Comments on: God’s Smuggler

By: New York Grandma

New York Grandma — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:36:20 +0000

Sarah – everyone responds to stress in different ways. I am sorry your husband has chosen the path he has, BUT – - I think you have already seen (and will see in the days to come) that God IS able to take care of your needs – - often He is waiting for us to ask. I can remember the electric and gas person at my door ready to turn off our service – - God provided then and in many other ways since – He has never let me down. I won’t say it was easy, but what a testimony to your children of God’s ablility and willingness to care for us.
My mother always quoted Psalm 37 – esp. v. 25
I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread. (NIV)
Hold on to that verse, keep trusting and don’t be afraid to let others know your needs – - they may not be able to supply your need but they can certainly pray for you.

Joe – I have enjoyed reading your responses to Dave & Lana’s blogs – - keep responding and never underestimate how much your comments mean to all of us – - they are a great encouragement.

By: Lana

Lana — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:46:06 +0000

Joe, glad to “meet” you! We’ve been wondering who Joe is, who always leaves us such nice messages! Thank you for sharing your story!

By: Lana

Lana — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:45:13 +0000

Sarah, I read Amelia’s caringbridge site but had no idea what was going on. I am so very sorry. This disease causes enough stress to last a lifetime. I am sorry you have so much more to endure. Thank you for sharing your story. We will be praying for you.

By: Joe Jordan

Joe Jordan — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:36:19 +0000

Hi Lana, I had to go to the top of the page to remember your name after reading what people wrote. I cannot read more than a sentence or two because I forget what I read due to brain damage from a accident a few years ago. If I write more than a few sentences I don’t know if it makes sense, so I read parts of things and try to pray for people. I rarely ever share this because I am not here for me I am here for you. Most people look at me and are sad but I know God, God knows me, and without ever asking anyone for anything you would be amazed at what Jesus has done for me. I am so blessed. I hope what I say is a good thing and makes sense. Crazy , I know, but I don’t know why I say this. I just read your last sentence and I write. Have a great day. God bless you. In Christ, Joe

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:14:16 +0000

I read that book when I was a teenager–I absolutely loved it! Thank you for the wonderful reminder.
Carolyn

By: Sandi Rectenwald

Sandi Rectenwald — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:34:14 +0000

I also have some needs which I need to bring to the Lord, giving him specific requests. I am going to start asking him to meet those specific needs – to help me find a way to meet them. I haven’t felt worthy at times recently to ask for specifics, but I plan to do that now, and to have the faith that He will answer…
Thanks for your encouragement, and also, thanks to Sarah for sharing…

God Bless,
Sandi
http://www.jerryandsandirectenwald.com

By: Sarah Alford

Sarah Alford — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:27:28 +0000

Thanks. I was looking for a new book to read. Just this morning I was in awe at God’s provisions for me in recent months. I don’t write about it on Amelia’s website, because my dire needs stemmed from my husband of twelve years moving out and getting a girlfriend, leaving me, a stay-at-home mom taking care of a terminally ill child, to fend for myself. I’m not going to bad mouth my husband on Amelia’s website. Anyway, I prayed day and night for about a month after he left. Everyone in my family, the pastor and his wife, people from all over the country were praying for me, and I still didn’t have an answer. Then one day (when my 4 year old was at preschool) I just yelled at the top of my lungs “Lord I need a solution, and I need it now. I can’t do this anymore.” And for the first time in my life I heard the Lord’s voice “In Home Support Services.” IHSS is a state funded program that pays for in-home care for the elderly and disabled. I worked for them years ago taking care of my disabled mother-in-law. I didn’t think I could get paid to take care of Amelia for many reasons – she’s a baby and needs 24 hour care anyway, my husband makes decent money, we own a house, no social worker told me to apply, no other parent I know with a special child told me that they qualified for IHSS. So I had never looked into it before. That day, after yelling at God, I went straight to the phone book, called the number, and left a desperate, crazy message on their phone. A social worker came to my house a week later, which is a miracle in itself. It took 3 or 4 months to get someone to come out and sign up my mother-in-law. She told me that she knew God had given her my case and that she was going to do everything possible to keep me and my girls in our home. She said that Amelia qualified because she’s on Medicaid (she’s on that because of her disability). They pay me just enough to cover my mortgage. I was so scared to stay here alone, then my brother moved in, and now I feel safe. I didn’t know how I was going to keep up my yard. We have a lot of property. My next door neighbor is a retired groundskeeper and he just started mowing my lawns, weed wacking, pulling weeds, pruning trees and watering my yard. He does it for my every week without even saying a word to me about it. It’s all been provided for. I keep trying to remind myself of that as I start the overwhelming, scary process of getting divorced.

Anyway, just felt like sharing my story.

Take care, Sarah