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It has begun to rain

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3:16 PM, 2007-Nov-12 .. Posted by Lynne

What good news! Do you have any idea as to who gave the XMas money?
We had a minister years ago who told us that when he was in Seminary School he was in a serious auto accident. He had very little money, and his hospital bill was over $10,000 that he had to pay. Of course, he did not have the money. He got a letter from the hospital that his bill had been paid in full and the person paying the bill did not want to be named. That was 30 years ago, and to this day he doesn't know who paid his hospital bill. But, he would have had to drop out of seminary in order to work to pay the bill had someone not intervened.
Did you find out any more about the little girl who was found dead in your town?

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3:24 PM, 2007-Nov-12 .. Posted by Joanne

Oooh, how wonderful :o)
Joanne

To Lynne

3:30 PM, 2007-Nov-12 .. Posted by YPAmy5

We have no clue who gave the money. Besides my family being in the know- we have been quiet about our financial situation. It is an incredible blessing.
As for the young girl, the investigation is on going with no new information as of yet. We are praying the person who did this is caught soon. The streets are very quiet- not many children walking home from school today.

Hello!

3:52 PM, 2007-Nov-12 .. Posted by Anonymous

I have been in your place humbled by the Lord. I have cried a many of tears because of the over-whelming Love God gave to me. He will take care of you if you stay faithful. We also have debt and I can say that God does not like it. Try to pay it off quickly without looking back. God will bless you in the storms but He has so much for you after your debt is paid:)

Blessings,

Ma

The creation museum

3:57 PM, 2007-Nov-12 .. Posted by Anonymous

We live near the museum and we went and we loved it. I hope you have a great time. It took us all day and still didn't see everything.


Blessings

Thank you

10:35 AM, 2007-Nov-13 .. Posted by Jen

for being so open and honest about your walk with God concerning your finances. It is coming at a perfect time for my husband and I (I plan on having him read some of your posts too!)

One thing I've been admiring from afar is your weekly food budget. One way I can help with the budget immediately is by saving there. I was wondering (and this is a big thing I'm asking), would you like to walk me through how you do this? Maybe you already shared this in another post at another time. I see you shop at Aldi. I've recently begun shopping there as well (love their prices!). When I look at your menu for this week, there are many things I don't know what the ingredients are for. Also, I have a pretty well-stocked staples pantry, so when you figure the costs for such things, is that included as well? Basically I'm wondering if you can give a step-by-step walk-through of how you prepare your menu for the week. If I could spend the amount you do (I also have a family of 5), that would be a HUGE savings in our budget!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Jen
http://gracioushomemaking.blogspot.com

It's beginning to rain here too..

1:00 PM, 2007-Nov-13 .. Posted by mominpa

We are in a similar situation...wont go into details...but VERY similar...(due to dhs' job situations)...

Last week we received a check in the mail and also someone gave a check in the offering at our church and on the envelope was our name...

It wasn't enough for Christmas...but it was enough to get our bills caught up and for us to REST in the arms of Jesus...knowing AGAIN..he has taken care of EVERYTHING.

** PS : Dh has been CRAVING Chineese food REALLY bad..and we have had $0 for eating out..and Sunday morning an elderly couple in our church asked if they could please take our family out for lunch...(Chineese!!) What a blessing!! (our church family doesn't know our financial tightness...this has TRULY been God working in the hearts of his people..including ours!)

I SO understand where you are coming with (the Facing the Giants...'quotes'...SO fitting..I'll have to share with dh tonight!!

God is Good...and All the time!!

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1:55 PM, 2007-Nov-13 .. Posted by Laura @ the Peanut Patch

Praising God for you and yours, Amy! He is sooo good, all the time - He knows our needs before we do, and makes sure they are all met, in His time.

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2:41 PM, 2007-Nov-13 .. Posted by Lynne

Amy,
I find it so interesting to read the comments to your entry because so many people are struggling financially now. We aren't, but there are many things that could happen that are out of our control that could put us there.
Some time recently a comment was added to your blog by someone who said they were $60,000 in credit card debt and got out of it. Wow.
I know your story is one about trusting in God to provide. I think I told you I am in a muli-month Bible study class on Mon. nights at my church. We are starting at the beginning and going all the way through the Bible. One thing I learned is that the commandment to rest on the 7th day was also a commandment to trust in God. Apparently, being a farming/raising livstock society in those times, not working one day a week was taking a great risk that you would have enough food. It wasn't just taking a day of rest as I previously thought.

Thank you

5:48 PM, 2007-Nov-13 .. Posted by YPAmy5

Thank you to everyone who praises along with me and continues to encourage me.
Lynne- Thanks for sharing the insight you gleaned from your bible study- growing up in a farming family I do indeed understand the risk but hadn't looked at it in that light.
Another great reminder of God's provision!
To Jen-
I do have some info on our menu plan on here- click on the menu catagory- you'll have to slog thru quite a few menus but there is some info in there. I'll put some other "words of wisdom" together for you soon! Thanks for sharing!
Amy W

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10:18 AM, 2007-Nov-14 .. Posted by Lynne

I opened our small, local paper last night and when scanning it a picture caught my eye in the obituary section. A woman who had attended (not with regularity, but maybe 35% of the time) an adult class at our church had died. I did not know the woman or her husband well, the husband attended class more often than she did, and I only knew them from church.
I called someone I thought was close to the couple to ask if there was anything my family could do, and I left a message at the home of our class instructor to give them the sad news.
The woman was 46, married, has one son in high school and a daughter out of high school and studying dance. She committed suicide. I did not know this, but apparently she had suffered from depression for several years and had been in and out of the hospital for treatment.
Now, those who know the couple best are very concerned because apparently when a family member commits suicide, sometimes other family members do the same.
It's hard to know what to say when I go to the funeral this Friday. It's hard for someone not in the throws of chemical imbalance/depression to understand how someone can take their own life and leave their family in such pain. But, I certainly do not blame the woman as from what I have heard her depression was a serious medical condition, and unfortunately, the attempts at varying combinations of anti-depressive medications just did not work for her.
I have been told her husband did absolutely everything possible to help her, and had her hospitalized several times when he suspected she had become suicidal, but I can only imagine that he will be second guessing himself and questioning whether he could have stopped her death this weekend.
I try to remember to be thankful for all I have been given when I pray each day, but I have always taken my mental health for granted. No longer.

Mental Health

1:50 PM, 2007-Nov-14 .. Posted by YPAmy5

Yes, we should indeed be thankful for our mental health. I have watched loved ones suffer from dementia. My own mama is on meds for depression and we are quite thankful for the change the meds made! I also have a dear friend who is bi-polar- she has had many terrifying "episodes".
My heart goes out to this family.
Amy W

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5:23 PM, 2007-Nov-14 .. Posted by Anonymous

This is for Lynn - I'm posting anonymously b/c it's a private matter...

But Lynn, as someone who suffers from depression, I know that when things get that bad, I truly don't think anyone but God can stop a suicide from happening. And since He gives us free will, in the end that choice is really up to us... her husband, her children, her friends - none of them could have done anything to help her.

Depressed people are very good about "hiding" their feelings, trust me, I know - we often bottle things up for so long that they spew out as any ugly, horrid blackness - which is exactly how we often feel, our bodies filled up to the brim with nastiness, even though we might be smiling on the outside. Once, when the subject came up in casual conversation, and I empathized with someone - another aquaintance looked at me and said that she thought my life was surrounded by a white picket fence. I was that good at hiding things... I still am, though now that I am on medication, the blackness has receded a lot, and I now consider myself almost "normal".

God will give you the right words to say, and sometimes, there is nothing to say at all - a hug is the best way to communicate when someone is hurting, and a sincere offer to help - and send a card, a month from now, just to say thinking of you and praying for you and always here for you.

Anon.-

10:12 PM, 2007-Nov-14 .. Posted by YPAmy5

Thanks for sharing.
I wanted to add to your idea of sending a card a month or so later- this is wonderful.
I have done this and been on the receiving end of this and it touches the heart.
I once sent a card to an older woman in our church family 5 years after her husband's passing- letting her know that we still often think of her dear sweet husband and that our prayers continue to be with her.
This is a wonderful and often unthought of form of hospitality.
Sometimes in the moment- words fail and only a hug will do ---- then later on, as time passes send a card.
It truly makes a difference.
Amy W