My friend who is going through this difficult season writes things down all the time, but only for the court. I keep encouraging her to write the amazing stories that are happening in her life so that she won't forget that she wasn't forgotten. She's way too overwhelmed for that. So, guess who's job it is?! Mine! She's given me permission to share....
This past winter when she had nowhere to stay, a kind Christian woman who didn't know her and had never met her, offered her cabin to this large busy family - for free. That was amazing in itself. It was situated on a beautiful lake with a beautiful view. If she was going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, at least she had something nice to look at each morning!
However, over the course of the looong winter and with 7 kids, (including 4 boys under 11), things got a little worn down, sometimes even broken, or written on or, uh, destroyed.....Fortunately, a kind neighbour that lived in a cabin nearby helped out for the dire emergencies like clogged sinks or toilets. But then, the time was coming when she was going to have to be out of this cabin and back into her own trailer that was situated in a trailer park/campground nearby. How was she going to get the cabin back into some semblance of order with all those kids underfoot? How was she going to fix all the things that had gotten damaged? A miracle was needed and a miracle she got.
Another friend of her's who has also walked this difficult path with her told her small group at church what was going on in this lady's life. Their suggestion? Go up and help put the cabin back together for her! Unbelievable. They had also never met her and had only heard of her story through this one lady. The power of Christian fellowship is all I could think of.
The one lady who lived down here near me drove the 3 hours to my friend's cabin to make a list of all the things she would need to buy and to go through the entire cabin, room by room, to see what would need to be done. Talk about organized. This lady is such a good example of putting your spiritual gifts to work. Then she came back, bought everything she would need for the following weekend. She then proceeded to go to her small group with a list for each person and their personal assignments. These things included painting walls, fixing baseboards, broken shower rods, massive cleaning of all rooms, behind stoves, fridges, cupboards....you name it, these people did it. My friend said it was like the Cat in the Hat. This crew of people came in for 5 hours and left it better than she had found it! It was amazing! On top of all that, this lady had brought lunch for her "workers" so my friend didn't have to worry about a single thing. What a gift to my friend. She was able to leave the cabin with a clean conscience knowing she had been able to bless the woman who had offered her the cabin in the first place. I'm sure the woman who owned the cabin walked in amazed to see what good condition it was in despite the large family who had stayed there.
To me, it was such an amazing example of how the Lord uses His people. They were all literally His hands and feet. No one was sitting back here in a chair suggesting things that should be done or judging her for how the place had gotten a little "used". No, they got off their chairs and just like the book I'm currently reading, In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon, they asked themselves, "What would Jesus do?" They knew He would have gone to help. He wouldn't have sat around making judgments.
A few weeks earlier, she found out, however, she had no trailer to go back to, due to unfortunate circumstances. She was a wreck. She felt homeless as she was about to leave the cabin and had all along assumed she'd be able to go back to the trailer that no longer existed. People prayed, what else could we do? This time, a very kind and generous uncle stepped in along with a few others and got their finances together to help her purchase a new trailer. She was dumbfounded how once again, what Satan intended for evil, God intended for good. Once this whole experience is over, I hope she will be able to see that. Right now, it is still such an emotional roller coaster that she barely makes it from day to day, but an outsider like me only sees God's hand which is why I'm determined to write it down for her.
Meanwhile, her brother, a believer as well, is down at Bible School in the States. His group of Bible Study buddies also heard of her horrible living dilemma. Now keep in mind these are poor little church mice, literally, but that didn't stop them from raising $1000 for her, just because. She is so overwhelmed by how God is providing for her in this difficult situation. I'M amazed myself! Would I wish this on anyone? No, yet, to see God moving in this way is something you just don't see everyday and I wonder if she'll say one day, "This awful experience was amazing!" Isn't that often how it goes? At least in retrospect? She's not quite there yet, but I'm sure she'll get there one day, at least that's my prayer.
On a completely different note, I have two adult children in my home now, as of today. I am so grateful for what God has done in my boy's life this past year. He'll admit it's been one of the hardest years of his life. He, just like my daughter, is not super happy about becoming an adult. Before, it was fun to have a birthday - they liked getting older. Now, it has hit them....they have to be responsible! But both of them are embracing this new challenge and I continue to pray God will be gracious to them in their lives as they set the example for the younger ones to come.....
Off to make crepes.....
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