The Case of the Missing Bible...

Okay, I am SOOOOO excited!

Brad and I got married September 5, 2004. Shortly before that I could not find my Bible, but didn't think about it much since my apartment was disasterous as I was moving some of the stuff into the apartment we were going to be living in and of course that place was just as chaotic because we're working on combing his and my stuff and getting rid of stuff... blah blah.

Okay, this Bible was given to me by my Aunt on May 21, 1995, the day I was confirmed at the church I grew up in. It was my favorite Bible, lots of highlights, lots of notes, if I needed to reference a verse or find something, I knew right where to go for it, or I knew what side of the page to be looking on for it if I just knew which book I was looking for.

So it was August 2004 last I remember seeing/using it and other times I just used other Bibles. I really wasn't concerned until a couple months later where I just really could not find it. I know it sounds odd to stress over a Bible, but for 1, if you know me, you know I stress about everything, and 2, it just has carried a lot of meaning for me and is very special to me.

I had prayed that it would be found, others had helped look to - I mean like at the church we went to, there are a lot of spare Bibles to use and pretty much we looked for all of them. Oh, did I mention my maiden name: Michelle Schuelke w/ the date: May 21, 1995 is engraved on it?

So figure if someone has it or if it was around the church, surely someone would know it was mine. Anyhow, NOTHING. Honestly, I was sad about it, even until recently. I had stopped praying for it years ago, and probably less than a month ago, I have started praying for it to come back because as odd as this may sound, I just felt like I needed it!

Tonight we went to a dinner at Kenosha Bible Church (KBC) where we got married and went to church for many years (now we go to Living Light, Racine) and had our babysitter Rosemarie. Talking to her as Brad was about to take her home so I could sit and eat, she asked "Oh, was your last name Schuulll" I'm like "Schuelke" - Yes... so she tells me this story and as she even asked, I just knew what she was going to tell me... Somehow a couple months ago, she had picked up my Bible by accident at church (KBC). She has one that looks like mine w/o the engraving and had set hers down next to another Bible in the kitchen at KBC and accidentally grabbed the one that isn't hers. When she got it home, she realized it was not hers and was going to return it to the church. She forgot to and then just recently she looked at it and realized that it might be mine! Sure enough it is!!!!!!!

So when Brad took her home, she ran in and got my Bible that has been missing for over 4 years!!! There is a bulletin in it from August 1, 2004 so I am assuming that is last day I had it. Funny enough, our wedding invitation is also in there along w/ a picture of us from well, obviously before we were married! How did someone NOT look in there and realize that was mine years ago??? I don't know, but I am so thankful and Praise God that he has led it to the correct owner once again... me! :)

I think it is just crazy how things work like that. I knew a couple years ago, I had to pray to let go of that Bible and move on. I know that may not make sense to some, but for me, it was hard to do. And it's just crazy that I recently started praying for it again and now, I have it!!! I am SO excited and thank you if you made it through my story and are able to enjoy in this blessing with me! I would love to know what happened to it, how it ended up in the kitchen at KBC (trust me, we looked there too and I was not a stranger to the kitchen in that church when I went there). And I'm so excited because the picture of me and Brad in there is so cute, probably from almost 5 years ago!

Praise the Lord, I am very blessed. Thank you for sharing in my joy!