always have a story I know, but this one I have to share. Above and below are pictures of the donations from the class ~ LOAVES AND FISHES!! So exciting to watch God at work!!
About 2-3 months ago Liz contacted me, a follower on the FB page, to see if I would be willing to come to Jersey City to teach a coupon class. We talked all the details out and decided to go ahead and plan for the class. We have been in contact much about the class and getting to know each other as much as we could via the computer, etc. She made it available for me and the “coupontourage” (who I am nothing without them) to be able to stay in their downstairs apartment so we did not have that expense. Now needless to say I had no idea who “Liz” was but I knew I loved her and I felt safe. Well Thursday at 5 p.m. we headed out on our road trip. Of course, we had our vision of what the trip was going to entail and how it would all pan out, well, we NEVER dreamed what we were about to experience. I will do the best that I can to put it into words. The drive was about 9 hours (or that is what the GPS said). Danielle was the co-pilot (navigator), Vanessa, DeAnna, and Tiffany. We talked a lot about what we wanted to do while we were there and about the class. Well as we get into Jersey City there was some construction that the GPS could not pick up and we were not sure what we were doing. We had to call Liz at 3 a.m. to see where we needed to go as roads were closed and we had went over the same bridge 3x, LOL Liz in turn had to wake her husband up, Sam, to get us where we needed to be. We arrived and were greeted with the biggest most sincere hugs and knew we were welcome. We visited with Liz for a little bit and then decided we would try to get a little bit of sleep before we headed to Carlo’s Bakery in the morning. Liz gave us the # to the taxi company and we headed over there Friday morning. That was fun. Upon arrival back to the apartment, Liz told us she and Sam would take us into the city, which was beyond amazing. We ran into a few hiccups though and their van broke down so Sam was lucky enough to drive our “bojanky” van into the city. Never in a second did we have any fears, any concerns, it was as if we had known them our entire life. They were real, there was nothing fake about them. Their hospitality was over the top for us and we were taken aback. This is just not how people are nowadays. We went into the city, made a few stops, and then went to Time Square where we had the honor of meeting Erika from Time Square Church and she took us on a tour!! That church was amazing and we felt that same unconditional love from Erika! It was never like we were taking time away from them or that it was a chore, it was just fellowship. It is only a love that comes from Christ. About 3 p.m. we took off on our own to visit the City and that was an adventure, but one I think we will all cherish. We returned to the apartment late and got up the next morning to go get breakfast and teach the class, still not knowing what to expect except that we were going to a “normal one of our classes”. Boy, did we have a surprise in store for us. To back track a little bit I have been really meditating and spending much time with the Lord these past three or more weeks. My passion is so much about the power of coupons and how we can feed the hungry with our coupons. Everyone, not just ONE, but all of us together, community, each encouraging the other; being real with each other and as we are feeding the hungry the friendships that will be formed by fellow couponers. My heart has been very heavy about this. I have been praying for God to reveal to me if this is my vision or HIS vision. Is this HIS passion or MY PASSION!! I have prayed “Father God, please speak loudly to me” (yes, I tend not to listen so well if it is in a soft voice spoken to my spirit). Father speak loudly to my spirit and give me certainty that this is FROM YOU AND YOU ALONE!! We walk into the building (church) and instantly there was a peace, a sense of love, a sense of community. I thought well this is really cool, still not understanding the magnitude of how it would affect me. As people began coming in the authenticity of this church amazed me. I was able to talk a lot with Erika on Friday and Sam and Liz about what my vision is, where I want this to go, I want this to take off and see lives changed, people to find Hope, for us to feed the hungry, not just physically but spiritually. My vision is big, but I keep saying I serve a God that created the universe, so my vision is nothing compared to what HE CAN do! HE IS ABLE! As the morning progressed I was truly overcome with emotions to the extent that tears were flooding my eyes and I couldn’t stop. It was uncontrollable and something I had never experienced. I felt the presence of the Lord, as I kept saying “Jesus is in the House!!” It truly felt like we received a little glimpse of heaven here on earth at Hope Tabernacle in Jersey City. I have never ever experienced anything like that. As Liz introduced me I was overcome again with emotions and yes, the big baby cried. It was tears of Joy. I was filled with so much Joy, so much Hope, so much of the Holy Spirit!! There were a few times I stumbled when speaking and then something would come out and I was like “well where did that come from”. It was God, all God!! After class the people that came up to speak to me and tell me how excited they were to help others. How they wanted to get involved with the 5-item challenge, how they wanted to help change lives for God’s kingdom. All I could truly say was “Thank you Jesus”. To know they got it, they felt the passion, they were just as on fire as I was about giving to the poor. Going out into the community and impacting nations for God’s Glory. I felt so much love and again I cannot put into words the feeling. It was such a love that you could tell was not a “normal human love” it can only be described as the “Love of Christ!” We were able to eat lunch with them and talk a little in depth and I was able to share more of what my vision is, where I want to take this, and I have NEVER received so much support in all my life. They were excited and I knew I had their blessing. This is not couponing, but this is a ministry. We can impact lives through the power of coupons, but truly Jesus is performing miracles and multiplying like he did with the 5 loaves and 2 fish!! I will never, ever forget this experience or how these people are. . . This truly is a glimpse of heaven on earth. If you live near Jersey City, you have a great place to go to church. If you live closer to NYC, you have another wonderful place to attend church, Time Square Church. What you will find is you are loved no matter what. You will not have to do anything for them to accept you, they accept you because you are a child of God’s!! No strings attached at all. Their hospitality is awesome, their love is awesome, but more importantly, they have changed my life forever. I will truly never be the same because of what I experienced. We thought we were going to teach a couponing class, well Guess what, God had another plan. Thank you Jesus for all these wonderful people you have placed in my life and I will continue to pray blessing for each and everyone of you. Thank you ALL for being the voice of Jesus and speaking to my spirit (yes, in a very loud voice) and thank you for having faith in my vision and ministry. Thank you for showing us a glimpse of heaven You will NEVER be forgotten and I have come to the conclusion that I think I need to move to Jersey City!! Matthew 25:40!!
My Sister in Christ, Liz!!
Thank you Jesus for this wonderful gift that could only be orchestrated by you!!
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My name is Joni Meyer-Crothers and I run this couponing/money-saving blog along with my husband, Jamie. We love to show others how to save money in a BIG way! We do all the work for you. . we do the matchups and show you where to get the coupons, many FREE printable coupons. Sit back and follow the blog and watch your savings increase! Couponing is a ministry for our family as we we love to show others how to save and share from their couponing harvest!
