With excitement like a kid, who knows they are going to receive something Great! I asked Jesus just this morning what he has in store for me. Jesus must have been smiling at me like “TPA, wait and see”.
The story starts a month ago when I received a phone call from an agent of the courts saying they were outside my house to collect an outstanding debt. I asked him “what debt, I don’t owe anyone anything!” I was not at my house and hadn’t been for a while as I was out of the country. When I returned, I didn’t go to my house and it’s only after I got the call, I decided perhaps I need to go and check the letters. The bailiff explained there was an outstanding parking ticket on my car. I told him that’s impossible as I don’t even have the car anymore. It was hit when I was out of the country and deemed a total loss. By the time I was receiving this phone call, my beloved Chestnut had already been taken away. The bailiff said whatever the case, there was an outstanding debt of £426.50 that needed to be paid that day.
The parking ticket was from 7 months ago. I explained to him I had travelled out of the country and by the time I was leaving the country, I had not received any parking ticket. I had crossed a tunnel where you need to pay £2.50 by midnight. I realised 2 days later, I hadn’t paid it, so I paid it and set up autopay, so that anytime I crossed, it would take what was due. The bailiff said regardless of what happened, that amount needed to be paid that day or I would get more charges. The matter had been escalated to court for non-payment and that is how they got involved.
I asked him the same way he called me, why didn’t anyone call or text or email to say there was an outstanding ticket. The account I had set up had said if there was any notification, I would be emailed, why wasn’t this done? I also asked why it took 3 months to issue the ticket. On my end I thought my little attempt had sorted things out when I didn’t get a ticket. He said the best way was to pay and appeal. He would only give me the appeal details after I had made the payment.
Off course such things happen when you are already not having a good week or month or year. With great irritation and anger, I paid. I don’t even think it was anger, it was more of defeat. You tell yourself you give up or you don’t care, but you do care. After making the payment, the bailiff stayed true to his word and gave me the details of how to appeal. One thing about me is I will write letters. I always have the time for them. If you don’t do nothing, you will get nothing. I got off the phone and was in tears and said to God, “the battle is yours, I can’t fight it”. I knew I could write the letter but the outcome I wanted of getting a full refund, was only in God’s hands.
I had been sending voice notes to one of my friends who is going through a similar season as myself. I started the voice note with a strong voice as I told her the latest that was happening and by a certain point I was choked up and in tears and had to end the voice note. I then thought to myself may be God wanted to give me a nice birthday present because it was exactly a month to my birthday. The bailiff had told me to wait for 2 days to start the appeal process, I decided to make hay while the sun shines, and started the appeal process that same day.
One thing the UK does is make a process of everything. It can make you give up but as I said, if you do nothing you get nothing. I had to fill 2 forms. I read a part of the form as though I would need a lawyer to sign something for me. I asked a lawyer friend of mine if she knew someone who did such and she said I didn’t need one. I had read it incorrectly. I proceeded to fill out the information. It also asked for any evidence and oh! oh! I was so ready for that part. I have an album on my phone titled ” receipts”.
I keep evidence of payments and such things where you would need evidence, precisely for such reasons. I proceeded to retrieve, and screen shot all the things I thought I needed. I had the flight ticket, passport stamp of the date of entry and exit of where I had travelled to, boarding pass, screenshot of the cab notification that took me to the airport, evidence of why I hadn’t gone back to my house on arrival, the screenshot of the payment I tried to make 2 days after the crossing, that was never refunded back as it was late, I sent every evidence to show I did not receive any notification by the time I left the country, which was 3 months after the crossing. I got an automated response saying I would get a response in 56 days. I counted the days and marked it on my phone calendar to chase it up if I hadn’t received a response.
Just this week, I thought to myself they better not write to my house as I am not there again. Their auto response email also tells you basically not to chase them up. I was still procrastinating on this and hadn’t put an action plan to send them a message to say send the outcome via email.
I had paid a bill over the weekend on my credit card and wanted to shift that amount from my debit account to an account I leave purely to pay for bills at the next billing period. On checking the credit card statement, I realised I had made the payment on my debit card so there was no transfer to make between the accounts. I also noticed that my credit card balance had gone drastically down. What happened?
I went in to investigate and saw there was a payment 2 days ago from the bailiff company! I scrolled down to see if it was a payment in or if I was looking at the payment that I had made out, a month ago. I couldn’t believe it. It was the full refund, just like I appealed for, just like I prayed for. And just as I thought, God really had a super birthday present just for me, because they had sent the refund 3 days after my birthday.
My birthday was already the best birthday in my entire life of 4 floors and 1 step. So, to see that God heard my cry, saw my defeated spirit, fought my battle, never left me, never forsook me in my time of need, remembered me at a time I needed him to remember me, solidifies how this birthday is the greatest so far. I say so far because if I can ask Jesus in the morning what he has in store for me and by evening he is showing me Mighty things, then it truly means my best days are always ahead of me. When I was asking Jesus what he had in store for me, little did I know his full answer with a smile would be “TPA, wait and see later on Today! Today!”. Why? Only because God is Good, God is Great, God is Ultimately the Best and Nothing is Ever too Hard for him Ever! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Amazing testimony.