God Stuff: August-October 2012

It has been crazy busy around here, with a house full of guests off and on all August, my sis-in-law having a new baby (their first), another sis-in-law getting married this last weekend and showing, after showing, after showing in between (house still for sale, no sheriff sale date yet so praying it sells prior as we do want to do the right thing and pay our debts properly).  Not to mention various jobs cropping up here and there that have been part of God’s supplying for our needs.

Paintings have been sold, books have been sold, websites have been designed and hosted, I have helped out with appraisals (a side job I have been doing on an as needed basis for 15 years), and so on.

God has provided  despite book sales slowing down (though they are still paying the bills) and while we are gearing up for the next book to be finished soon:

• monetary gifts  from all sides– including one left under a box of old fashioned oats in the pantry by a house guest which was found just when we were out of money and nearly out of food.  Another friend pressed money into my hand after a visit over tea.  Our birthdays (Shamus’ and mine are 4 days apart in August) brought money that went to groceries and came right on time.  Also a check we had been waiting on came a the perfect time to pay two months of bills.



• physical gifts of food, gas, clothes, and video games (yes, video games and what a blessing they are.:)) One friend has a huge garden and has been giving us their surplus– tons of onions, potatoes, garlic, and apples.  My dad’s raspberry bushes have meant lots of pies and smoothies. Our own blueberry bush had more blueberries than we have ever seen on it– a gallon a day for months.  Another friend bought us multiple tanks of gas while she was visiting.  Another guest was moving across country and brought us all the freezer stuff that they wouldn’t be using (and which would make it for the trip).  That freezer full of meat has continued to bless us as we can’t afford to buy any at the store (well nothing worth buying– this is all grass fed beef and free range chicken– all the weird stuff like hearts and chicken legs). Another friend brought us tons of peaches, eggplant, and herbs from her garden plus several computers that needed fixing (including one they didn’t want that we could have) and traded us fixing the computers for a family photo session– the first we have had in ages.



• blessings through many other sources– items on sale or clearance that meant we could make our funds stretch so much further, the perfect gift at the thrift shop for Issac’s birthday next week on sale for half price ($2.50 for his entire birthday present).  Extra cake from the wedding reception that means Issac will have a cake for his birthday next week.  Ice cream super on sale at our local Walmart so he also gets ice cream. A free cup of coffee at the dinky little gas station that just happens to be 20 cents cheaper than all the surrounding gas stations– and that coffee was very needed for Rach because she was heading to work and had a massive headache (and is the best coffee I have ever tasted– that stuff was amazing.)  There have been so many cases of “exactly what we needed at exactly the right time for the perfect price” that I can’t list them all.

God is so good to us and continues to take care of us and it is exciting to hear the kids response when someone mentions no money for such and such, whatever the need:  “God will take care of it.  He has gotten us this far so we can trust Him to continue.”  Yup, that’s it exactly.