Praising My Maker

So many things have been going on at our Homestead.  So many good reports.  The Lord gave and the Lord chose to take away our milk cow and our dog a couple months ago.  We never lost sight of God’s grace in the midst of some very hard trials.  After a serious accident to my husband’s head from a construction staple, he is completely normal and in good heath.  We are so very thankful.  Mark is busy working on his online Homestead Store.  It was God’s mercy and grace that carried us through the valley, while I had a major relapse and was bound to a wheelchair.  When we had no milk to drink, because our source had died, a friend called and asked if we needed milk.  She and her husband bought raw jersey milk for our family for the next month while countless other families brought meals to feed us.  The children were looked after by either one of our mothers and a friend came to stay with us to lend a hand.  Our struggles seemed so huge but the warm tender mercy of God made us feel so much comfort.  All of our needs were taking care of.

As Mark recovered he decided to expand our store to offer anything and almost everything a person would need to use on a homestead.  With the economy so unstable at the moment, we realized that there is a great need for folks to move back to the God given land.  We had some spikes here and there with sales while there was literally no income coming in due to my husband’s recovery time and his inability to work outside the home.  We had called Debi Pearl, No Greater Joy Ministries, about one month before the accident and she thought we should be a part of their Amazon Blitz.  The blitz was a miracle for us.  We ended up selling enough Homesteading for Beginners DVDs to pay our bills for the entire month that Mark was unable to work.

Almost 2 weeks ago, I had started moving around the house very slowly trying to regain some strength.  Mark ended up taking care of me while I was very immobile and very sick in my nerves.

I am now, with some assistance from the children, cooking one meal per day.  I am so grateful for that.  It is a huge milestone for our family.

As we have been working on our fourth Homesteading for Beginners DVD, the computer and most of the external hard drives crashed.  It was monumental.  We lost thousands of hours worth of work.  I never lost my peace though, which is a miracle.  I tell you, these trials of life, make us tougher than nails.  I would have normally been totally grief stricken over all the things we have gone through in the past 6 months, but I am telling you the truth when I say that I have been exceedingly joyful.  Joyful knowing that the trials and suffering build character and faith in our home.  As we endeavor to live for Christ and give Him all the glory, we feel it is not a coincidence that the computer and so many other things have been thwarted in in our lives.  We will stand strong in Christ knowing that as we persevere in life what ever may come, rain or shine, money or no money, milk or no milk, pain or ease of pain, we will praise our maker while we have breath.  We realize that it is a miracle that we have such a “Good” life and know that the sufferings of this world bring patience.  If we take one moment to think about people around the earth that have to suffer much harsher conditions, pain, persecution, famine, or death, we are thankful to be in the safety of His loving hands.  He is in control of our lives and we TRUST in HIM.  To God be all the Glory!