Category: This and That

How God Has Provided: Finances for Our Family

Almost eight weeks ago we stepped out in faith to follow my husband’s calling to preach and it has amazed us to watch how God has provided finances for our family now we are completely dependent upon Him.

Our situation reminds me of the Biblical account of Elijah, when there was a famine in the land God directed Elijah to a specific place where God Himself would be his sole provider.

And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,  Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.  And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.  So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.  And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. I Kings 17:2-6

The Lord has decided not to provide for us using ravens to bring us bread and meat but He is providing faithfully each day in other ways.

Love Offerings

  • When we left our church we received a check from our church as well as a love offering from both the members and the choir that served beside my husband for the past five years.
  • My husband has preached so far in 5 different churches and all of them has provided him with a love offering to cover our expenses for our travels there. One church even generously gave us $1,000 to be a blessing to a young preacher and his family, we were humbled by their generosity and kindness.

From Individuals

  • Before our last service at our church a couple approached my husband about helping us take care of some repairs that our van needed since they knew we would be on the road. They gave us $1,200 toward our repairs and the rest of the money that we needed was the exact amount that our church members gave us in their love offering. We spent 6 weeks on the road in a van that was fixed and back to its best self, until we backed into a dumpster and broke a tail light! Whoops!
  • Another very humbling gift was from a couple that gave my husband a handful of cash who we had never met before. Later we were able to pull all the connections together and find out that this couple had buried their 2-year-old son who had died from cancer only one week before. Their gift was precious to us.
  • Friends of our on a fixed income gave us a check from their family business, not once but twice. We know they probably could have used it for themselves, but they gave.
  • Three different family members provided us with checks that covered our expenses for one month.
  • We made a stop to see family friends and they also gave us a check to be a blessing.
  • We not only received monetary gifts, God provided us with many paid meals as well as accommodations in each place we visited to take care of us as we stayed overnight. Although they are not cash in hand, they are financial needs met.

Through eBay, Amazon, and Curriculum Sales

Early in the spring we made a choice to begin experimenting with buying items in lots and reselling them. We bought a 16-tub lot of vintage toys from the ’90’s and early ’00’s, books from library book sales, and a very large homeschool curriculum bundle. Although we have been selling throughout the year, our sales have been thorough and steady enough to provide what we need to be able to save for any upcoming needs, like our baby due in September!

This has also kept us busy in what might normally be considered a downtime between ministries. We have needed to be busy since we do not know the will of the Lord for our lives yet, it gives us purpose to be able to provide for our family with the work of our own hands. When we have not been on the road we have been busy taking pictures, listing and shipping items and then waiting for the Lord to sell them for us. And really with some of the random items that we have, it has had to be the Lord selling them for us!

Finances for our FamilyTo sum it all up –

God was showing us some things in our previous ministry that were telling us it was time for us to truly take a step of faith and leave what we were doing and we did it. When we made the choice we knew that it would end my husband’s income, our housing allowance, and other expenses like car insurance that his job provided. God is showing Himself faithful. We have heard many stories in our travels of God taking care of families for up to 7 months or more when they took their own step of faith to wait on knowing where the Lord would direct them next and trust He will do the same for us if that is what He desires.

Not only did he provide for us monetarily, as we traveled in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas and spent time with our family and ministry friends which has been as much of a blessing as any monetary gift we have received. We needed time to get away and fill our cups with the ones we love. We’ve needed to sit under preaching without ministering and let our kids build relationships with their cousins and other ministry kids.

Not all of our needs have been financial but I can testify that if the Lord calls you to follow Him, then He will give to you along the way. It may not be everything you want, but it will be everything you need! And for us, when the brook dries up and these things no longer provide for us, then we know the Lord will lead us on to the next place of His provision.

Family Update: June 2015

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Hello Friends!

It’s been a little too long since I last wrote to you all and I wanted to share what is going on in our lives personally. May 31st was my husband’s last Sunday to serve in our church and we have now stepped out in faith to follow God’s call on my husband’s life to preach.

As many of you know, he has been the music director at our church for the past 5 1/2 years and it has been clear for some time that the Lord was moving in our hearts for him to be able to work in a ministry that will allow him more of an opportunity to preach. He loves leading music and is good at it (if I may say so from a doting wife’s perspective, wink, wink) but the longing and burning in his heart will not go away to do that ONE thing. He has told many people who if he were called to do music ministry only then he would have no problem staying put and continuing to work and serve in the church where we have served. BUT, that is not the case. Just as Abraham, Moses, Paul, and Peter followed the call, my husband must also follow.

We are in a new transition, after having told our church family good-bye, in praying and seeking God’s face for His perfect will for our family. This past weekend we were able to go for a mini-vacation in the nearby wilderness and stay in a cabin with no internet or phone access and just spend time hiking and loving on each other. And let me tell you, it was so good for us to be alone in solitude. We were able to forget the world and just view God’s creation and rest.

June 1015 Update

On Sunday, we attended a small church that our church has supported for many, many years very close to an Indian pueblo. Their work is small but it is obvious the pastor there has a heart for truly teaching the people by going through the scriptures and explaining to them the heart of the Bible. What we saw was Biblical mission work here in the United States and are proud to know that when we gave to missions that this work was being supported by those monies and they have not been wasted.

This next weekend we will be taking our first trip to another state to visit a prospective church that will be interviewing us (and us them) for a position as an associate on staff. We also have other meetings throughout the summer where my husband has been invited to preach, but no other interviews so far. This will keep us busy for the next month and a half, we will be able to visit family as well as friends on our trips between four states.

In between times we will be packing our belongings so we can move to an unknown (to us – not to God) destination. Our garage his half way packed already. I’m thankful for some extra time to really go through our things and filter through what should be kept and what can be garage sale fodder or thrown away. When you have four kids and all your own personal stuff, it takes a while to really do that!

Most mothers can probably relate that we hope and pray that the Lord will show us His perfect place for us… sooner than later. As my second trimester is ticking by, my heart and mind long to know where we will be having this baby. Our last two were homebirth babies, and Lord willing, this one will be too… IF things continue to go well and we have an established home by the time the little one is determined to arrive.

When I said we’re really stepping out by faith, we truly are. The best analogy I can think of is a blank book, where God is the author, penning His plan through the pages and chapters that are yet to be written. We may not know where we will go, but we can trust He will take care of us and even has a plan for baby Cinco’s birth that has yet to be revealed. We have a good midwife here that is taking care of baby and I in the meantime.

In the near future I hope to write about all of God’s wonderful provisions for us along this journey. He has already given us blessings, provided needs, and even wants! We have been genuinely humbled by the Chief Shepherd and His goodness.

Thank you for coming along this journey of faith with me in our transitional ministry time and thank you for those of you who have prayed for us and will be praying for us in the weeks and months to come. I can guarantee once we are settled in our next place of service that it will be because of the prayers of God’s saints who have helped us. Thank you!

I hope you’re having a great summer serving the Lord!

~The Ministry Mama

 

What Mother’s Day Means to Me

Just as Thanksgiving and Christmas allows us to take the time to reflect on the blessings God has given and the wonderful birth of Christ in Bethlehem, Mother’s Day for me is a day of reflection. It causes me to think of wonderful women in my life through the years, some who were my relatives others who were sisters in Christ that made an impact in my life.

Mother’s Day means that I can thank God and look back on the times when I needed a mother’s touch and there was a woman there who fulfilled that need in her own way. As I am reflecting this year I want to share some of the memories I have of wonderful mothers who have used moments in their life to have an influence in mine and have marked my heart’s memory with their love.

My mother has always believed that I had talent and purpose and is a great cheerleader and encourager. She’ll fight my battles now from afar as she prays for me and listens to me and allows me to be myself. She has taught me how to have grit and determination as well as find people to be a blessing to. Learn more about why I love my mother here.

My grandmother has impressed upon me that our lives are always a journey with the Lord, as He continually works on us. In her life experiences she has gone through she has taught me that sometimes the disappointments in life are the hardest thing to deal with but that we can still go on. She has helped me to realize my dream of graduating college and continued to spoil me and love me even in my 30’s.

My aunt has taught me that waiting on the Lord is what is best. She was married for the very first time in her life ten days after our second son was born. I watched her serve the Lord for many years doing His work and attending to His people and her friends as a single woman. In one specific time of our lives she comforted us after our apartment fire and opened her home and made us feel like we were not alone after our loss.

My great-grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s and watching her in her repeated circles of conversation helped me realize that we may not be blessed with never forgetting.  Also, joy can be found in the moment as each “new” conversation was an opportunity to make her smile, hear her stories, or sweet songs to the Lord. As she looked and begged for the Lord to take her to heaven, it made me long to be present with the Lord too.

My other great-grandmother helped me see the beauty of little children. She always loved when my boys and I would come to visit, she would watch them and tell stories of her own children. She helped me understand that you should not wait until you are old to value the younger years of childhood.

My mother-in-law has taught me to rejoice no matter your circumstances. As she suffers through a difficult disease but she wears a smile and always has something very thoughtful to say. She has also taught me the value of using your talents for the Lord and has encouraged me to love our children and even in the difficult moments to forgive them and keep doing my best.

A friend and mother of four boys was there for me when I was in labor with our first son when my mother could not be with me. She and my aunt (mentioned above) were a calming presence in the face of the unknown and pain above measure. They played a beautiful part in our son’s arrival celebration.

A sister in Christ has been there for me to help me as I minister in our church. She watches our children many times before and after church and lets them sit with her in the church services when I cannot. She loves them, hugs them, and spoils them just like a grandmother would, only she has never been married or had children of her own. She has stepped in like an adopted grandmother when we have been so far away from our extended family. Her presence in our life is reminder that God’s family can be just like our family.

A woman in our church many years ago is a close friend and confidante to me now. Far enough from our ministry here, with her own heart for ministry, her listening ears and application of God’s Word through wisdom has strengthened me to understand many things about life. Her spiritual mothering has blessed my heart.

My best friends, two different ladies I know, have encouraged me through sharing their lives and their experiences with me. They have been there to walk beside me in the highest and lowest of times, providing loving comfort in their own unique ways. They have each made their mark by their tenderness and faithfulness.

Those women are only a few of the hundreds that have made a mark on my life for the good. I know that God has used the bad in many circumstances to help change and make these ladies who they are and what I needed over either a long or short period in my life. I thank God for the kind of godly women who will allow God to lead them to minister to others and put themselves to the side to love without distraction or reserve. It is people like them that have allowed Mother’s Day to be a lovely celebration of wonderful women in my life.

Happy Mother’s Day from The Ministry Mama to you!