Coincidence or Divine Intervention? You be the Judge

By Mulu Afework

Mulu traverses dangerous grounds, leaving her beloved home, Ethiopia, to find a safer life in other countries. Told from her own words, Mulu shares her unforgettable, unimaginable experience as a refuge fleeing a war-torn country at the age of 16. From escaping death, sexual assaults, rejection, and domestic violence, her story will keep you wanting more. By the end of the book, you will have to decide: Was her life full of coincidences or divine interventions? You be the judge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781667811857

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

One day, when I was about nine-years-old, I remember standing in front of the mirror, asking myself, Who am I? Why am I here? Why am I created at this time? Why from this family?

I lacked the answers to these questions, but they always remained with me throughout my life. I continued to stare at myself in the mirror, hoping to receive some resolution, but to no avail. I eventually walked away, because those thoughts proved too uncomfortable and complicated for me, especially for a young mind.

As I grew older, the same thoughts plagued me. Sometimes I would ask my friends if they ever questioned themselves as I did back when I was younger. Some replied, Never, while others would say, Sometimes.

Throughout my life’s journey, I eventually discovered the answers to my questions. I got married, had children, and my children had children. That’s when I thought to myself, This is it! My purpose must be to populate the world. This would be my contribution to the human race: three children and three grandchildren. For me, this was the answer I found and one that brought me great fulfillment.

Yet, even with this realization, I began reflecting on other events that have helped me discover my purpose. As I continued going through life, I encountered countless moments, which at times seemed random or coincidental. A lot of times, the synchronicity of the events seemed far from random happenings. I later discovered, they were moments of divine intervention, physical manifestations of supernatural occurrences working on my behalf. This reflection led me to share much of my story with my friends and children.

Not surprisingly, my children and grandchildren identified these moments as weird or unconventional, certainly not something that any person could make up. These strange events continued to manifest throughout my life and began trickling down to my family.

For example, I remember one day, my eldest granddaughter, Ebony, who had just turned thirteen-years- old that day, came to my room to ask me if I was ready to take her and her sister, Naomi, to school. After all, this was our morning routine. Before responding, I wished her a Happy Birthday and gave her a loving hug. A few minutes later, she walked out of my room, and that’s when I heard her and her mom arguing about something.

Ebony had asked her mother for five dollars, which she needed for school that day. She insisted that she had to participate in a school event, and this was the last day to pay for it. The argument ensued because her mom was running late to work and doesn’t regularly carry cash. She told Ebony that this was something that should have been addressed the day before so she could have the cash ready.

Feeling badly, her mom asked me if I had any money. I didn’t because I seldom carry cash. So, her mom gave Ebony two, one-dollar bills that she found in her wallet and scraped up some quarters from Naomi. She left for work, feeling horribly that she yelled at Ebony on her 13th birthday. Even worse, she felt disappointed that she couldn’t give Ebony the money she needed on her special day.

After the disagreement, it was time for me to drop the girls off to school. I walked towards the garage and opened the door. As I entered it, suddenly I had an urge to open the passenger side door where Ebony happens to sit. Then, another urge came over me, prompting me to lean forward and to look between the seat and middle console where I saw what looked like a piece of paper or possibly a receipt. I struggled a bit to get it out; at the same time, I wondered why I was wasting the little window of time we had trying to get this paper out of my car.

Finally retrieving it, I could not believe what I saw in my hand. What I thought was a piece of trash was actually a receipt, which was not mine. Holding it high with mouth wide opened, I tried to recall who had been in my car from the past few weeks.

While this was happening, Ebony walked out of the house with a shocked expression on her face. When she saw what was in my hand, she said, WOW! Where did you get that Grandma?

I simply responded, What do you think!? Tell me, is it weird now?

Still in shock, she touched it with her own hands, examining it all the more. The content wasn’t just a receipt. It was a receipt with a five-dollar bill wrapped inside it, the very amount she needed for school that morning. That’s when Ebony said to me, Wow, Grandma, this is just like what happened to Johnny on the 4th of July.

You see, weird things like this have not only manifested throughout my life. They were taking over my children and grandchildren.

Back in July, Jonathan, my youngest son, had a similar experience. Every year during this holiday, we used to go out of town to a big park in Davis, California to meet up with a group and to watch the fireworks. But during this particular year, we decided to stay in town and go to the big park in Elk Grove, California. However, Jonathan was complaining and arguing for many days leading up to Elk Grove Park, the whole time trying to convince the family as to why we should go to the Davis park instead. Jonathan really wanted to be with our friends who were like family members to us, but I made a choice long before to stop associating with them. Needless to say, he wasn’t happy about it, and it really bothered him that we wouldn’t be joining the group in Davis this year.

During this particular 4th of July, Jonathan prodded me to purchase fireworks (sparklers) for him so he could light them up at the park. I told him no repeatedly, which only added to his disappointment.

When we got to the park around 5:00 pm, we found a great rest spot and started eating the nice food while waiting for the fireworks. Unfortunately, Jonathan was unhappy about the whole thing. He was in such a bad mood that he wouldn’t even eat any of the food we prepared.

Around 7:00 pm, a group of kids, young and old, started lighting up their own sparklers before the firework show began. As you can imagine, Jonathan did not receive this well.

You see, Mom! Why didn’t you get me sparklers? I could have done the same thing as them, he said.

I felt so sad for him. I thought, Why didn’t I at least get him some sparklers?

Before the thought left my mind, I heard a scream coming from Jonathan. Ouch, something sharp just hit me on the head! he shouted. He rubbed his head, checking to see if there was any blood on his hand. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see the damage, if any, but it was just enough pain to stop his complaining.

I pulled out a flashlight from our picnic bag. As I checked the damage on his head, I asked Ebony to look around to see what hit him. To our surprise, she found the sharp object that struck him.

And there it was, out of nowhere, a new sparkler—the very thing he wanted—still wrapped in its package. Another weird moment for me and my children.

Full of excitement, he forgot about the pain, lit up his sparkler, and disappeared in the crowd. This elated the whole family and shifted the mood so we could enjoy the rest of the night.

You see, moments like these are not uncommon for me or for my family. While they may seem minute to others, these events demonstrate something supernatural to me. Little miracles like the ones Ebony and Johnny experienced were important to them, because they addressed a real need and desire they had at the time. These moments proved to me that there was Someone, is Someone, looking after me and my children. While some people might call these coincidences, they were more than that to me.

Looking back on my own life, I realized all major events had similar patterns. Supernatural manifestations always seemed to happen during the desperate times of my life, and I’ve had many.

Each time I shared bits and pieces of my life’s story with others, I noticed how people would respond.

You must write a book, they would say.

And my response had always been, Oh, c’mon. We all have stories in life. Why would anyone want to read my story?

It never occurred to me that I would one day be writing about my life.

Over the years, I’ve gone through twists and turns, some of which are completely foreign to the average person. And when I look back on my past experiences, it’s as if some kind of Force or Power was prompting me forward. All the while, this Power provided protection and guidance, thereby ushering me into the next chapter in my life.

I felt like a child whose parent taught her how to walk for the first time. At times, I received a gentle push from the back or stretched hands in front of me, each time encouraging and supporting me along the way. Every major encounter was surreal at first, but each one always left me feeling like Ebony did that morning before school.

Just WOW!

This reflection inspired me to chronicle my journey, and I accepted that it was time to write my memoir. In April 2016, that’s when this new writing venture began.

During our Bible study at Harvest Church in Elk Grove, California (my home church), a sister asked me if I would be interested in going to Los Angeles to attend a two-day Conference called The Call - Azusa Now.

I hesitated at first, because I knew nothing about this event until I researched and really learned how big it was. I even agreed to drive to the event with her, of course after mentioning that I really preferred to fly instead.

A week later, she told me she would be taking her daughter and a group of her daughter’s friends with us. She asked me if I would still prefer to fly and possibly stay in the same hotel with Dorothy Love, a fellow member of Harvest, and a friend. I agreed, then I booked our flights and reserved the rooms in the same hotel.

I liked Dorothy Love from just seeing her around church, but I didn’t know much about her. I just knew that there was something special about this lady. She always had this warm smile; she always said good things; and she always praised her Creator every chance she got. She was one of those people you just wanted to be around, and you didn’t know why.

Hey, I thought,