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Post by SisterNancy on Jan 15, 2009 0:31:52 GMT -5
Hugs!
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Post by Deleted on May 16, 2009 12:36:54 GMT -5
What a lovely home and what beautiful children you have. God is great!
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Post by benshelpmeet on May 19, 2009 8:20:21 GMT -5
Dearest sister Gail,
The Lord has been so good to us. When we got robbed the day before Memorial day last year, They stole over $1,500 worth of our building supplies, we had just charged over $2,000 at Home Depot with a one year differed payment, (which I just payed off last week.)
We lived one hour and ten min away from our land where we were building our first home, thats why it was so easy for them to break in and steel.
My husband moved to the property the very day we found out we had been robbed, so he could secure and watch after the rest of our building supplies, he had to sleep on a van seat.
For 5 days me and a few children went back to the farm we had been living at, and renting for 11 years and we packed, and packed, and packed until we were almost out of our minds.
The other children camped out on the land at our new property with Ben.
We had to sell our two horses, and 9 goats within that 5 day period, a friend bought the goats to help us out.
A lady at our bank had a friend that trains handy capped children to ride horses, and she bought both of my horses sight unseen. They both went to a good home, but we sure do miss them.
Right before we got robbed, I lost my baby ( my first miscarriage) , and right before that my oldest son almost died in the hospital. These were trying times for us. We have no family, or close friends in Tn so we were pretty much alone. It was lonely and hard.
We were a normal happy family one day, building our first home...then the next day we were homeless, and our world turned upside down.
The Lord was so good to us through it all. He carried us, most of the packing and moving seems like a foggy dream.
Our Amish friends came and moved our Mini barn, they also moved everything in our house, and on our rental farm, then they sacrificially helped build and finish our house so we could move in it took 6 months to finish, we were homeless for 6 months camping out in the elements with 7 children, washing all our dishes and clothes outside. Eating strange meals, sleeping on the ground on pallets. We were eaten alive by bugs, mosquito's, chiggers, ticks, no see ems, you name it we still have the scars on our arms and legs. It was rough living without a home.
No friends , no family to help or encourage, it's times like that you really find out who your real friends are, mine are all out of state, they did what they could and were an encouragement in my time of need.
My health broke during this homeless time, and I became so ill with one major thing after another, I thought I was dying at one point.
We had no bathroom just an out house 80 feet from our house so they fixed me up with a camper dump a potty, and we had to bathe in a freezing cold hose, that was hard, when your sick it is hard to do normal stuff much less, the hard stuff, but the Lord brought me through it all. My health is still poor and I'm weak, but alive and my spirit is doing well, so I'm thankful.
Stress causes me much physical affliction so we do try and keep stress levels down. Usually christians bring the most affliction and stress we have found, isn't that a shame, but it it is so true. I have heard it said, ''It's because you spend the most time around christians, and little time around the unsaved,'' Now that we moved to a town were we do not know anyone, we find ourselves spending more time (for the past year) around the unsaved more than with saved people, and the christians are still the ones that cause the most stress, and affliction on our precious family. It should not be so, but it is and as far back as I can remember ever since we became saved that has been true in our lives. Satan is very busy in saved peoples lives reaping havoc, And christians yield themselves to Satan as yielded vessels unknowing, because they do not walk with God. It's hurtful to the body of Christ. Thats another message for another topic.
We moved in our new home Nov 4th 2008...Yipee! We were and are so thankful for Gods provision and goodness to our family.
Nothing is free, and nothing comes easy hear on earth. We paid a great price, and we are still paying, because they had to throw together our home, things are done wrong and we have leaks, mold, bad electric, and things we are having to fix, but it could be worse, we could still be homeless. We have a roof over our head, were all together, healthy, and happy. God is so good.
We are Thankful every day for things most people take for granted. Warm water, a flush toilet inside, a bath tub and shower, washer and dryer inside, a kitchen sink, a refrigerator, a table we all can sit around together to eat our meals, a bedroom with a door that closes , a comfortable place to sit during the day, a working computer, just to name a few. God is so good! We are so very Thankful!
Well that is a little of what we went through last year, we are glad it happened now, because God taught us so much, and we are so glad it is all over now.Psa 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. Isa 49:13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. Love and prayers, ~ sister Darlene ~
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2009 1:05:23 GMT -5
Sister Darlene Thank you for posting this. I wept as I read this.I'm so sorry all this happened to you.
You are right about Christians reaping havoc, Satan uses God's people to hurt God's people.
I'll be praying for you, I know that is a cliche.
You and your Husband have been and are going through so much, yet through it all you continue to praise God, what a testimony you have; how you are being used to help others.
God bless Gail
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2009 3:25:42 GMT -5
Sister Darlene Just after I posted I found this link, The Hymn writer it is well with my soul.
You are brother Ben are an inspiration.
I think we can turn any adversity into something glorious if we praise God through it, and rely completely on him.
Thanks for posting. I sometimes have a pity party which doesn't glorify God and does me no good.
Reading your post inspired me, not to be negative and to praise God through it all.
Some how when I've faced adversity I haven't done this and complained. Sometimes I know myself I sometimes get this thought, I know Satan puts it into my head, God owes me! I sometimes have said to God after all I've done for you? Gosh how blasphemous could I get! God owes me nothing but in his love and mercy, sent his son to die for me on calvary to pay for my sins. The only thing I deserve is hell.
Sometimes I wonder why God bothers with us, yet he is so gracious merciful and kind.
I remember watching a Christian video about Christians being martyred. I remember seeing believers in North Korea praising God whilst waiting to be crushed to death by a steam roller.
Also Richard Wurmbrand (no some of his theology I don't agree with), but he suffered tremendously for being a Christian.
I look back now at things in my past and see how God has used them help me minister to others. Sorry for rambling. God bless Gail
Romans 8:28
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Post by benshelpmeet on May 20, 2009 15:25:23 GMT -5
Thank you sister Gail for your kind words.
I can't say I don't get discouraged, but I can with assurance, joy, and hope say the Lord always walks with me, and brings me through.
Trials and hardships sometimes seem unbearable, but the Lord lovingly guides me through to the other side, giving me fresh cool sips of water here and there so I can endure hardness.2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. May the Lord comfort and Bless you dear sister.
Love, ~ sister Darlene ~
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2009 0:44:07 GMT -5
Thank you too Sister Darlene Trials and hardships only show us, how without The Lord we are nothing but dust. His mercy is new every morning God bless Gail
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Post by benshelpmeet on May 21, 2009 12:31:38 GMT -5
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Post by benshelpmeet on May 26, 2009 12:58:48 GMT -5
Well yesterday we celebrated the 1 year anniversary of us being stolen from. Sounds crazy, but we rejoice in all the Lord has done on our behalf in the past year.
What Satan meant for evil, God meant for our good.We made a big fun celebration out of it. We had a treasure hunt, we hid plastic balls filled with chocolates, this was alot of fun. ;D
We spent the whole day together, rejoicing over the goodness of the Lord, reminiscing of the hardships, and giving praise for His abundant blessings on our family, and acknowledging how He carried us through our trials, and afflictions, and brought us through to the other side stronger than before.
We made a Beef Roast, and Rice dinner, with Homemade Ice Cream for desert. ;D Banana Black Walnut.coveredbaptists.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=fit&action=display&thread=2624&page=1We had a full and blessed day.
Blessings, ~ sister Darlene ~
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