God's mercy and provision

Just thought you might want to see "Cat" out of Ri's hands. See.. she really does survive the "love" they give her.

The kids love the trampoline


Wow- have you checked out the bar to the left and seen Sam and Jacob's tickers rising? God has been so merciful and gracious in his provision to the boys. I asked Jacob if he is learning anything as he watches it increase weekly. His answer was a resonding yes! I asked him what he has learned. He told me this "That every penny counts and every penny adds up".

You see, in the beginning, Jacob was so discouraged when his sister offered him $5.00/week if he cleaned out her car everyday. Our little mathmetician first stopped and figured it all out in his head. His thought was simply that it was less then a dollar a day. He felt the work was too hard for such "little" pay. Mark and I jumped all over him. He is so accustomed to being paid so generously from his Mamaw for very little work that when he actually was going to have to work hard for a small amount, it didn't seem worth it to him.

Then we reminded him of a few verses from the Bible. THe one that came to our mind first was this:
The Widow's Offering
41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,[j]worth only a fraction of a penny.[k]
43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

You see, Emily wanted to help Jacob. For her, $5.00/week was a ton of money. It crushed Mark and I to see his response, at the same time, we were blessed by Emily's willingness to sacrifice and help her brother.

It took Jacob a while to understand. He saw $2295.00 as a mountain so steep that it would be impossible to climb. He compared the $5.00 to the $2295.00 he needed and felt nothing but an impossible task.

But... as time passed, Jacob began to understand how every penny counted. He began to be willing to do any job for whatever the pay was. He got excited about earning even just a couple of dollars. As he hs watched the ticker, he has realized that pennies add up. He has learned that it doesn't matter what the pay is, that God will provide...even if it is a "widow's mite". He is sincerely as thankful for the mite as he is for "overpay" of his grandparents! It has been neat to watch him with the concession stand. When I shared with him the amount the first day ($27.00), I was expecting him to moan... but NO! He was ecstatic. And when he worked, he was diligent, did not whine, but worked hard. Last week, he had to work the concession all by himself. I was on one field and he was at another field all together. Sam was suppose to work my concession stand, but the YMCA was short referrees, so SAm filled in. THat meant I could not help Jacob. I expected him to be unsure and nervous and really beg for me to be with him. But no! He stepped up to the plate and did it all himself. In the end, we only brought in $94.00 (2 stands - and we still haven't gotten out of the red).... I expected complete disappointment from Jacob. But.. he surprised me and lit up with excitement. Yes, I do believe that our son is finally understanding the truth in what is meant by saving every penny. He also is beginning to understand how hard work pays off. Better yet, he is learning what hard work is.

So, I praise God for what he is doing in our son's lives. Sam is just as excited. He is taking every opportunity he has to earn money. He has the opportunity to ref a traveling game and then reffed all day at the Y. He is reffing Erin's game tonight and then possibly a game on Saturday (as well as the Y). He is getting closer and closer to his goal. We will have to buy the ticket this week or next, so we will know a little more on what he needs to really bring in.

Saturday, the boys received an incredible gift in the mail. A precious family that we have come to know through the adoption of Elizbeth sent an encouraging note to the boys. Jacob opened it up and read the note and then opened the check that they had sent to the boys. He just about fell over. I won't share the amount, but the gift was far beyond generous. The boys both jumped up and squealed and then just look at me in awe. I reminded them that God is at work and this gift was truly from the Hand of God. We were blessed (and blown away) by the love that they have for the boys and for us.

The journey that God has taken us on through the adoption of our children continues to amaze us. We have developed friendships that are so deep with families that we have only actually spent time with for 2 & 3 weeks. But despite the short amount of time we have ever been together, the bond is deep and unbreakable. It amazes me, the love we all have for each other. I praise God for that special friendship and gift.