God kept the tires on! Part II

This was our home for two days!  Isn't it beautful?  All kidding aside, it was HUGE blessing that the garage allowed us to stay in the RV on property while we waited for parts and while they did the repairs.  We didn't have hook-up, but the the generator ran perfectly to give us what we needed.
We arrived at the Truck Shop Tuesday around 7pm.  After they looked it over they told us they would order parts in the morning. 
The next morning we did school, had music lessons, played games and watched a movie while we waited and waited for the parts to come in.  Finally at 1:00pm the parts arrived.  Chad, thinking the RV would be in the shop for  a long while started calling around to see about getting a rental van so we could make it to our meeting.  There was NOTHING available!  How can a car rental buisiness not have anything available?????  When God is involved!  It quickly became obvious we were not going to make it to our conference.  We waited all afternoon for someone to come and work on the RV, but nothing....

Around 5pm Chad went out to ask if anyone was going to come do the work and they said they would move the RV in a few minutes.  So we walked across the street to get dinner, since we were totally out of food in the RV and there were no grocery stores in sight.  We got back around 6:30, and still no one had even looked at the RV, but at least they had towed into the garage.  The mechanic told us we could stay in it while they did the work.  We had a bible-study, sang songs, and had prayer.  The kids were still VERY disappointed that we missed out on going to church.  But we made it as fun as we could.

We kept the kids up till 10pm, thinkng that at any minute we would have to get out so they could put the RV on the lift, but nothing...  I put the kids to bed and fought the feeling of frustration and discouragement thinking that we would have to stay parked at this garage for another whole day.  Around 10:45pm I  felt the RV being lifted.  Chad went out to talk to the mechanic.  They were fnally working on the RV.  The noise and vibrating didn't bothe the kids one bit, they were soundly asleep.  I could hear Chad outside talking to the mechanic and trying to share the gospel with him.  I prayed that he would get saved, but he just wasn't interested. Chad gave him a tract, and we're trusting God to use His Word in his life. 

Collecting rain water so we could brush our teeth....

The mechanic finished working around midnight.  He told Chad that he was almost positive that the tires were not centered properly when they were installed and that's why we had a problem.  He said we were very fortunate not to have been in a major accident, but we know that God was holding our RV together and protecting our family and home!  There were many friends and family that were praying for us, specifically for safety and protection on the roads.  It is because of those prayers that we are well.

"The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."James 5:16



Chad and I were happy that the RV was fixed, but wondered how we were going to pay for the repairs.  Chad was certan it would be a huge amount and we just didn't know how we were going to take care of it.  We prayed with the kids and begged God to provide for the need that to us was overwhelming; but we knew it was nothing for God.  Then the call came that our church had taken up an offering for us.  It was  exactly what we needed to cover the repairs and put gas in the RV!  Incredible.  We've never felt so loved and cared for, we felt so humbled and overwhelmed by the goodness and generosity of our friends, and felt so confident in God's ability to provide for our needs.  What an amazing God we serve!




Had a beautiful drive today

 





Drove past the University of Notre Dame's Football Stadium





Prayer Requests:   *The suspension on the RV still needs some attention. 

                                *We need wisdom to decide what to do about our trip out west.

                                *Safety as we make the 3,100 mile trip out to California

                                *We need meetings

                                *God's favor to raise the last half of our support

God kept the tires on!

We left early yesterday morning for our first trip out west.  We planned to have an exciting trip, see new places, eat new foods, make new friends and visit some old ones!  Well, after the first day, I certainly can say we HAVE had an exciting trip, though not neccesarily the excitement we planned for!
The first leg of the trip was like every other:

Driving through Pennsylvania was beautiful.  The tapestry of color was amazing.  The trees were almost flourescent with color, even through the cloudy, gloomy day.  The kids were doing school and about every 15 minutes one o the kids would yell, "COOL!  Look out the window". 

After school the kids had music lessons, Steven did some gymnastics, we muched on Twizzlers and played alot of Tic-Tac-Toe!

We pulled in to get gas, and when Chad walked around the RV he said, the suspension had fallen again.  He said we very low on the right side.  I texted a few of our friends and asked them to please pray for us.  Chad wanted to make it to the church and then deal with the problem one we got there. 
So we pulled out and drove a little more cautiously, and prayed that God would keep everything going a few more hours.

Then around 6pm we started wobbling.  Chad pulled off the side of the road and found a blow out in the back.  There wasn't much shoulder on the road and the sun was going down.  Chad tried to drive to the service station just 5 miles down the road.  Amazing how far 5 miles can become!  We eeked allong till half-way there we heard some awful noises in the back.  We stopped.  It sounded like the whole back was breaking off.  I posted on FB trying to see if any of our friends knew of any churches/friends in the NW part of Ohio.  I texted our friends again to please pray for us.

Our friend Steve called us, reading btween the lines of my FB post and knowing that we had broken down.  I want to thank all of our friends/family who posted and texted and called to let us know that they were praying for us.  What a comfort to know that so many families were lifting up our family before the Lord!

We finally were able to get ahold of a towing company to come out and get us.

When the mechanic looked at our tires, he stood up and said, "Where are the lug nuts? The tire is falling off!"

Chad came and told me that all of the lugnuts had snapped completely off on the right side and the tires were about to fall off!  He said, God held those tires on.  This could have been disastrous!

So we all got to ride in the back of a tow truck!  Definitely NOT the mot comfortable ride I've ever had, but the boys liked ll the tools and the "mechanic" smell.  They identified all the tools in the truck and told me how daddy and Peepa had taught them all about cars!

As I think over what happend, and realize what "could-have" happend, I can't help but just thank the Lord for keeping His hand on what is most precious to us-our Family!  I thank God for our safety, and I want to thank all those who carried our family in prayer and have offered their help. 

PRAYER WORKS!  It is a priviledge to have God's people lifting your name up to God.  

Please continue to pray for our family.  Pray that the RV will be fixed PROPERLY, and also that God would be glorified through all the this.

The Exodus: Led by the Hand of God

Led by the hand of God

God lead the children of Israel by a cloud during the day.  A cloud that not only lead Israel in the way that they should go, and signaled them when to stop and rest, but it also provided them with some refreshing shade.  It kept the hot sun off of them.  Then at night, God had a pillar of fire over them.  The children of Israel could look up in the middle of the night, when it’s pitch black in the wilderness, and they could see that God was still with them.  The pillar of fire also provided them with light and warmth in the dark wilderness.  What a beautiful picture of the presence of God with the children of Israel. 

Going through the summer in the RV was ok.  The air conditioner worked well and kept us cool.  As long as it was less than 100 degrees outside, we were very comfortable and cool.  When the temperature was over 100, the air conditioner still kept it tolerable for us.  As fall rolled in and the weather became cool, we began to wonder how the RV would fare against cold, snow and ice.  We had meetings scheduled in Chicago in January.  When I goggled the weather in Chicago for January I found that they usually had high wind and temps around -10 degrees!  I thought, oh no…how are we going to stay warm in an un-insulated RV! As I was starting to fret a calming peace came over me.  I knew that God was able to take care of us, and more than able to take care of the weather for us.  That week I was reading in Exodus about how God took care of the children Israel and led them with a cloud and the pillar of fire.  I prayed just then and gave my worries to the Lord.

Also that week I talked to Lisa and she was also a little concerned about how the RV would weather through the winter.  She brought some very warm comforters, and bought the kids warm pajamas, and  winter gear!  They were ready to take on the snow.

Maryland was thus far having a very mild winter, but we weren’t sure what awaited us in Chicago. We had a very uneventful drive until at 10:30 pm , in the middle of nowhere, we heard, “BANG”.  My heart sank as I contemplated how bad the timing was for a flat.  In the mist of all these farms, there weren’t even any street lights on the road.  We got out and none of the tires looked flat, but we noticed that the back of the RV was resting on the tires.  This was not good.  We couldn’t just stay there for the night because the generator wasn’t working.  There was nowhere in sight to pull into or ask for help. Chad decided we needed to just press on.  We had another 2 hours to drive, and we needed to get there so we could get help.  We had all the kids sit on the left side of the RV as we tried to take as much weight of that side as possible.  Chad drove very slowly, but every time we went around a turn or hit pothole we could feel the RV grinding into the tires.  I wondered if the RV would flip over if the tires popped…but when the fear wanted to creep in, I just gave it to the Lord.  I prayed with the kids and put them to bed.  Chad and I prayed and trusted that God would get us to where we needed to go.  We finally arrived at the church after 1am.  The pastor came out to greet us, and helped us get hooked up.  The next day the furnace went out, and we discovered two flat tires.  We had no heat, but the temps in Chicago were in the 60’s; and only in the 40’s a night.  Still cold, but with our blankets and space heaters we were comfortable.  As the pastor began to tell us about how strange this winter has been in Chicago I began to contemplate if God had adjusted the weather just for us.  Everyone agreed that they had NEVER seen a winter as warm as this one.

 A few hours after we left Chicago, a friend called from the church called us to see if we were ok driving through the snow.  We asked, “what snow?”  Apparently a big snow storm was coming through Chicago, and the temperature had dropped drastically after we left. What an amazing God we serve.  The mild weather followed us around all winter long.  My children were sad that they didn’t get to play in the snow, but God’s care was over us at every turn. 

We serve an amazing God who loves us and cares about us.  We are under His constant care!

The Exodus: The Bitter Waters of Marah

The Bitter Waters of Marah

“And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter…”     Ex. 15:23

Many would think that after the children of Israel had seen the mighty works that God did in Egypt and the great deliverance at the Red Sea that their faith had to be absolute in God.  How do you lose faith in a God that has done miracles for you?  Truly, human nature is the same everywhere, and how quickly we can forget the great and wonderful things God has done in our lives and allow the bitterness of our situation to overwhelm us…

In early August 2011, I noticed a small rash Steven had on his belly and arm.  Being as he had spent a great deal of time playing in the field at church I thought it was poison ivy.  I began treating him with calamine lotion.  It would help the itch for a little while, but it kept coming back and seemed to be spreading.  I took Steven to the doctor near the end of August because the rash was driving him crazy.  The doctor looked him over and said he had scarlet fever.  I told the doctor that he hadn’t had a fever, nor shown any signs of illness or a cold (We’ve dealt with scarlet fever before).  She said she was certain it was scarlet fever and gave me some antibiotics for Steve.  I asked her how long he’d be contagious and she said three days.  That was a blessing because we were leaving in five days to go stay with a friend in Connecticut. 

As the days went on Steve’s rash got worse and worse.  He seemed to be scratching all the time, and his skin was starting to get raw.  It was becoming so difficult to give him a shower because the soap burned him where he scratched himself raw. He legs and underwear area were the worst affected.  Steven began waking up several times in the middle of night screaming in frustration because of the itch.  I hated to be so far from home and our doctor.  A few days later I had the opportunity to give Steven a bath at a pastor’s house.  I bought some gentle oatmeal soap that I thought would soothe his skin.  He was excited about taking his first bath in weeks!  As soon as he stepped in the water he shrieked a blood curdling scream and said “it’s burning me, it’s burning me”.  The water was cool and I hadn’t put any soap in it yet.  My stomach turned as I saw how raw his skin was all over.  His skin wasn’t smooth anymore, but rough and scabbed.  I thought if I washed him with the oatmeal soap it would ease the itch and burn, but he just cried and screamed loader.  I began to cry as I realized something was very, very wrong.  I finished bathing him quickly and got him out of the tub and just sat with him wrapped in a towel on my lap and cried with him till he settled down.  I prayed and asked God to help him.  It hurt so much to see Stevie like this.  When he calmed down I dressed him and went out to the living room where Chad and the pastor were anxiously waiting for us to come out and tell them what happened.  When thy asked me, I cried and told them something was wrong with Steven.  I showed them his back and stomach and legs.  The pastor said that the ER would not be able to help with a rash, but said maybe I could take him to his daughters’ holistic doctor.  He called her and they got Steve an appointment for the very next morning. 

The next morning we went to this doctor and she told us Steven had Scabies, a parasite that is also known as ‘sand fleas’. She gave me some tea tree oil and told me to give him two baths a day with it, and also to give him two doses of it, in yogurt or fruit juice ,a day.  I prayed and asked God to please make bath tubs available for us at our next meetings in Maine, MA, and RI.  We followed the instructions very specifically.  God made provision and at each church that we went to, they had a bath tub or over-sized sink where I could bath Steven.  The medicine seemed to be helping very little.  It did relieve the itch enough for him to sleep through the night (Praise the Lord), but during the day he was constantly scratching.  When I would clip his nails short, he would find something to scratch with.  I didn’t think his skin would ever be soft again.

During all this, Hurricane Irene had come through the area and brought with it 2 weeks of nonstop rain.  We found all the leaks in the RV!  The water was just pouring in and there were sheets of mold on our windows , ceiling and walls every morning.  I thought perhaps Steven was having an allergic reaction to the mold and maybe it wasn’t a parasite at all.  Every day I had to clean the mold off the walls, ceiling  and windows.  I hadn’t seen the sun in days; my little boy was miserable and I couldn’t help him; and the rest of us were developing similar rashes on our stomachs and arms. 

I became overwhelmed with our circumstances and just collapsed in our RV and starting sobbing, “God I can’t do this!  Steven is sick and we’re living in black mold.  Please help us?  Why won’t you heal Steven, he’s in so much pain and I can’t do anything to help him.  Please, please help us”

Chad came in and found me in the bedroom.  He wrapped his arms me and said, “It’s going to be ok”.  I asked, “How do you know?  How do you know Steven is going to be ok, he might have some horrible disease?” Satan put his magnifying glass on my situation, and stole my peace.  My trust in God was replaced with fear, and Satan had me firmly in his grasp as I let the discouragement take root.

Chad hugged me so tight and just prayed and asked God to give us strength.  He begged God to help our faith not to waver, but to keep trusting Him.  He asked God to help us to endure the bitterness of  the circumstances until he provided what we needed.  I knew that he was right and asked God to forgive me for despairing and losing faith in Him. I knew that God was in control and could trust Steven in His care.

The next day the sun came out.  It was so wonderful to see the sun again after two weeks.  We opened up the RV and aired it out.  It had gotten so mildewy and stuffy in there.  I pulled out all the mattresses and cushions and aired them out.  When I took off the covers to air them out we found they were saturated in black mold.  We went to the store and bought mold killer and plastic mattress covers.  The Pastor we were with let us stay in his home for a few days to get away from the mold.  I scrubbed the RV with bleach that day.  There was mold everywhere.  We sprayed all the cushions and mattresses with mold killer and left them out in the sun for several hours.  I treated each cushion and mattress three times.  We threw out all the clothes, books and toys that had mold on them.  It took all day, but at the end of the day we had scrubbed the RV top to bottom and treated all our cushions and mattresses.  We washed the covers several times then put plastic covers on the matresses. 

The day after  we started traveling again, it would be another three weeks before we returned to MD.  Steven improved very little over that time, but we were thankful that at least he was able to sleep through the night without waking up in agony. 

I already had an appointment for Steven scheduled for the day after we got home.  I took him to the doctor and told her all that had happened.  She said he did have scabies and gave us enough cream to treat our whole family.  She said all of us but Steve should be fine the next day.  Steven would require two treatments, but she said in three days his itch would be almost completely gone.  She said I needed to buy Steven an oatmeal lotion and lather him up daily for several weeks to help his skin return to normal.  We also had to treat our RV because we most likely had an infestation in our RV.  The treatment involved washing everything fabric in the RV we could: our entire wardrobe, all blankets, sheets, stuffed animals, pillows, etc.  Everything that could go in a washing machine needed to be washed.  We spent over $100 and several hours at the laundry mat. We also had to fumigate the entire RV.

But praise God, the day following, our itch was gone.  Steven’s rash was considerably better.  After the second treatment his itch was almost completely gone and by the third day he was back to normal.  It did take several weeks for his skin to completely heal and become soft again, but his misery was over! God had provided relief, He gave us what we needed, and with it a stronger resolve for our calling because we didn’t quit when it got hard.

Though at times we feel utterly forsaken by God, He is always there.  He hurts when we hurt, and though He could instantly deliver us from our trial, He sees great value in the lesson we are learning. Sometimes there is bitterness in our circumstances and we despair, but we must find strength in knowing that God is in control and He WILL give us what we need in His time.