Trying Simple Life in Taiwan

Blessings!

   Well, we finally met the Landlords...well have of them anyway:P

   Last weekend we received an email from his lovely wife letting us know that he would be arriving the next day (Sunday)~! It's not easy finding a day in the fall up here in Oregon, that is dry let alone sunny:P So, it's important to check the weather daily to see if there will be a window of time. They did and he was on his way.

   I want to share a wonderful thing here quickly. I was blessed to see the title of the email that she sent..."Greetings!! From your landlords wife!" It was wonderful to see that she acknowledged that she belonged to her husband:) Not as a possession but rather as his helpmeet, his adoring wife! Something not to be ashamed of in the least. It was truly refreshing:)

   Back to the visit:)

   He showed up Sunday morning around 10:30am. I had not been feeling well the night before and so had not slept well. This meant sleeping in just a tad the next day;P Miss Sarah was the only one dressed so she greeted him first while Miss Mary-Ann and I got dressed. Shame on me for being so lazy that day:P

   I went out to meet him and my what a blessing. He was very sweet and pleasant. For all of my silly conserns about things, it was wasted as he had no real expectations of us and so the fellowship was quite sweet and encouraging:) He spent time speaking with our Miss Sarah while she helped him at one point which she enjoyed greatly. She has since shared some little stories that he shared with her about himself.:)

   I had the blessed opportunity to correspond with his lovely bride and get to know her a bit better. I am looking very forward to getting to meet her in person. Perhaps Spring:) Lord willing:)

   We sent him home a few days later with some homemade soaps, peaches, pearbutter and oatmeal cookies which I've been told he ate half of on his ride home:P

   We have truly been blessed by the Father in our moving her. He has given us godly landlords, plenty of room for our homesteading needs and the sweet fellowship of this past week:) How could we ask for more?

   I know they read our blog now and again so I want to say...Brother and Sister...thank you for your sweetness and your encouragment here. You are truly a God breathed blessing in our lives.

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

Blessings!

   Well, it's always something. Just as Miss Mary-Ann and I were arriving home from our class, there was Miss Sarah sitting at the front porch. She had gone out to feed the animals and found one of our whethers laying oddly in the pen. Closer inspection showed he was dying so she gathered him up and came to the front of the house to wait for us. He died just as we had arrived. Poor little thing. And our poor Miss Sarah. It seems she's always the one that is on hand at these times. Perhaps the Good Lord has given her this gift of comforting the dying animals we have.

   We were all saddened by Pi's passing but we expected it. Well, at least I did. I had been giving him injections for what i suspected was pneumonia. This was positively revealed at his passing this morning. I had hoped the medicines were working but it was already too late by the time I had figured out what it was. Such is farm life.

   This winter is supposed to be colder than last year and much wetter so we've decided to sell off the goats for this year and look into purchasing bred does in the Spring. We'll see. In the meantime, the ones we have, both Nigerians and Nubians, need to be sold.

   We will still have our chickens and ducks and rabbits. Of course the inside animals too but Brother Craig and I thought we would maybe take a break from the larger animals for a bit. It will be easier for us to afford wintering if we aren't feeding goats as well. It's a very difficult decision to make but we feel it's the best thing to do for this year.

   The Lord has brought us this far and we know He will walk us further on as we endeavor to do His Will in our lives. Times are going to get tougher before they get better so we are sure that the Lord is guiding us to make these changes for now. It will be better financially if we are able to cut back in a few ways and feeding the goats while they are not producing anyway is not a sound thing to do. One day, we won't have to pay for the feed, but until we are able to grow our own it's choices and decisions that need to be made:)

   Well, that's the haps for this day. We still have plenty of chickens for meat and eggs, ducks for meat and eventually the rabbits will be a good source for meat:)

   Now to pray for our Sarah as she needs a bit of uplifting this evening. God is so good! I know He has another wonderful adventure in store for us. I can't wait to see what it will be:)

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

Hi everyone.  We left Monday and spent two nights in Georgia and it was pretty cold in the mountains.  One night is was in the mid 20's.  Then we spent the night in Virginia and it was just as bad.  Now we're in Pa and its the same but here we also have snow.  It was really that bad that we had to rent another motel room.  It was pretty foggy and our car was sliding a lot too.  I'm about 30 miles from my mom's home but I did see my two sisters today.  My one sister paid for our lunch too. My other sister lost 30 pounds so far and she is really looking so much better.  My other sister told me she almost lost her because her breathing was really bad.  Doctor told her she had to loose weight and so far she staying with it.  :)  I'll see both of them Sunday.   

The last blog I told everyone I was very upset about not being with my Mom on Thanksgiving Day but I found out if we didnt change the dates we wouldnt be able to see our daughter and her family at all.  They already made plans along time ago to visit friends in New Jersey and her Dh was asked to fly someone to Florida so I called my Mom and explained everything to her and she said it was fine. 

I will post more later.  I'm so tired from all of this driving.  C'ya all later.  Jeanne

All of us have prayers we raise up to heaven that "seem" to appear go unanswered as of yet...... some of us have been praying for something for days, months and yes even years....... does God not hear us? This quote is for you.........and me. :)  ~ gloria ~

" God's timing is not ours to command.  If we do not start the fire with the first strike of our match, we must try again.  God does hear our prayer, but He may not answer it at the precise time we have appointed in our own minds.  Instead, He will reveal Himself to our seeking hearts, though not necessarily when and where we may expect.  Therefore we have a need for perseverence and steadfast determination in our life of prayer.

  In the old days of flint, steel and brimstone matches, people had to strike the match again and again, perhaps even dozens of  times, before they could get a spark to light their fire, and they were very thankful they finally succeeded.  Should we not exercise the same kind of perverence and hope regarding heavenly things?  When it comes to faith, we have more certainty of success than we could ever have had with flint and steel for we have God's promises as a foundation.

  May we, therefore never despair.  God's time for mercy will come -- in fact, it has already come, if our time for believing has arrived.  Ask in faith, without wavering, but never cease to petition the King simply because He has delayed His reply. Strike the match again and make sparks fly!  Yet be sure to have your tinder ready, for you will get a fire before long. "

 ~~ Charles H. Spurgeon ~~

I have been so busy this past week......from schooling the children ( there are 8 being schooled now!) and tending  the home fires... that I have not had a moment to sit and blog.... and  I also went into the city this week and that always takes a good chunk of my time ..........in the midst of the busyness,  we have also had time to sing our praises to the Lord and rest in His beautiful promises in HIS  word! As we enter into this week of Thanksgiving, I like to take time to remember those brave and faith filled souls who came from so far away to establish a colony where they could worship their God freely without being "dictated" how they should do so. They believed the Word of God was to be taught freely and not under the "banner" or "control" of some church........ oh, how I can relate to these brave souls!  My journey to the Lord was somewhat of a pilgrimage in many ways! My family travelled over many miles to arrive to a place where God could teach us and show us His ways.  So I do have a tender spot in my heart for those pilgrims who came to America searching for freedom to worship to their heart's content!

This past week we have been learning a new hymn to sing for our Bible devotions.  We recently learned the beautiful hymn:  As the Deer.... if you don't know this lovely song, you so do need to become familiar with it's beautiful melody and even more beautiful lyrics! I have been hearing my children humming and singing this lovely song........

                                                          As the Deer

                                    Music & Lyrics by Martin Nystrom

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you.

You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship You.

Chorus:

You alone are my strength , my shield; To you alone my spirit yield. You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship You.

You're my friend and You are my Brother, even though You are a King.

I love you more than any other, so much more than anything.

Chorus:

I want You more than gold or silver, only You can satisfy.

You alone are the real joy giver, and the apple of my eye.

Chorus

Jesus really is the real JOY giver -- and the apple of my eye! He is what I long for and I need Him like my body needs water!  I long to worship Him!

I hope in this coming week ~ that you too will find time to worship the JOY giver!!

Praising Him!

gloria

We are living here in Linden, or should I say south of Linden.  Its beautiful here in fall but boy it sure feels more like winter already. Tonights low is 15 and we have been 2 weeks with no furnace due to the electrical fire in it .  We have rented a 14x60 2 bedroom 2 bath.  Now imagine me trying to sort through all the stuff that we brought with us from our 2200 sq ft house, after getting rid of half of it.  We only brought our beds and  my sewing stuff and my soap stuff and my homeschool stuff, crib, changing table, porta crib, high chair, fold up tables and 2 folding chairs, 2 bins of toys that were left of the girls ( baby dolls and tea set, little people house and farm, noahs ark and play set.)  All the bathroom, kithen stuff and what food I could bring with us.  I am sorta set on baking supplies for a month maybe less and it seems that I only run low on milk and meat, potatoes and those things that come from a garden. Since we were moving we didnt really plant a huge garden as we wouldnt be there to can things.  We left for TN Aug. 2nd.  I did have meat in the freezer but it was not able to travel down with us , what I tried to bring spoiled on the way down though packed good.  Yes I brought my electric sewing machine and serger and vacume and our computers. ( 2 desktops and one laptop with wifi capabilities)

Well the point is we thought we were coming down with less and yet in the RV and in this smaller home it seems like alot of stuff.  So what is really needed anyways ?  Well as I sort through it all much is going in boxes to be sold.  To raise money for other needed things.  ie. land, cabin or small home, wood cookstove.  After all that was the idea, to move here and eventually get land and homestead more then we had been in NY. Somehow living the countrylife no longer seems like homesteading once you have visited many here that life off the grid and have built their own home, rustic as they are, they are home and boy they seem nice to me. What is life all about anyways ?  Was it about nice rooms with painted and papered walls ? Was it about having a nice bathroom with all the fixtures and such ?    No, it is nice to see an outhouse now with paper holder, a light in there and ya know what ? copies of countryside and a real toiet seat !!!! Fancy huh !!!!

Some here have solar, some are living no electric substitute at all and each encourages us to strive toward whatever the Lord tells us is for us to do and each gives "My use to be DH who said we will never go non-electric and we will never live like the Amish"  A new vision for our lives.   The first goal was to live on what money we do have or can make and live on less or with less.   Unless it can make you more money or serves a purpose that is useful, it has no real value here.  ( I will admit I have my country tins, crock, and rooster things with me, but they serve a purpose too. My rose bowl and pitcher and my tea set will be used not just sit on a shelf for looks anylonger.  Here DH has a shed to keep his tools in and we can keep our goats here.  All the new ways are blessings and those we meet are the best blessings in our new life here in Linden TN.  The likemindedness is in the fact that Jesus died for each of us and though we  are each different in our degree of living the life of plain and simple living, we are all sharing the fact that Jesus died for us to save our souls.

Wensday night we attended a local sing, the glorious sound of our blended voices while we blend our lives in friendship I am sure is the most wonderful thing to the Lord God.

Blessed to be in His Child

Love

Linda

Faithful Acres Homestead

God must know I'm going to be eating like a pig cuz my workouts have been 'boot camp' style!LOL BUt that's good. Laundry is done and SHOULD be dry by tomorrow. The onions and celery are ready to saute for the dressing. The sweet potatoes are ready to boil as well. We'll get the leaf in the table and move furniture as soon as Mat is done w/school. I found all the paper goods (I bought Thanksgiving stuff in bulk one yearL!OL) and have plenty and will drag the crock pots out in a bit. I need to find out how many the rest of hte family is bringing so I know what can go where.

That leaves mainly peeling 10lbs of potatoes for tomorrow. DH does the bird so that's off my hook. The rest of the stuff is mainly dump, mix heat and toss into crock pots to stay warm until ppl arrive.;)

Dear Friends,

I have missed being here, so I am returning once again to say hello, sit awhile sipping hot cocoa with each of you..

I have been on a long spirital journey since I last wrote but the Lord has seen me through alot and still working with me on some...You know when the Lord is teaching and leading you to places you never thought in a life time you would need directions in, it is lonely, scary, and alot of tear sheding takes place..But thank God that the Lord also comforts in these times..

I'll go into some of that in future post, but for now, I just want to sit back with a cup of cocoa and read what has been going on in your neck of the woods as we say here in Louisiana..

PS  WHERE HAS ALL THE "OLD BLOGGERS" GONE?  GUESS LIKE ME..TAKING A COFFEE BREAK...WHAT DISAPPOINMENT..GUESS I WILL VISIT NEW BLOGS...SEE YOU THERE.

Thanks for stopping in.....Have a blessed day.