God’s Provisions.

I do not have pictures to upload at the moment….so, I want to first apologize to all you who only read blogs with pictures. I will upload pictures this week, though! Trust me.

I wanted to share with you all God has done for us this week. First off, I’m writing on our new laptop! Many of you probably didn’t even know we needed a laptop, so I’ll back up a tad. We bought a wonderful desktop two years ago, never thinking we’d be moving out of the country. Last year, when we moved from PA, we desperately wanted a laptop instead of the desktop, but just couldn’t afford it with the move and all that. Then, we needed one for school in February, and again, couldn’t afford it, so we lugged our desktop down to North Carolina. We’re out in SD, with our desktop, desperately wondering how this is gonna play out!

My wonderful husband decided to do something that just makes me want to cry. His first car was a ‘76 (‘74?? I honestly can’t remember…) Pontiac Firebird. It was his baby. He and his father worked on it together and he actually got it up and running for the first time last spring. He wanted to hang onto it, in hopes that some day, he’d get to work on it again. The more we look at our future, though, the more we realize that this is not to be. So, he sold it. Thankfully, he sold it to his little brother who just turned 16 and has helped Brian work on the car since he bought seven years ago. No, he didn’t get the money out of it that it’s worth. No, he won’t be able to custom design it. No, he won’t get to race it, drive it, or have the privilege of owning it. But, in the long run, I guess it doesn’t really matter. So, because of Brian’s awesome sacrifice, we were able to buy a laptop. Patrick’s first downpayment on the car paid for our laptop…and then some.

You all know our car dilemma. We’ve been car-less since we sold the Blazer two weeks ago. We’ve been borrowing cars and frantically looking for a vehicule in our meager price range. We’ve been praying that the Lord would make this very clear to us – that there would be no doubt in our minds when it came down to the car. Because of our price range, honestly, we knew it would not be in the best condition, but we need to make sure the work that will have to be done Brian can do himself and that it will get us across country. The first car we thought about purchasing neither of us were completely satisifed with. And then we found out that the reason why was because the short it kept having in the fuse box would eventually cause an engine fire! Oh goodness. Glad we got out of that! The next vehicle we seriously considered, the Lord was obviously in it from the get-go. Yes, it needs work. No, we currently can’t drive it now because it has some issues. But, Brian and my father-in-law can do all the repairs. It runs wonderfully except for minor snafoos (my sister’s favorite word). It gets great gas mileage. It’s comfortable. And it’ll resell in PA fairly easily. What’s really funny is that Brian has always told my dad he’d love to have his Buick Lesabre (granted, it’s fairly new). Well, guess what! That’s what we got!! We got a wonderful (albeit, purple) 1994, top of the line, Buick Lesabre. Not exactly the same car my parents drive, but close! We even have a tape deck.

Then, this morning, we spoke in the two morning services at the Christian Life Center. You ever been in a service where you just know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is present? You ever been so consumed with the presence of God that you just want to fall on His face and worship? You ever been moved to tears by a worship time in a church service? That was our morning. The Lord is moving in that church in ways that are palpable and unexplainable and we were so excited to be a part of it today. We don’t know the totals yet, but we do know that we are well on our way to having our house paid for and our monthly support should now be nearing 100%.

My God is faithful. I sure hope yours is, too.

So, how was your week?

My Jesus

As “missionaries”, we seem to get a lot of really…interesting…remarks and comments. Most of them, we take in stride. But, then there are days, when we just want to go, “Really? You really want to say that to me? Why??” This weekend has been full of such happenings. Yes, the Lord has called us to be missionaries and to give up home and belongings and the “American dream”. But, what I always want to remind everybody is that – He’s called you, too!! The command in Mark is to “GO”. The command in Matthew is to “GO INTO ALL THE WORLD.” There is no exclusion; no age limit; no discrimination. Just because Brian and I are going doesn’t make us more important and definitely not more qualified or more spiritual. The Lord has obviously called…why would we stay home? No, it’s NOT easy. In fact, some days, it’s much harder than I can express to you. And reading my friends’ emails who are now overseas…I know it’s gonna get harder. Is it worth it? Oh yes. Every single second is worth it. Why? Because ultimately, it’s not about life on this earth. Some day, I want to hear Jesus say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” and actually mean it. Because some day, I want my actions to be thrown into the fire and have only gold and precious metals remaining. In order for that to happen for me, I must move to South America and serve the Lord somewhere else. What does it mean for you? I think our view of serving the Lord and being like Jesus is messed up these days. Church is just something you do on Sundays, not because you desire to be there or because you want to worship the Lord with other believers. It turns into a task, a chore, and you don’t even enjoy the people you’re worshiping with. This music video that I posted is called “My Jesus” and it’s my favorite song by Todd Agnew. His lyrics are hard and they’re real and that’s why I like it. It’s 6 minutes long and I actually don’t really like the video itself, but it’s the only way I could find to post the actual music. I have included the lyrics below so you can read them if you’d rather not watch the video. But, the music….wow, it changes the lyrics so they mean even more. But, my favorite part is at the end, where he says, “I wanna be like my Jesus, but I’m not sure what that means.” Just because we’re missionaries doesn’t mean we need to be put on a pedestal and applauded. I’m still searching and studying to be like our Jesus. I hope you are, too.

“My Jesus” by Todd Agnew

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Then why do you look so much like the world?

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we’d recognize Him

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despised the proud
I think He’d prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I’m tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus but I’m not sure what that means to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like my Jesus

 

Our 3rd Anniversary

We celebrated three wonderful years of marriage yesterday! Hard to believe three years are already past. We celebrated by having a nice, leisurely breakfast, then headed to Rapid City (about an hour from where we’re staying in Belle Fourche) for the afternoon. We went to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum and then out to dinner at a place in Rapid that serves probably the world’s best prime rib. In our humble opinion. It was nice, relaxing day and we really enjoyed it. Here’s a few pics of the museum and the park we went to after dinner. Enjoy!

Oh, and an update on our friends – they have decided to adopt! I’m pretty sure they will now be calling Ava – Sadielynn Mae Maldonado. Nothing is final yet, but at least the hard decision is finally made. We’re very happy for them! You can continue to pray that the adoption will go smoothly in the weeks ahead.

While we waited in the car for the restaurant to open for dinner, it stormed like crazy. It hailed and downpoured for about 20 minutes straight! The hail sounded huge, but when Brian finally got ahold of a piece, it was actually pretty small. This piece is already melted quite a bit, but it wasn’t a whole lot bigger than that to begin with. But, when it hails for that long and that hard, it sounds horrendous! We heard there were marble sized hail a few miles away. But, once the storm cleared out, it was hot and humid the rest of the evening! Gotta love South Dakota weather.

 

 

Goodbye Blazer…

In January of 2006, Brian began looking for a new vehicle for us. Living in SD, we needed something with 4-wheel drive, especially with Brian commuting to work every morning. My father-in-law was looking online and found a 1998 Chevy Blazer on e-Bay going for, as Brian would say, “little of nothin’.” We found out the Blazer was selling in Spearfish, less than a mile from our apartment at the time. We drove past it a few times while waiting for the auction to end, and when it was over, we had ourselves a Blazer. Brian put very little work into it (mostly cosmetic stuff) and over the past 2 1/2 years, we’ve put on 30,000 miles. It got us our second Christmas tree, lasted through awful blizzards, and moved us to Pennsylvania. It was technically my first car (I am unlike every other 16 year old in this country who gets their first car with their driver’s license!), and Gunther and I had many wonderful trips in it, normally to the “magic window” at our friend’s coffee shop. It hauled around our goddaughter in her horribly cumbersome carseat; and it got us safely to Wisconsin, North Carolina, and back out to South Dakota. We loved our Blazer.

We have been trying to sell it since September of 2007, but the Lord did not allow it until today. A couple drove from Sioux City, Iowa (7 hours), to look at it, and they ended up leaving with it. As I watched it be driven away by some unfamilar people, I cried. Yes, over a car. It was the last remnant of “home”. It had Brian’s favorite bumpersticker on the back end: “This is your brain (Chevrolet); This is your brain on drugs (Ford)”, which helped me always distinguish it in the parking lot.

I was reminded again today of how things are just that: things. They are all replaceable and even though they hold sentimental value, they do not hold the memories. We do. And it’s time to make new ones- with new homes, new pets, new friends, and new cars.

Thanks for the prayers. Car shopping begins immediately! We still gotta get back to PA now!

Quick Thoughts…

I have been under the impression that many of you have not watched the video I posted on May 21 (just click on that date on the right to get there). The beginning is, for the most part, kind of….fruity. Especially if you’ve been a believer for any length of time. HOWEVER, it gets better. Much, much, much better. The ending is amazing. It gets deeper, don’t worry. If you watch it, leave a comment. I’d love to know what you think. Watch it. You’ll be impressed.

 

On another note: I’d like to introduce you to Ava. We are staying with close friends, Hexon and Terri, and this is their foster daughter. We can’t share with you pretty much any information because of HIPPA and other State laws, but basically, she has some pretty serious medical problems. Our friends also have some big decisions to make coming up about her future. The Lord has promised to grant both wisdom and healing if we only ask. So, will you ask with us? He may not heal the way we would like Him, too, but that’s not our decision or our problem. He only wants us to ask. And He DOES promise wisdom, regardless of the circumstances. Just as you read this, can you drop a pray for the Maldonado family? Thank you! They have been such a blessing to us (even letting us housesit for them for two weeks while they go on vacation) over the past three years; hopefully this is a way we can bless them.

Some of you may not be aware of the flooding that has occurred out here as well as further East in the…midwest. That sounds funny. Anyway – here in Belle Fourche, we have a river and a couple of creeks. They have been in a drought for the past twelve years. That drought has been substantially broken! The river crested last week when we got a ton of rain in 24 hours. These are just a couple pictures of the area.

 

 

The water has gone down considerably this week, but it was declared a state of emergency because there are three dams that are still about to break. If two of them go, they will wipe out two towns. If the third goes, downtown Belle Fourche will be filled with water! That’s hard to even picture since it hardly rained at all the two years we lived out here!! This second picture is of our baseball diamond/rodeo grounds. They were under water pretty much all week. Normally, the river is hardly even visible as it goes by the grounds. Pretty incredible! But, at least all of it is repairable and we did not get the tornadoes other parts of the midwest did.

For those of you who read this immediately, we are expecting someone to come by and look at and possibly buy our Blazer today. This would be one huge answer to prayer if it leaves with him! Another blessing from Hexon and Terri – they are going to let us use their other car while they’re gone and we look for a new one, if the Blazer sells. We’ll let you know what happens!