It has been some time since my friend, Wanda Hisle Riddell, and I had a chance to talk and catch up with one another.

Usually, when we run into one another in town, we promise we are going to go to lunch or do something. Time goes by again before we make the same promise the next time we see one another.

Anyway, this past week, she stopped by my house and we got to catch up on life. Boy, did I not realize all she had gone through since we had really been able to spend time with one another.

Wanda is someone who is pretty special to me. Her mom and dad and whole family are special to me in fact.

When Wanda was a young teenager, she and her sister, Brenda, often came down to my house. One day I even pierced her ears, along with about 10 other teenagers that year.

Later I would be a bridesmaid in Wanda’s wedding to her husband, Gary Riddell.

Being the daughter of a military father, Wanda had lived in Japan and other states before her dad decided to retire where he grew up in Kiddville. She has had to adjust to life, lots moving to new schools and making new friends and adjusting to new places. Adjusting was a way of life for her and her siblings.

However, her future was going to really cause her life to change. Wanda had to have a surgery several years ago that resulted in her colon being perforated. She was sent home from the hospital and did not know she still had a hole in her colon. For one week or more she went about life the best she could before she couldn’t go anymore and was put in the hospital to learn she was near death. Her family was called in and her parents made a trip from the middle of Florida to Kentucky in 10 hours to be with her.

The Lord had other plans for Wanda. Because of her husband speaking up to tell the surgeon he wanted them to try something else one night, it ended up saving her life in the long run. Her husband is one of the meekest people you can ever meet and the fact he spoke up at all is amazing. They were later told if she had surgery that night, she would have died.

Wanda had to wear a colostomy bag for a long while which caused her to go into a deep depression. She never gave up on God, but needed others to pray for her.

Finally, she was able to get rid of the colostomy bag and then had to have knee surgery.

One night she went to a Tupperware party and it changed her life. She and her husband were struggling financially and she didn’t know if they would be able to make their house payment from month to month. She decided to sign up to make some money. She felt it was something she could do.

She told me Tupperware was a Godsend for her. When asked to name her team, she decided on “The Believers.” She told me she named it that because she believes our sole purpose on God’s earth is to expand God’s kingdom.”

She realized she could do that with Tupperware as she met people she could at least witness to them if the opportunity arose.

God has heard Wanda’s pleas and after a lot of hard work and prayer, Wanda will be given a car within three weeks if all goes well for her.

She needs help though. If you would like to purchase Tupperware, she would appreciate any help. Go to her website at mytwpage.com/wandariddell.

She has worked hard this past year and a half and I wish Wanda the best and hope the car becomes her own in the next month.

We should all be believers and hold on to our dreams with that much conviction.