A drop in the bucket/Things are not always what they seem

Last week, completely and unexpectedly out of the blue, a friend gave us $50 to put towards the addition.

There are two ways to look at this. On the one hand, I looked at a check for $50 sitting in my hand, and started to think of how insignificant that seems compared to everything that we will need to complete this project. What can you get with $50? Two bags of insulation? Part of one window? A few cans of paint? Maybe a few lineal feet of concrete footing... I was reminded of how foolish it seems to attempt a project of this scale on a cash basis. It's especially ridiculous for a family whose yearly income is so low that they don't qualify to adopt internationally unless they add their assets onto their income!

But things are not always what they seem. There have been too many critical junctures along the way where we've been at some transition point, or decision point, or simply just a point of needing confirmation and at those times we've received these tokens from God that seem to serve primarily as a very concrete reminder that he is the one to whom the success of this venture belongs, and these steps along the way are demonstrations of his ability to provide. You see, the very day that we got this check was the day that Matt was going out to make our first big (as in thousands as opposed to tens or hundreds of dollars) purchase. And also the day that we got the phone call saying our building permit had been approved.

This gift is also precious to us because of who it comes from. What began as a "business" type relationship quickly became much more as we realized that we all shared a common devotion to our God and a delight for dwelling on who he is. Both Matt and I have enjoyed being able to spend a few minutes of time weekly with this friend, and we know that he is excited about what the future holds for us, but to have him share in this way with us was a delightfully unexpected gift.

So we keep walking, and I plan to keep sharing these details, because they are part of what we, at least, are finding to be a fascinating unfolding story of the way God works and supplies what is needed for what he sets before us.