Hi Everyone! We have some more Craiglists stories we thought you might enjoy!
First, Don purchased a push mower about 14 years ago for our old house. We moved it to our current home because he thought he would use it for "trimming" the yard. He used it 3 or 4 times in 5 years. In cleaning out our garage for the carnival, we decided that it needed to go. Don put it on Craigslist for free because he couldn't get it to start. He received over a dozen e-mails in just a couple hours for this 14year-old, broken, free push mower. One of the e-mails was from a member of our homeschool group in Blair who, "coincidentally", we were meeting with in a couple days because they were giving us some items for the carnival's silent auction. So even when we try to give something away for free, we receive stuff!!
Second, we ended up purchasing the cabinets that we found on Craigslist with the money we received from selling our JD riding mower (See posting from May 11th). When Don went to pick them up, we found out that the money received from the sale was going to be used to help remodel a church. The son-in-law of the people selling the cabinets is the pastor of a church. The church has been meeting at a movie theater and decided it was time to find a building. They are going to use a building in mid-town Omaha but it needed to be remodeled. How fun that we could help them with their project!
Third, Don's dad purchased a huge WOODS shredder/chipper about 5 years ago. He had purchased a Kubota tractor at the same time for us to use while we were building our house. Since that time, we have used the Kubota in the winter to move snow and Don's dad had used the tractor in the summer for mowing and to use with the chipper/shredder. When Don's dad died, Don inherited both the tractor and the chipper/shredder. (This is why we could sell our JD mower). Anyway, we don't have any trees (not mature ones anyway) so we decided to put the chipper/shredder on Craigslist. Well, it sold! This money will cover over half the cost of our airline tickets. The Lord's provision is never ending!
We are going to be gone all week so we won't be able to post for a while. When we get back, maybe we will have some pictures to share! Thanks for reading!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Overwhelming
The word for the week (or maybe month) at our house is "overwhelming". We just realized that we now have less than four months before we leave the country. Our neighbors are working so very hard on the carnival and the response has just been "overwhelming" in a good way. (Check out the carnival link to see the HUGE list of sponsors!) We are trying to get our house/garage ready for this carnival. We have a mudder in our basement and we are trying to do a little school to get ahead for next year. We also are leaving next week for a family reunion in Arkansas. It seems like our days are so busy but we never really accomplish anything. It is all just a little "overwhelming"!!
Sometimes this "overwhelming" feeling seems to take over and just consume our conversations and thoughts. Then we stop and realize why we are doing all of this. Our kids are the best reminders of this. Every Sunday night at our house is family night. We often watch movies or play games. The kids always remember and look forward to the night. Last Sunday we did something a little different. Hannah, our 6 year old, decided to start a new church. She calls it the "IAFJ" Church. It stands for "I'm All For Jesus" Church. We asked her who was going to come to her church and she said that it was really a family church so we had church on Sunday night. All of the kids participated. They picked out worship songs and Hannah had everyone read some scripture verses that she had written down. All of her verses were about praising God. It was awesome! It was such a good reminder to us of where we need to keep our focus. We are going to Guatemala because Jesus said to "feed His sheep" and to "love our neighbors". We are going because we are seeking to be "All For Jesus"! Hannah wondered if we could do this every other week or so on our Sunday nights and we, of course, said yes! Every other week should be often enough to remind us where to focus so that everything is not so "overwhelming". Thanks for reading!
Sometimes this "overwhelming" feeling seems to take over and just consume our conversations and thoughts. Then we stop and realize why we are doing all of this. Our kids are the best reminders of this. Every Sunday night at our house is family night. We often watch movies or play games. The kids always remember and look forward to the night. Last Sunday we did something a little different. Hannah, our 6 year old, decided to start a new church. She calls it the "IAFJ" Church. It stands for "I'm All For Jesus" Church. We asked her who was going to come to her church and she said that it was really a family church so we had church on Sunday night. All of the kids participated. They picked out worship songs and Hannah had everyone read some scripture verses that she had written down. All of her verses were about praising God. It was awesome! It was such a good reminder to us of where we need to keep our focus. We are going to Guatemala because Jesus said to "feed His sheep" and to "love our neighbors". We are going because we are seeking to be "All For Jesus"! Hannah wondered if we could do this every other week or so on our Sunday nights and we, of course, said yes! Every other week should be often enough to remind us where to focus so that everything is not so "overwhelming". Thanks for reading!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Why the basement??
If you remember from our last posting (see below if you didn't get a chance to read it!), we mentioned that we are working on finishing our basement. Again, someone just the other day asked us why we were messing with this now. Here is our best attempt at an answer!
When finished, our basement will have two bedrooms, a bathroom, a full kitchen and a family room. The kitchen we are calling our homeschool "project room". It would be a room where the kids could do art and science (instead of at the dining room table!) without worrying about making a mess. Originally, we weren't going to put a stove in it but someone gave us one for free so why not?? Anyway, the basement will be like a little apartment. So why now??
First, the family, that will be housesitting for us while we are gone, are in the process of selling their house. If it would sell before we leave, they are going to need a place to live. It would be hard to get a short term lease to cover the gap plus they would have to move all of their stuff twice. Second, Don won't have a job when we get back. We may have to live in the basement and rent out the top floors.
All of that aside, the main reason why we are finishing our basement is because we feel that this is the Lord's timing. The first time we went to Guatemala was 5 years ago and we were in the middle of building our house. Many people questioned our logic then too. We agree that "logically" this doesn't make much sense but we are striving to live our lives according to the Lord's timing not our own. We have found that many times, His timing does not "logically" make sense but His timing is perfect!
How do we know that this is the Lord's timing? In the Bible, Jesus refers to Himself as the "Good Shepherd" and to those who follow Him as His "sheep". In John Chapter 10 Jesus says: "The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." We have not heard the voice of Jesus audibly but in having a relationship with Him we have learned to recognize His peace. When we are on the right path and follow His direction, we feel a great sense of peace about where we are going. When we try to do things on our own strength, things feel hard and the path feels like an uphill climb. Although "logically" the basement doesn't make sense we feel a great amount of peace in walking this path. To us that means, that we are following as the Lord is leading us. It doesn't mean that it is always easy but it does mean that it is peaceful even when it is difficult.
We have included a couple pictures that Caleb took of us hanging drywall in the basement. We are finished hanging and the mudder has arrived today! Yeah!! Thanks for taking time to check out our blog! Until next time, blessings to you!
When finished, our basement will have two bedrooms, a bathroom, a full kitchen and a family room. The kitchen we are calling our homeschool "project room". It would be a room where the kids could do art and science (instead of at the dining room table!) without worrying about making a mess. Originally, we weren't going to put a stove in it but someone gave us one for free so why not?? Anyway, the basement will be like a little apartment. So why now??
First, the family, that will be housesitting for us while we are gone, are in the process of selling their house. If it would sell before we leave, they are going to need a place to live. It would be hard to get a short term lease to cover the gap plus they would have to move all of their stuff twice. Second, Don won't have a job when we get back. We may have to live in the basement and rent out the top floors.
All of that aside, the main reason why we are finishing our basement is because we feel that this is the Lord's timing. The first time we went to Guatemala was 5 years ago and we were in the middle of building our house. Many people questioned our logic then too. We agree that "logically" this doesn't make much sense but we are striving to live our lives according to the Lord's timing not our own. We have found that many times, His timing does not "logically" make sense but His timing is perfect!
How do we know that this is the Lord's timing? In the Bible, Jesus refers to Himself as the "Good Shepherd" and to those who follow Him as His "sheep". In John Chapter 10 Jesus says: "The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." We have not heard the voice of Jesus audibly but in having a relationship with Him we have learned to recognize His peace. When we are on the right path and follow His direction, we feel a great sense of peace about where we are going. When we try to do things on our own strength, things feel hard and the path feels like an uphill climb. Although "logically" the basement doesn't make sense we feel a great amount of peace in walking this path. To us that means, that we are following as the Lord is leading us. It doesn't mean that it is always easy but it does mean that it is peaceful even when it is difficult.
We have included a couple pictures that Caleb took of us hanging drywall in the basement. We are finished hanging and the mudder has arrived today! Yeah!! Thanks for taking time to check out our blog! Until next time, blessings to you!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Do you need anything??
My husband is hiding things from me! I think he is thinking of actually nailing some things down! I have discovered "craigslist"! We have so far sold a glider, a dog training collar and our JD riding lawnmower. We have other things posted for sale and I am looking for more so if you need anything, we might be able to sell it to you!! In all fairness to Don, we have been selling and posting things that are mostly his but I have nothing of value. I don't tend to sell things. I tend to give them away because I don't want to take the time for a garage sale or finding a buyer; however, "craigslist" is fun!!
We really are having fun getting rid of some of our stuff. It feels like by getting rid of some of the stuff, we are lightening our load. Many of you don't know this but we are finishing our basement currently. Because of lack of funds, we are doing most of the work ourselves (we are getting close to finishing the drywall hanging now!). When we first started this project, we were examining our "savings" and thinking of the expenses of moving to Guatemala for 6 months with no job, finishing our basement, going to our family reunion and the other things that will require money in our near future. It reminded me a little of the story from the Bible about Jesus feeding the 5,000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves. We really needed the Lord to multiply what we had to cover all the expenses that we were going to incur. There was not enough room for even a CPA to make this work.
Well, God is faithful! We made the decision to hang the drywall ourselves to save some money but then we needed to hire a taper/mudder. Initially, all the bids were too high for us. We found another person to give us a bid. A few days later we received our tax incentive from the government which would more than cover this last bid. We hired him and we will stimulate the economy at the end of this week (hopefully!). Then we discovered "craigslist"! Don sold our mower for more than enough to cover some kitchen cabinets that we found on, you guessed it, "craigslist". The cabinets would work in the homeschool project room/kitchen in the basement and save us alot of money! We will look at them later this week. Currently, I am looking for more things to sell so the Lord can provide a buyer and we can buy doors and trim! Also, in the midst of all that, our neighbors come to us and ask if they can hold a fundraising carnival in our neighborhood to help cover some of our Guatemala expenses. We see all of this as the Lord's provision and His multiplication of our 2 fish and 5 loaves. (check out the info on the carnival if you haven't all ready!)
Some people have asked us why are we messing with our basement now in the midst of all that we have going on. We will answer that in our next posting and maybe add some pictures of Don and I hanging drywall! Stay tuned! Thanks for reading!
We really are having fun getting rid of some of our stuff. It feels like by getting rid of some of the stuff, we are lightening our load. Many of you don't know this but we are finishing our basement currently. Because of lack of funds, we are doing most of the work ourselves (we are getting close to finishing the drywall hanging now!). When we first started this project, we were examining our "savings" and thinking of the expenses of moving to Guatemala for 6 months with no job, finishing our basement, going to our family reunion and the other things that will require money in our near future. It reminded me a little of the story from the Bible about Jesus feeding the 5,000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves. We really needed the Lord to multiply what we had to cover all the expenses that we were going to incur. There was not enough room for even a CPA to make this work.
Well, God is faithful! We made the decision to hang the drywall ourselves to save some money but then we needed to hire a taper/mudder. Initially, all the bids were too high for us. We found another person to give us a bid. A few days later we received our tax incentive from the government which would more than cover this last bid. We hired him and we will stimulate the economy at the end of this week (hopefully!). Then we discovered "craigslist"! Don sold our mower for more than enough to cover some kitchen cabinets that we found on, you guessed it, "craigslist". The cabinets would work in the homeschool project room/kitchen in the basement and save us alot of money! We will look at them later this week. Currently, I am looking for more things to sell so the Lord can provide a buyer and we can buy doors and trim! Also, in the midst of all that, our neighbors come to us and ask if they can hold a fundraising carnival in our neighborhood to help cover some of our Guatemala expenses. We see all of this as the Lord's provision and His multiplication of our 2 fish and 5 loaves. (check out the info on the carnival if you haven't all ready!)
Some people have asked us why are we messing with our basement now in the midst of all that we have going on. We will answer that in our next posting and maybe add some pictures of Don and I hanging drywall! Stay tuned! Thanks for reading!
Monday, May 5, 2008
"Gracious Uncertainty"
We have been so busy working on the carnival pages that we have not posted to the blog lately. Quite honestly, we are feeling a little overwhelmed. We want everything to fit into this nice little package and well, it just isn't! We want to know how this is all going to work and we want to finalize details that very obviously, we are suppose to wait to finalize (like plane tickets, medical insurance, etc. etc.). Every month the homeschool group that we belong to publishes a newsletter. The newsletter always contains an article from one of our veteran moms. This month she borrowed an article from Oswald Chambers and we are borrowing it from her. This describes exactly where we are right now!
“Gracious Uncertainty” by Oswald Chambers
"Our natural inclination is to be so precise – trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next – that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Consequently, we do not put down roots.
Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life – gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises. When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies. That is not believing God – it is only believing our belief about Him. Jesus said, “…unless you…become as little children…” (Matthew 18:3). The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy. Jesus said, “…believe also in Me” (John 14:1), not, “Believe certain things about Me.”
Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in – but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him."
We are waiting in "gracious uncertainty" for our Lord, of whom we are certain, to show us the next step in this craziness that is our life! We will let you know when He reveals that to us! Thanks for reading and for praying!
“Gracious Uncertainty” by Oswald Chambers
"Our natural inclination is to be so precise – trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next – that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Consequently, we do not put down roots.
Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life – gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises. When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies. That is not believing God – it is only believing our belief about Him. Jesus said, “…unless you…become as little children…” (Matthew 18:3). The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy. Jesus said, “…believe also in Me” (John 14:1), not, “Believe certain things about Me.”
Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in – but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him."
We are waiting in "gracious uncertainty" for our Lord, of whom we are certain, to show us the next step in this craziness that is our life! We will let you know when He reveals that to us! Thanks for reading and for praying!
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