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I started writing letters to literary agents and publishers, asking if they would like to publish the book. I remembered a woman I had worked with at Doubleday some fifteen years earlier. When someone told me that she was a literary agent, I wrote to her. She responded by saying she would not be taking on any new clients for at least a year. Since everyone else had already said no, and realizing that patience is a part of character building, I decided to wait.

I kept the ministry going and started doing speaking engagements at other job training programs. Working with my list, I realized that if there is something you want that does not exist, you could create it. I started writing to clubs, organizations, and corporations asking if I could come to speak to their students, members, and employees. I had a computer a friend had given me that had no printer. I would type the letter at home, take the disk to Kinko’s, and print the letter out. There were many times when I would find a typographical error after I had printed the letter. I would have to return to the copy center and pay for another printout. The carfare was wreaking havoc on my budget. I put my request for a car into the universe.

Without my having said a word to anyone, a member of the ministry called to tell me she knew a man who could help me get a car. She gave me his name and telephone number. I didn’t call because I knew my credit rating was poor. I had not paid for my Fingerhut towels, I had a defaulted student loan, and my utility bills were seldom paid on time. I decided I would have to save up enough money to buy a used car. The universe had other plans.

Several weeks later, the woman called to ask me if I had gone to see about the car. I told her no, but I didn’t tell her why.

“If you have bad credit, he can still help you. You really should call him.” I did. Gemmia and I went over to the lot and I found a beautiful gray Honda with my name written all over it.

“How much can you put down?” the salesman asked. Before I could answer, he said, “I’ll be right back.”

I was sitting in the salesman’s office with Gemmia. She is not just my daughter and best friend, she is the voice of reason. “I don’t have any money. What should I do?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Ask him if you can pay it off later.” The salesman was back.

“I’m having them clean the car up. How much can you give me today? Do you have insurance? I have a guy who can help you out. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh my God! What am I gonna do? I have to pee. When he comes back, tell him I went to pee.”

“I’m not going to tell him that,” Gemmia said, shaking her head and laughing. I was freezing. That always happens to me when I get nervous. I sat my cold butt on the cold toilet seat, never thinking it would be a spiritual experience. A voice filled the bathroom. Write him a check for nine hundred dollars. I was so nervous I answered out loud.

“I don’t have nine hundred dollars!” I was screaming at myself.

God has nine hundred dollars.

“But if the check bounces, God is not going to jail. I am.”

Offer him nine hundred dollars and trust God to do the rest.

I walked back to where Gemmia was sitting. The salesman rushed back in, sat down, stood up, leaned over the desk and said, “Write me a check for nine hundred dollars, and I’ll guarantee it.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that we will put a guarantee on the check so that if it doesn’t clear, we will have access to your account to get the money anytime it shows up.” I wrote the check.

When the insurance broker arrived, he asked for two checks, one for $75, another for $250. He explained that it would be at least two weeks before either check was cashed, because they had to be processed through the home office in Kansas.

I drove my car home and went to bed. The next morning I crept over to the window and peered through the curtains.

“Gemmia! Gemmia!” I was screaming and jumping up and down. “It’s still there! I have a car!” Gemmia and I did a little jig around the room. We jumped in the car and drove around the city delivering books. When