I love my daytime job because I am offering promotional products to companies to promote their business or reward employees. The tough thing about this job is I am always at the mercy of my manufacturers and the big delivery services. You see I am a distributor for items that have business’s logos on them. I don’t manufacture or decorate the products I only sell them.
When I write an order for a client I work with very reputable and “A” rated companies to ensure we sell a good product with a durable imprint and deliver on time. Some days there can be challenges relying on so many other teams of people. I have always said that I am responsible for the work of others yet I have no control over how my orders are handled. You can see how this can be a difficult.
Today was a day that provided such a challenge. One of my biggest clients called me last Thursday needing an item for an event tonight (just for clarification that was just 5 days) at 6 pm. I knew that in taking this order I would open myself up to many opportunities for disaster. The lady ordering was new to her position and didn’t know we normally need two weeks to complete an order from start to finish. I took a leap of faith to help her.
The first thing I did was contact the manufacturer to make sure there was stock and the product could be imprinted and shipped within 24 hours. Stock was good and my customer service rep said she would help me to get it done for my client and have the order arrive on time. I expressed my gratitude for her help, said a little prayer and sent her the order.
Friday morning I received a confirmation that the order was being imprinted and was shipping out the door by 5 pm and again it would arrive in time for my client’s event. I told her again how blessed I was to have her helping me with this order and that she was exceptional in her work. She should be commended for staying on top of my order!
The order was shipped the same day and I received the tracking numbers so I could watch the shipment. Yes indeed it was moving across the country by air and truck and still scheduled to arrive on time. Thank you God. I know you are watching over me and this order.
Fast forward to this morning. I track the two boxes again. They were now on the delivery truck to be delivered today. Awesome, this is my day off and I can relax knowing everything is in place to arrive in time for my client’s event tonight.
Around lunchtime I had an inkling to email the client to make sure she had received her order and everything was as she had hoped. This was about 1:30 pm. She replied to my email, “No, not yet. I wasn’t going to panic until 2 pm.”. Holy moly, I know this particular delivery company always and I mean always delivers by 10:30 am. The client is a major university and all packages go to a receiving warehouse. With the number of packages arriving each day the driver likes to unload as much cargo as possible early in the day. I was a bit worried. Maybe more than a bit worried.
I tracked the packages on my cell phone and saw they were still on the truck and out for delivery before 6 pm. “Oh no,” I thought, “I know this client has an event and she has bought these beautiful gifts for the attendees and now she may not have them.”
I took a deep breath and said a small prayer. “Heavenly Father, if there is a way to get these packages to my client I would be ever so grateful.” I didn’t beg or plead, I just asked God if they were meant to arrive would He please watch over the driver and the warehouse worker to get the package to the client for her event.” I released it to God for a positive outcome.
When I arrived back to my office at 2:30 pm the packages were still “out for delivery”. I am breathing deeply to calm myself. I call the delivery company to ask if maybe the driver had forgotten to update the status to delivered and the packages were already delivered. I was informed by the customer service rep that she can’t communicate to the driver but his route notes say he would normally deliver to my client’s receiving warehouse between 2 and 6 pm. Yikes, the receiving warehouse closes at 4:30 pm. It is now 3:20 pm. Another deep, deep breath.
I decided to call the receiving warehouse to see if I can reach someone to help me. I would like to tell you now that over the past five years of working with this receiving warehouse that they never answer the phone. I dialed the number and the phone rang five time and then I hear a voice at the other end. God helped me again! He placed the worker at his desk to answer my call.
I explained my situation to the worker and he said he would log in to his computer if I would provide the tracking numbers to see if they could account for the boxes. He entered the numbers three times and nothing came back. He said to me, ” I normally don’t do this but if you will hold on I will walk back into the warehouse to see if the delivery driver has been here yet. Do you have time to hold?” Do I have time to hold? Yes, amen, thank you, thank you, thank you!
The man almost immediately came back on the phone and said that the driver was there now unloading all the boxes. If I would call him back in 20 minutes he would confirm the two boxes arrived and my client could come to the warehouse and pick them up for her event.” I agreed to call him at 3:45 pm.
As I hung up the phone I received a text and an email simultaneously. The chimes sounded like angel’s trumpets going off. My client’s text said, “Just received an email the boxes were delivered.” This was the exact same thing a new email in my inbox stated. Your packages have been delivered at 3:33 pm signed for by Taylor. Hallelujah!
As I sit here and tell you this story I am still basking in the love God showed me in resolving this situation for me. It is absolutely by the grace of God that my client has her order to give her attendees in just 2 hours and 27 minutes. If God hadn’t walked with the driver and the warehouse worker blessing them with his goodness this may have been a disaster.
Every time I turn to God for His help, He never lets me down. When He knows I have taken a risk but my faith lies in Him I always succeed. I never take this for granted and I believe that since I took the time to tell others how grateful or blessed I was to have them helping me with this order God saw me through.
We get so much more from helping other that the receiver ever gets. I mean to say when you are giving you are getting back tenfold from God. I am so happy I can write this blog with a miraculous ending and showing how God is always here for us. love, peace and gratitude-LoLo
“She who trusts in the Lord will never be disappointed” Isaiah 49:23
gratefulgratitude.net 