Our God Reigns!

"And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God." (Deut. 28:2)

Over the past year, we have been opening ourselves up to God to be changed and molded by Him. While trying to be obedient to His will, He has humbled us by slowly removing material distractions from our lives: our jobs, our own home, our possessions; and He has been slowly replacing them with blessings beyond compare. Our daughter, Evelyn, who is the most contented and happy baby we have ever known (who is also very beautiful, smart, and healthy). Affiliation with a church that shines His light on our flaws while reiterating how much God loves us, and that Jesus' sacrifice heals us all so that we are able to seek a personal relationship with the Father. And constantly reminding us that He has placed our family and friends in our lives to fulfill His purpose and provide a holy community for us to grow in. Thank you, Lord!

God has been providing for us every step of the way. Some bills have been left by the wayside, some bills have been lovingly taken by family for a time, and the rest of our monetary needs have been met (usually just by the skin of our teeth). This has been so evident to us, the more we have allowed ourselves to see His provision. Today has been a HUGE example and the purpose of our Praise Report on the blog.

Julius finally located a leak in the radiator (which was replaced while we were living in Tulsa), as he has been observing the fast loss of antifreeze. With a looming trip to Tulsa for Thanksgiving, we knew we had to get it looked at. Julius had been able to work quite a bit of overtime for the paycheck we had just received, but the amount in the check seemed higher than what we were expecting. We still have to look at the pay-stub to understand this, but we were thankful that we would be able to cover the next pay period (during which time we will be out of town) and then-some. Now we knew this was in preparation for the vehicle repairs.

Then came the bad news. This morning, I dropped the truck off at a place called Christian Brothers Automotive just up the road. When they called back, it was with news that there were two leaks and the entire radiator needed to be replaced...again. The price tag? $700 Well, we knew our $200 was not enough so I asked them to come pick me up so that I could bring the truck home. Julius was at work, so after I talked with him, he said that he simply gave up and told God, "It's in your hands."

I received a call from Pam, the lady who drove me home and whom I think is one of the owners or a wife of an owner. While we had been driving home, she was asking questions about us and I told her pretty much what I wrote at the beginning of this blog. It was a wonderful few minutes being able to share the ways He has been working in us. Pam essentially asked whether we would be able to come up with $300 over the next couple of weeks, and if so, they would like to take care of the rest. She said she was touched by our story, and they wanted to be a part of what God is doing in our lives. I was in tears and could not immediately respond. God is so good! We agreed on the details and hung up. When I was calm, I called Julius back. He said he was just about to dial his parents when I called. He, too, was speechless.

How GREAT is our God! He has proven His faithfulness over and over to us, and I am so thankful that we have been willing to witness it. Thank you for your prayers! We look forward to seeing how He intends to use us in the future, and pray that this job opportunity in Austin pans out for us.

We love you all! God Bless!