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When God is Amazing

I don't often share the really personal things that go on in my life on my blog, but something happened yesterday that I just don't can't hold back. I've been processing for the past 24 hours now and I think I have it.

I just don't know where to start; the beginning is too far back. I can say this; there is definite healing that needs to take place in my family; I mean my whole family. My niece and nephew have been with us for six months now and it has been a rocky road. I'm not here to write about that. I'm here to write about this.

For days now I've been in turmoil over a meeting that was to take place yesterday. I didn't really know what would happen, but I figured it wouldn't be great; these meetings never are. By yesterday morning, my stomach was in knots. I finally sat down and begged God to please do something to remind me that He is in control and that our work is not in vain.

58 Therefore, my
beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58

31 But those who wait on the LORD
      Shall renew their strength;
      They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
      They shall run and not be weary,
      They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

And I headed off to the meeting.

And it wasn't fun. And yes, I cried. Ugh…I really don't like crying.

And God took over. I know it was Him, you see, because He is amazing. He left no doubt in my mind.

At the end of the meeting, I wanted to shout, "God used the state to order my family into church together." How funny is that? God has a sense of humor, too, I'm finding. 

All I know, is that for the next several months, my brother will be joining us in church; as a family. I'm pretty sure that He has a plan for His work to be done during this time; cause He's just amazing like that.


Hubby Missing; Hubby Returned

Why is it when the hubby goes out of town everything falls apart? That's why I haven't blogged in a few days! Monday B-boo had dental surgery, and well, we all know how that went! That turned into a fiasco of well, gross things, for the past four days. On top of that, the bird dog got into a bag of m & m's hidden in B-boo's room. Really bad. That made for a lot of gross things on my carpet…a mixture of peanuts and chocolate on a tan carpet is never good, especially when you have a daughter who has a fatal allergy to nuts. (And no, I don't usually allow peanuts into the house, but this was a sealed bag, in a closed room…who knew the dog would find them!) Literally, at the same time, we had a…er…clog in the toilet. Great, just great. Hubby goes out of town and I'm at home with, well, I'm sure you can figure it out.

And the week just kind of went on like that. I think those things happen so that I can appreciate my hubby even more, because if he were here, he would have been the one plunging the toilet and moving the furniture around for the carpet cleaner yesterday. Not that I mind doing it, but it's just one of those things I love about being married.

On the other hand, while hubby was gone, the Talented One started getting up earlier and having an omelet for breakfast and a cup of coffee with me. I realize he's only 16, but it's been fun to have my young man moment with him. We don't have those often. I used to make him breakfast every morning, then he stopped wanting it. I'm not sure what happened this week, but it's been nice to be able to share those few moments with him.

Which is another reason why I like to get up early and enjoy the shifts of the morning. It's nice to have a few minutes with B-boo and the Talented One before everyone else gets up. Our time. Then, as soon as I drop them off, I wake up the Smart One and he has his omelet and we spend some time reading a passage from the Bible and discussing it and talking about what the day holds. If the little ones decide to get up, they are to quietly get ready for their day upstairs and then spend some time reading or coloring in their room until the next shift starts.

Once I drop off the Smart One, the little ones come down.I then make them breakfast, share things with them, memorize verses, sing together, etc. and then we ship them off.

And then, it's finally the Drama Queen's turn! And we get a whole 2.5 hours together to homeschool!

Anyway, back to the missing husband. When he's gone, it's hard to function. He likes to call me supermom, but really, it's because he's my partner in crime! For instance, he always calls me and asks whom he is taking where. In a family of 8, that is very important! Wednesday night I had four different place to be at the same time! Needless to say, for the first time in 6 years, I missed open house and meeting my kids teachers. We've always done open house together, so he missed it, too. I had to call in recruits to help get the kids to church and back! (Thanks, friend!)

And finally, he came home..to a clean carpet and a messy kitchen! And he's so good, he didn't complain at all about the kitchen, but instead told me how much he liked the clean carpets. Oh, and he took his shoes off, too!

I think I'll keep him. 🙂

Hobo Ministry

I wrote about the beginning of this ministry here if you scroll down under the pictures. The ministry was started out of B-boo's heart for the homeless. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's because we have a family member who had been homeless for a long time, or if it's because she just can't take seeing a homeless person on the corner and not being able to help them somehow. Regardless, God has place these people on her heart. She lovingly refers to them as hobos. She doesn't mean this in a derogatory way at all, so please don't take offense.

The beginning of the ministry started out with us searching for a water bottle in the van anytime we came upon a person on the corner. Then, she started having me keep water bottles in the van so that she could be prepared to give them something. Sometimes, if we had a snack type item in the van, we'd give that to them, too. If we happened to be at a fast food place, it meant we'd be getting them a meal. Still, it wasn't enough for B-boo.

We started talking and came up with the following idea. What if we had bags, prepared in advance, for them? They would be paper bags, filled with a drink, snack, hygiene items, and a personal note with a scripture attached.

B-boo presented her idea to our youth pastor and we began taking donations. The group came up with the following scripture, to be placed on a note card. One side is left blank so a personal message can be added.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13

The first group of bags were assembled a couple of weeks ago. There were several students who participated in putting them together and taking them with them. We will assemble more this coming Sunday evening to take out again. I can tell you that it was great to be able to hand someone a bag of *treats* if you will, when they were not expecting it. The look on their faces as they realized someone had taken the time in advance to prepare for a small portion of their needs was priceless. I pray that they will learn of God's love for them through this ministry. I have no doubt that God will place those who He wants in our paths to serve them.

The ministry may go slow at first, but even if we only serve a few, God is able to use that! If we leave ourselves open to Him, He will use us for His purpose.

Right now, we are trying to come up with a name for the ministry. We can't keep calling it "B-boo's Hobo Ministry." I talked with a former homeless person who said that he liked the name and didn't find it derogatory at all. Hmmmm.

Names we have come up with so far are:

Curbside Caring

Caring for the Curb

Helping Hands

Hobo Ministry

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas?

For those of you who live in our city, donations are always welcome. We are looking for snack items such as granola bars, chips, fruit snacks, etc. Juice boxes and water bottles are also needed, as well as paper bags.

Hygiene items such as toothpaste, tooth brushes, small bars of soap, mouthwash, chapstick and gum are also welcome. For those of you who travel, please keep us in mind when you see the little bottles that the hotel leaves in the bathroom for you!

Donations can be brought to my home, or to our church. For an address, please email me at itsavivasthing@gmail.com

Poor Hubby

Poor Hubby had a bad weekend!

Friday night, the air conditioner started going out. He spent two hours on the roof trying to *rake* it and keep it from overheating. He twisted his ankle a good one, so was in a bit of pain, too. He had to get up early Saturday morning to pick up the audio visual stuff from the church and take it to the outreach program where our church would be feeding the homeless later that day, so he took the Talented One to his bowling and headed off. Once he picked up the equipment, he headed over. Poor man didn't need all the stuff he had picked up after all!

After the lunch and service were over, he headed home. Only he got lost. And then he hit something and the tire exploded. He tried calling some friends, me, etc…with no one answering his call. He finally found a place to pull over and change the tire.

The spare was flat, but it was better than the exploded tire!

He found a gas station to fill the flat tire. The air compressor was broke.

He goes to another gas station; same thing.

He drives to a third station; finally someone has air!

He finally makes it to the church to put the equipment back and do the A/V for band rehearsal for Sunday's worship.

Afterward, he gets home; air is completely gone now.

By the time we get home; it's really hot.

At midnight, we decide we can't take it anymore, so he heads to WalMart to purchase some fans. We're in luck, as they were on sale! He comes home, puts the fans together, and sets them up. We finally fall asleep.

Tonight, he tries to figure out what is wrong with a leaky sprinkler. Turns out its the whole valve system.

When it rains, it pours, poor man.

It's now Sunday night; we still have no air, and we're hot.

Living

This morning I woke up. I think it was more than just waking up in the physical sense, but the spiritual sense as well. God had placed it on my heart to pray and then pray some more. So I did. Then He reminded me that He was still in control; I wasn't. I'm not. And then He threw a test at me…first thing this morning! And I started to blow it, but then remembered to stop, drop, and roll, pray and give it back to Him.

So this morning, instead of attending meetings that were beyond anything I could do, I prayed while others met. Then I took my kids to school. And then, well, Isa and I went shopping for those art supplies I'd been promising her for the past two weeks. I was reminded that as much as I am trying to help another little girl who's had so many promises to her broken, I was starting to do a bit of the same thing to my own daughter. And so, we printed off those coupons and away we went!

We picked out paints and figurines and talked about the Christmas village we'll paint. We talked about how my oldest son and I painted those first pieces and how some have been broken over the years. We shared memories of the past and planned to make memories in the future.

Not long after we got home, I recieved some great advice. I was reminded to be grateful and live. And so we did. We painted. Then we went and visited my niece together and came home and sat down to paint some more. Before we knew it, B-Boo had decided to join in. Then, the Talented One came over. Ok, not to paint, but to join in the fun of sitting around the table and being together. Laughing. Loving. Living. And so we did. And it was a great day. A peaceful day. A day well lived.

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