Blessings amid trial

We have so much to be thankful for.   We already feel abundantly blessed already, but have been blessed even more as of late.   We live in an area where you depend on each other for everything.   There is nothing convienent about anything and there is no easy way of getting anything if you need it.   You depend on your neighbors when you are in need and they on you also.   I want to share some of the ways we have been blessed.

Our house is directly on the water, think house on stilts.   We also have land that is on the waterside also.   The land has been over grown and breeding bugs and snakes.   Ryan took our machete and began hacking away.   Lorelai and I stood near to offer moral support.   While he was working away one of our neighbors came over and told Ryan to stop.   Thinking we had somehow offended them by cutting the "jungle" Ryan stops and makes an effort to smooth things over.   It turns out that the family wanted to offer the service of one of their workers to come cut it for us!    What a blessing.   Not only in the physical sense, but this is a family we have been seeking the Lord's guidance on how to meet them on a more personal level.   Praise God for that over grown land and the timing for clearing it. 

Fresh meet and fruits are something you would think are easily obtained in the jungle.   Well, not here.   Fruit is non existant and meat, well lets just say I'm not fond of food poisoning.   This same neighbor I mentioned above brough a large pig in for slaughter.   Ryan saw them on butcher day and went to inquire about the price of meat.   He was told there was none for sale and that it was a family gathering.   Later, that day a man shows up at our house carrying a large slab of meat.   Ryan ask how much and is told nothing, it is a gift!    Thanking the man he takes the meat and brings it in only to realize it is a slab of ribs, bacon and pork fat.   He goes down the street and ask again if he can pay for it, only to be told it is a gift!   What a blessing, we have not had something like bacon in 7 months.   Not, to mention RIBS!   We immediatly begin to figure out ways to preserve it.   We ate ribs for a few meals, bacon for snacks and made salt pork with the rest.   What a blessing!!!!!

We have been in dire need of fruit.   One of our students moms came for a visit one day and told us she was selling some vegetables and we told her to stop buy with them on the weekend.   We somehow missed her and figured we were out of luck.   On Monday her son came to school and brought us MANGOS!!!!!   She gave us some to have until she could come back by.   Needless to say when they came to sell them we bought them all.   Who would think something like a Mango would be such an answered prayer!

This next one moves me to tears to even begin.   In the past 16 days we have had two men murdered and one child.   These did not happen here, but in the city.   The boy and father were just yesterady.   We went today to visit with some of the family and offer support and help.    It is one of my dear friends, and I recall from the last time how much she had to cook and the people she had to house that came for the services.   When Ryan and I got there we sat and talked for a while, but were getting ready to excuse ourselves to leave for the store.   You see the small store here has not had groceries lately.   We were out of everything, but flour and beans.   As we were leaving my dear friend amongst her lost ministered to us.  She gaves us beef, chicken, vegetables for soups and most of all love.   I could not hold back my tears as we walked home.   Tonight the kids ate beef and the girls did not even know what this dark meat was.  Lorelai asked why the chicken bones were so big. 

There are so many other blessings, and I could write about them all day.   I try and make an effort to be a blessing to those around me, because you never know when you may be the one in need.   It is nothing more than Christian love.   I just pray that we are obediently looking for the doors that Christ opens for us.   He has opened so many doors in this closed community and is continually allowing us to glorify Him.