Our Trip to Europe in Review

The newspaper recently wrote an article about our time in Europe. If you are interested in reading it, here it is. Enjoy reading about a miracle trip!

Haiti

Most of us have been deeply touched by the needs of Haiti in this past week as we have seen the pictures of the devastation that has come upon their land. For those of you who are looking for a Christian organization who will minister in the name of Jesus, you may want to consider this mission which is directed by a good friend of our family.

This organization has been in Haiti for years and already has an established medical clinic, Christian day school, church, and orphanage. Within hours of the earthquake, they were headed for the streets of Port au Prince to minister to the needy there. For years they have been shipping tons of medical supplies, office equipment, and basic supplies to help the people of Haiti through their mission there.

While there are numerous organizations to give to, you may want to consider giving to an organization that has been there for years, and will be there for a long time to come and will be sharing the love of Jesus to these people who cannot be healed by medicine alone. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these..." Matthew 25:40

God Works on Refrigerators

One of the greatest joys in trusting God to provide our needs is actually getting to see Him do it. Recently, we got to see the Lord take care of our refrigerator.

This year at Christmas, we had a very busy household--much busier than usual for us--with lots of people coming and going. We were looking forward to enjoying several meals with extended family and having large groups in our home. The night before our first guest was to arrive, I was up late working and getting ready when I noticed that our refrigerator had stopped cooling. Not only was this really inconvenient because it was well after midnight, but also because we had two big meals planned for the next day for friends and family. I had a large amount of food in my refrigerator just waiting for the next day.

I must say that I was frustrated, because not only was I very tired by this time of day, but I didn't want to have to go find a refrigerator on Christmas Eve and still have to prepare two meals. It was cold outside, so I knew I could just put things there, but that would be a lot of work which I really didn't want at the time. I just stopped, and partly out of exhaustion, and partly out of frustration, I just prayed to the Lord and asked Him if He couldn't just make the refrigerator work just until the holidays were over. With the faith that I had, I just left the refrigerator and kept working awhile and came back. I was delighted when I came back right before I was ready for bed and saw that the thermometer showed the refrigerator to be very cold--almost too cold. The end of the story is that the refrigerator worked wonderfully through the next few days and through the holidays. Our last guest was preparing to leave, when I noticed the refrigerator was getting warm again.

I mentioned this story to someone in my family, and they said, "Why didn't you just ask the Lord to fix it?" I don't know why I didn't, but I am glad that He did what I asked--He fixed it for the holidays.

The end of the story came tonight right before Lowe's Home Improvement closed for the evening. We had been watching for a good deal on a refrigerator while we used a smaller one to get us by until we could find one large enough for our family. Tonight, Rick went to Lowe's to buy other things when he decided to ask the man back in appliances if they had any damaged appliances that were marked down. Rick told him what we were looking for, and the man said they had one in the back. Now, keep in mind that we were not wanting to spend anywhere near full price for a refrigerator that would suit our family size. We were looking at used options or praying that we could find a blemished one.

He took Rick back and showed him a refrigerator that was a great refrigerator--much better than we have ever had before, but the original price was $1700. They had marked it down to $1500 for some marks on the front, which was a nice discount, but still way more than we wanted to pay. Rick began talking to the man and he said that he would sell it to him for $900. Rick said, "Well, I tell you what, if you will take $800, I will buy it tonight." He agreed, and we walked out of the store with an amazing deal and a brand new refrigerator (with a little scratch on the door). We also came out of it with another story of God's provision for our family! What a blessing we would have missed by just walking in, handing over a credit card, and buying a refrigerator big enough to meet our family's needs. God provides for those who choose to place their trust in Him!

My Christmas Present to my Husband

This was one of my Christmas gifts to Rick this year. I had been wanting to purchase vinyl word art for our home, but when I saw the price, I decided against it. However, after researching online, I was able to make this word art for about $1, and I think it turned out fine--even if I say so myself! If you are interested in how to do it, visit this link that I made. If you try it, send me a photo. I'd would love to see your work!