Good Saturday to you on the last weekend of February 2021. We are once again expecting a rain/snow mix tonight and tomorrow. It has been a nice week weather wise, with temperatures in the high 30's. Nice enough for Joel to take some long walks outside, nice enough for our oldest son to come for a garage visit. We heated up the garage, social distanced a good 6 feet, wore masks, and visited for a long time! We had not seen him since last April so it was just wonderful! We are hopeful we'll be seeing our other kids in the near future too.
We sure miss our family. Just about the time I decide to put aside our vow to keep isolated as much as possible, something brings me back. In the past 7-10 days family members had a friend die from Covid-19, another friend's wife die of Covid-19 and then a daughter-in-law's stepdad die of this nasty virus. It is real.
Monday I headed to the dermatology clinic for a 6 mo. check up. I thought about canceling until after my second vaccination, but this clinic is the most careful medical facility I go to. Temperature checks, questions to answer, only a few places open to sit (with each chair cleaned after someone sits in it). The woman who saw me wears a mask and shield. Yeah, they work hard to make it a safe environment. Another clinic I go to requires masks worn but zip on anything else. I'm waiting for that appointment until after my second dose.
Last week a friend called to tell us she had been praying for us after receiving Joel's book in the mail, and God told her there is something wrong with one of the pipes in our house. She talked about something not draining properly and leaking somewhere. This friend, Helen, called us three years ago and told us that God had told her something was wrong in our house. She said to me, "He said the word, radon. Do you know what that is?" She did not so I explained what it was, told Joel and we had public health come out and check our house. This part of Iowa is high in radon gas....... Sure enough when they checked the levels for three days, they were double what they should be and we were told they would be worse in the winter when things were closed up. SO, when Helen called this time, we paid attention. Joel searched and searched, checking things but with no luck. Okay, then, people can get it wrong when they hear from God~ I certainly have. Then Joel was moving something in the basement a few days later and there it was.....a leaking pipe....not draining properly. We called Helen and let her know....and the next day she said, What you are looking for is deeper in...that's the word I get....deeper in. Joel and I went on a quest looking in a storage area deeper in the laundry room. Joel found another leaking pipe connected to the furnace and fixed it. Helen got another thank you call from us! I love how God uses others to speak to us.
We have another powerful story related to hearing from God. When we lived in The Philippines, we had our car shipped over by the military, as everyone does. When we were leaving to go back to the states, we decided to sell our car so Joel put an add out locally. We prayed for God to guide the process. One day he heard from a man who wanted to see and test the car. Joel drove up to outside the front gate of the base to pick up the Filipino man~~ he had a friend along. One sat in front with Joel and one in back behind Joel. They wanted Joel to drive the vehicle and were telling him where to go in Angeles City. Turn here, turn there, etc. Then the buyer wanted to drive it himself. Even though he felt very uncomfortable about what was happening, he cautiously let him drive , sitting in the front seat with him. During this time, the guy in the backseat snatched Joel's brand new calculator, but Joel saw him and told him to put it back. Joel then had the guy park, and got back in the driver's seat. The man then told Joel, "It is so busy here ~ I know a shortcut." He directed Joel to go down a road that led out into a desolate area away from people. Joel was ready to turn when he heard a loud voice in his mind say, "NO. Do NOT turn. " Joel hesitated and he heard the voice speak again. He immediately stopped the turn and drove into a busy area, parking the car and jumping out....telling the men to get out. After they left he drove home pretty shaken up. I found out in the next day or two that there was an airman in the hospital beaten up and with stab wounds after two guys "wanted to see how his car drove" and they had him go out on a long desolate road where they beat him, robbed him, stabbed, him, and stole the car. Two other airmen had gone through something similar. We were more than a little grateful for Joel hearing that loud voice......it probably saved his life.
I was thinking I wished God would have used a loud voice with me this morning as I was making homemade whole wheat bread for the first time in decades. I read the recipe on my phone three times but did not see to add honey to the yeast.......the yeast was not bubbling and I could not figure out why. I finished making the bread anyway and left it to rise.....not realizing my mistake until I sat down and read the recipe for a 4th time. Judas! How could I miss that?! I used to make ALL our bread when we lived in MN. God's grace let the dough rise enough we could get it into a loaf pan and it raised a second time.....yippee....now we will see how it tastes! I guess I needed God's voice to say, YOU forgot the honey in the yeast!
Speaking of voices, here is a cute story that had Joel and I cracking up. A dear family member got in her car to drive her hubby to get a hair cut. All of a sudden she feels her phone vibrating under her posterior......then a small police siren sound while the lights on her dashboard started blinking on and off. Her phone rang and she answered it and a woman said, "You pushed the emergency call button and then hung up....are you okay?" While she is talking to the woman her husband gets a text saying she is in an emergency situation. When she hangs up she lets her son know it was an accident because he would have gotten the text too......In the big big city they are spending their winter in, I guess it is good to know the emergency button works, right? But so funny to hear this story!!
So, today I am grateful for a great visit with our oldest son, a heated garage, a good report at the doctor's very clean and very careful office, homemade bread that is rising through my error, stories that make us laugh, God speaking to us through others, finishing the healing ministry online school, warmer weather, and so much more...........
Enjoy your weekend!
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