Winter is the absolute worst time to lose power— and this year’s extreme temperatures have made the occurrence especially brutal.
However, after coming home to a dead heater last month, one Oklahoma couple has gone completely viral.
Last month, Stacy and John Lemonds were upset to discover their heater was completely dead.
The two live in a cozy, 1940s home but had been experiencing electric problems for a while.
Their lights always flickered, and several outlets had stopped working over the years. But now, upon returning home, they were greeted by a blank thermostat screen.
“We came home and it was really cold in here, and we came home and it was a blank screen,” Stacy recalled.
“We were like, ‘Why is the heat not runing?'”
Upon realizing their bad luck, the couple didn’t know what to do. Both were out of work; they had nowhere to go and no money to pay for repairs.
Turning to what had always helped in the past, they looked toward their faith. After asking their church marriage group to help them with prayers, they received an unexpected response. A few weeks earlier, Stacy and John had met a man named Joshua while bringing meals for him and his sick wife. Now, upon hearing of their troubles, he wanted to help out.
Turns out Joshua was an apprentice working for Dane Electric.
When he heard the couple’s dilemma, he instantly stepped in.
“He chimed in with a text, he told us, ‘Hey, do you know I’m an electrician, and I live only ten minutes away.'”
After taking a look around the house, the apprentice spotted serious problems. He alerted Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E), who came out and pulled the couple’s meter.
OG&E then declared the scene a fire hazard. They also ordered the couple not have electricity until everything was fixed and inspected.
Joshua and Christian Harbison, a Journeyman Electrician, took the project upon themselves.
Their employer, Dane Electric, did everything for free.
Together, Joshua and Christian worked several days and nights, sometimes well beyond midnight, replacing destroyed wires and bringing the house up to code.
In an interview with KFOR News, Stacy recalled: “We sat out int he car in the rain, watching him. It was cold and I just didn’t want him to hurt himself because he was going up to 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.”
But the story doesn’t end there. After Josh’s good deed, the Lemonds wanted to repay him in a special way.
Teaming up with KFOR News’ Pay it 4Ward, they orchestrated a little surprise. Dane Electric was also in on the secret. In fact, they set the scene for the event, sending Joshua on a fake “reinspection” of the Lemond’s home. When he got there, he had no idea a news crew was already waiting.
But what did they have in store for Joshua? You’ll have to watch the video to see!
After the surprise, Stacy told KFOR: “It’s been humbling, but it’s also been an amazing experience to see people love— just love because they love … And thankfully, today I get to give back a little bit, and that’s just amazing to me that I can pay it forward.”
Watch the video below!
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