Winter is a terrible time for a home’s wiring to go out, but that’s exactly what happened to an Oklahoma City couple when they returned home to find their heater had died. Stacy and Josh Lemonds live in a charming 1945 home. For years, the lights had flickered and several outlets had never worked.
“We came home and it was really cold here and we came home and there was a blank screen, and we were like, ‘why is the heat not running?’” the couple asked. They had nowhere to go and no money for repairs because both Stacy and Josh were out of work, so they turned to their faith. We started praying,” Stacy said.
The couple immediately contacted their church marriage group, asking only for prayer, and they received an immediate response from a man they had never met before, Joshua Matthews, a Dane Electric apprentice. Joshua had only met the couple a few weeks before when they delivered meals to his home while his wife was sick.
Joshua said that he was an electrician and could come over to their house because he was just ten minutes away. When he came, he looked at the house and said that there was a bigger problem. They got OG&E that night and the result showed that it was a fire hazard. They could not have any electricity until the house was thoroughly inspected and fixed.
While other church members covered the cost of the couple’s hotel stay, Joshua took on the big job himself, working with Journeyman Electrician Christian Harbison of Dane Electric for several days and nights, well past midnight, to replace the corroded wires and bring the Lemonds’ home up to code.
Stacy said, “We sat out in the car in the rain, watching him. It was cold and I just didn’t want him to hurt himself because he was going up those aluminum ladders, and I didn’t want him to slip and fall in the dark. He’s just an amazing friend and a servant of God, he’s really a servant.”
Dane Electric took on the project as a charity case. Stacy presented Joshua with a $400 Pay It 4Ward award from First Fidelity Bank after the generous company sent him back out to the couple’s home for a pretend “reinspection.” When Joshua walked through their door and was greeted by Stacy’s huge surprise, he was taken aback.
Joshua said that they didn’t have to do that and he did what he did to help them. “No, we do. We wanted to give back something. We know that you guys toiled over what happened, so – look at our lights! You guys, Dane Electric, you all did it, so thank you very much, bless you guys!” the grateful family said.
“It’s been humbling, but it’s also been an amazing experience to see people love – just love because they love, and just give. And thankfully, today I get to give back a little bit, and that’s just amazing to me that I can pay it forward,” Stacy smiled.
Joshua is also a veteran of the 45th Infantry Division, having served two tours in Afghanistan. He serves people in need in the same way he serves his country.