"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? Matthew 6:25-26
In my last Journey of Faith post, I told you how I overcame discouragement and loneliness. And how we found out that my husband would lose his job in a few weeks...
It was early January, cold and snowy. We were living in an old, drafty farmhouse that was hard to heat. (we had moved from the trailer house into a farmhouse in the country, in October) We put a blanket over the staircase, moved the kids' beds downstairs, and heated only the living room and kitchen. Propane was costing us 450.00 every 4-5 weeks to heat our house - it was eating up our small budget too fast. I remember at one point wondering how we were going to survive the winter without begging for money!
But I learned once again that God never fails His children! He is always faithful to supply our needs. We trusted Him, Cliff worked hard, I tried to be as thrifty as I could, and we always had food to eat. One time a man came to church - just a visitor - and after church he took Cliff out to his vehicle and gave us bags and boxes of food. Produce, mostly, and some dried beans. All from his garden! He said he had 'way too much garden veggies, and wanted to bless someone with it! As far as I know, he never came back to church - I am certain he was an angel. 🙂 We ate squash, potatoes, carrots, beans, and many other good vegetables for weeks. Sometimes there would be an envelope in our mailbox with a little cash in it. I wish I knew who felt prompted by God to give - we never asked for money or talked about our finances. I would like to thank those dear saints for being sensitive to the Holy Spirit in their lives!
Well, back to the lay-off... When we heard that we'd be out of a job in a couple weeks, we honestly were stumped. What does a person do who gets laid off in the middle of winter with literally no savings, no college degree, no nothing?!
We prayed.
God answered our prayers in a powerful, amazing way!
My sister and her husband used to work on a ranch near Cheyenne, WY, and we used to visit them there. Through them, we learned to know a young man who ran cattle on a couple ranches in WY. Well, when we were considering what to do for a job, Cliff remembered that young man, and decided to call him up.
When Cliff asked him if he had any job openings, the man answered: "Yes, I just leased a new ranch this month and need a another guy to help run it. You can start next week."
We were blown away! God had lined up the perfect job for us at the exact time we needed it. I tell you, friends, God does things like this all the time. We aren't special or anything. But I have trained myself to see God's hand in everything. You can do that too. Write it down. Or tell someone. Don't say: "Well that was pretty neat!" and forget about it. Notice when God works a miracle for you. Praise Him! Thank Him!
"...for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him." Matt. 6:8S
So on Monday morning, Cliff packed a sleeping bag and a suitcase and drove up to Wyoming to start his new job. I stayed in CO and started packing. I packed up all our belongings as best I could between caring for three little ones. (the kids were 1, 3 and 5) On Saturday, Cliff came home and we loaded most of our belongings into our trusty pink horse-trailer and headed north.
On Monday, I took the kids and drove down with the truck and trailer for the final load. My sister came along to help, since she was visiting for awhile. She helped me clean the house and pack up the remaining things.
Ranch life was good. Cliff enjoyed the work, the salary was better than we had ever enjoyed before, (that's not saying much, but while you won't get rich on a ranch, at least you have a house!) and we all loved the wide open spaces of Wyoming!
Three short months after we moved to Wyoming, our faith was tested in a very different and difficult manner. Our youngest child, Andy, was playing near the irrigation canal and drowned. It was by far the most trying circumstance we had to face. But as always, God brought us through that, too. I am thankful for the grace of God that is give in every situation. I did struggle quite a bit with guilt over Andy's death. Then I had to learn to graciously respond to people's ignorant but well-meaning comments. Each part of the trial forced me to lean on God more, and dig deeper in His Word and His wisdom.
That was ten years ago. We have been living in Wyoming and working on ranches and we still like Wyoming! 🙂 It is our favorite state, despite the brutal winters and mosquito-laden summers. We lived on that first ranch (the X-Bar) for 4.5 years, then moved to a ranch north of Cheyenne for 5 years, and currently we are on a ranch in the mountains west of Laramie.
Our children are blessed to grow up in this wonderful ranching community, learning to rope and ride and care for animals. Cliff still enjoys ranching, he also owns a small leather business on the side where he makes saddles, chaps, and other gear for working cowboys.
After our son died, I started reading about foster care, and slowly my heart was drawn to the amazing work of being a safe place for kids who are removed from their homes. After 5 years of my reading and dreaming, we were licensed as a foster home, and received our first placement in May, 2015. After 7 kids coming through our home, I can say the honeymoon period is over, haha! but I still have an incredible burden for these kids and this work. Even when it is the hardest, I am reminded how precious each child is to our God, how much He cares about them.
Our life looks so much different than I ever thought it would, but God's plans are always best. So many things He said "No" to, and that was best. Then He said "Yes" to many wonderful things that I could never have dreamed of! I am learning to take each experience from His hand of love, and be thankful.
If this series has blessed or encouraged you in any way, I would love if you leave a comment and tell me why! 🙂 Thank you to all who have replied to my stories and encouraged me to write it.
If you missed a post, you can find them here:
My Journey of Faith part 1
Hi Kay!
Your stories encourage me because I'm also learning to see the Lord's hand in everything He lets happen around me. He has a special reason for letting me have these experiences. After all is said and done, I can look back on the situation and see the good in it. 'All things work together for good to them that love God'.... -Emma
Enjoyed all your posts! A beautiful story of God's faithfulness to His children!
I can identify with learning to trust in God and expect good at His hands in the toughest of times. Your story speaks of a continuing relationship with a Father you trust, and that is inspiration indeed! Thank you for taking the time to share it with us.
Thank you Kay for sharing your gift of expression of what real life is like with it's trials, joys and an abundance of God's grace & provision. The redeemed of the LORD are to proclaim it and you are doing just that by your writing. Being a parent stretches us in places we never dreamed we'd be and as we reflect back, we see more clearly what God was accomplishing. Keep up serving your LORD by serving your family! It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!
Your stories encourge me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart that you shared them. I live in Sweden a country that is not especilly religious ( abd I'm sorry for my english it has been 16 years since I graduetad from high school and I havn't been writing english since then) I try to live with the knowledge that we all are children of god and live and worship his name. I try to learn my children that they are al loved by god and they special in every way the lord wants them to be special. We live in the countryside in west Sweden and even if my husband is an ateist (yes you can live togheter and love eachother even if you don't have the same belives and I know that lord Jesus loves my husband anyway and that he has a place in heaven ) we have found our place and we live close to a small country church and a small comunity who is a wonderfull little place so I have found my place and I hope that I can live in a way our lord wants me to do. Once again thank you for sharing your wonderfull story god bless you and your family
I stumbled on your blog, after meeting you at the family conference at CO. and couldn't stop reading the journey of Faith series! Thank you for sharing your practical life and your rich faith, it has blessed me tremendously! I was reminded of this verse as I was reading all this: "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2 Cor 1:4
This part was what came powerfully to me"But please don’t turn to things to replace what God wants to do in you. He will mature you and grow you in ways you never knew possible, if you are willing to be purified. Seek God, above all!"
I am so blessed to know you and walk this journey that God is calling us to walk on! May God richly bless you and your family!