Family was saved from losing everything thanks to Milagro de Navidad: the lottery

(Of interest: He bought the lottery at his wife's insistence and won $2 million.)

As in other countries, the National Government decreed Compulsory National Isolation. Although it was hard, the Colombian people took refuge in their homes, video calls, social networks and online games became important. The 'free' time was used by many to carry out their 'hobbies' or learn something new, but over time everything became more exhausting and some sectors of the economy began to issue emergency calls. One of The most affected fields were trade. One Friday, María* and her husband Pedro* closed their clothing business in Bogotá with the hope of opening it the following Tuesday, but that day did not come. more money, according to Warren Buffett.) Like other families, this business couple didn't understand how their lives had changed so suddenly. One day they were working at their premises and the other, locked in their house with their children, witnessing a virus that threatened to make them lose everything they had built up to then.

'Where it is taken out and not thrown in, the harvest ends'. This popular adage is the best example of what was happening to María's family, since, decree after decree, the quarantine was extended and, little by little, their savings vanished. restrictions were a little more relaxed they reopened their business, but nothing was the same. The profits they made were barely enough for the rent of the local, so they decided to close it. “It was quite difficult because we didn't have many sales during those days, the income was reduced by 70%. It was quite difficult. By November of last year we had to close, "María told EL TIEMPO. (You can read: Did you know? The probability and science behind the lottery and chance).

After ending the business that had allowed them to live comfortably in recent years, they had to reduce their expenses and say no to one or another indulgence that they could indulge in in another era, including the typical pleasures of Christmas. On that occasion, they were austere celebrations and, although their children did not fail the Child God, the uncertainty of what would happen appeared from time to time.

Despite everything, the magic of the time maintained the hope of this family. Mary, who is a very believing woman, had faith that everything would be better the following year and that the newborn Jesus would have mercy on this "overwhelmed and suffering humanity." One afternoon they decided to go out to eat, money was scarce, but they wanted to spend a family time. On the way to the fast food stand, they came across a gambling outlet. They suddenly entered, feeling an almost hypnotic interest in two lottery tickets. (We recommend: The man who escaped death 7 times and ended up winning the lottery).

“Honestly, it was the first time we bought the lottery. We played chance and Baloto, but we didn't buy lotteries. In December we were stranded, but we went to eat and went in to do a Balloto, but we saw the numbers and bought the Extra”, recalled María with enthusiasm, the same one that that day led them to bet on their luck.

2021 arrived and for María's family it did not start with anything different. The consequences of a jobless 2020 knocked on the door of his house, little by little and month by month, the debt receipts accumulated on his nightstand. (It may interest you: He dreamed that he won the lottery, bought a ticket and He earned a million dollars.) His three children's college, utilities, house payments, car bills, and other bills piled up into an endless mountain. The anguish of not knowing where to get the money from or if what they got would last until the end of the month became more acute.

And the lottery? She accompanied them for three months in her vehicle, then she ended up at a table. The chances of winning any of the prizes were few and your responsibilities many. In addition, times were so difficult that they had no head to think about an old lottery ticket . “There was a time when we loaded it in the car, then one day I kept it on the desk. One day in June we looked at them, but we put them back,” María confessed. That month they decided to set up a new business, this time, a fast food stand. Bogotá was going through the third peak of the pandemic and registering record numbers of infections, but restaurants could open, so that prompted them to keep going. (Also: Seven keys to making a fortune from scratch). Things seemed to improve and outlined the rainbow at the end of the storm, despite the profits were not enough, after paying the rent, they only had 500,000 pesos left to survive.“We started to do well, but starting is difficult and it did not give us to cover all the expenses. Here in Colombia it is difficult to start a business, but we started to do better than with clothes”, recalled the woman.

In August, Pedro was desperate, despite the good reception that the food stall received, it was not enough to support his home. So he decided to sell the car while he got the new business off the ground. However, he had problems with the bank and his salvation seemed to be shipwrecked. "My love, I don't feel the water is up to my neck anymore, we're drowning," he told María regretfully. That morning, her husband's words were a bucket of cold water for María, not because of the car, but because she felt her husband's pain and was sorry that he was losing hope. (Also read: The 240-minute rule that applies the rich to be richer). “My love, don't despair, I don't know, I feel in my heart that God told me that we shouldn't do this business. But don't despair. If it has to happen, it will happen”, she replied. She sighed as if exhaling the sorrow she carried inside, trying to drive away the negative thoughts that come to mind when there seems to be no way out. She prayed to heaven that her husband did not lose hope and asked God not to abandon them.

He remembered that he had saved several gambling tickets, among them the two December lotteries. He turned on the computer, went to get the tickets and began to check one by one.

(You can read: Six golden rules for being rich, according to a millionaire).“That day we had received about five messages about things we had to pay for and we didn't have the money. I woke up wishing we had even a million pesos saved up in prizes. When I was sitting checking on the computer, my husband had to go out. He left and I kept looking”, recalled María with emotion. She squinted her eyes to focus well, number by number. He was looking at the screen of his laptop and then at the lottery ticket, he had to repeat that action more than ten times, because he wanted to make sure he was not hallucinating. In his hands he had the winning fraction. "My God, I'm dreaming," he repeated to himself and went over the numbers again. Once she was sure it was real, she took her cell phone and called her husband.

(We suggest: The 4 ways to 'get out of poverty' and become a millionaire, according to a study). Pedro couldn't believe it, he thought it was a joke from his wife to cheer him up. In fact, he went along with it and, before hanging up on him, she told him to find out where to claim the money. When María called him again and gave him the address, he realized that it was true: they had won the lottery. “He came home, we went to the Extra, but we were still super suspicious. We thought they would tell us that the deadline to claim the prize had expired. We didn't believe it until the prize was disbursed to us”, María laughs, just remembering how it all happened. .

(In other news: The habits that will allow you to reach 40 years of age with excellent capital).“At an economic level, things improved because we greatly reduced our monthly expenses by no longer having those debts, that is, we were already able to rest and business has been taking off better. The prize did not make us millionaires, but it gave us a lot of peace and economic tranquility”, recognized María.

Eight months the Extra lottery ticket was kept, eight months of restlessness before the daily obligations. "We spent this whole year living the thick and thin and with the money saved in the desk," recalled María. (Also: The only thing you need to be happy, according to Harvard). But she also mentioned that, despite everything, He was always looking for the positive side and with living hope. Some will say it was a stroke of luck, others will call it destiny, some will think that the stars aligned in their favour, but for María the answer is simple: God heard her prayers, it was a Christmas miracle > of which he was only aware months later.

“Yes, it is inevitable to have debts and not think about them, but we slept peacefully. We knew that God was in control of everything and He was not going to abandon us," he concluded. From one day to the next, the pandemic changed their world and, in the same way, a year later, a lottery miraculously appeared to put them back on track. to solve the financial problems that they had been dealing with for months. (Keep reading: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs: this is the theory that would have made them successful). Now, they are not millionaires, nor are they among the 'top' of the richest Colombians, but they have the serenity of not owing anything to nobody. *Names modified for security of the protagonists of the article.

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