BACK TO THE BLOGOSPHERE

After much time, I have come back to the blogging world. It seems impossible to fill everyone in since the last time I blogged. I am now 7 months pregnant and living in Baton Rouge, LA. I work as a cashier at a garden center, and Matt is working in a warehouse. The last few months of our lives have been filled with transistion and change. At times we have been stressed and overwhelmed about things, but Matt and I have learned to put our full trust in God. He knows what we need and he takes care of us. I want to share with you just a few ways that God has taken care of us in the last few months.

We moved to Baton Rouge after I had a threatened miscarriage in Searcy. We wanted to be closer to Matt's parents in case anything of the sort happened again. Also, we knew that there were much better jobs available in Baton Rouge than in Searcy, AR. We spent about a month looking for jobs. On the deadline to sign our lease, we put our faith in God that he would provide for us, and we both secured a job on Friday, February 13. Praise the Lord.

Soon after that I found a new doctor since I left my doctor in Searcy. It was seemingly impossible to find a doctor that would accept me when they heard that I did not have insurance. They tried to send me to a place that no one wants to go to have their baby. Everyone in town kept telling me not to go there because I would not be well cared for. Finally, I secured a doctor. After my first visit, I told Matt I know we can easily come up with 1/3 of the OB bill, but I don't know where we will get the other 2/3 from. A few days later an unexpected check showed up in the mail that would cover the remaining 2/3 of our bill. Also, someone hit my car which has turned to be God's working. My vehicle is still drivable and runs well, but the insurance of the girl who hit me provided Matt and I with a safety net of $4000. I can only see this as a miraculous gift from God.

Another imense blessing we have witnessed from God happened last week. The warehouse in which Matt works requires the guys to maintain a 90% efficiency by the end of their first three months of work. Matt was only going to be in the high 80s. Only one person of 12 that started work with him made this efficiency level. Ten of these guys were let go. The one person left if Matt. We spent Wednesday night praying that God would allow the best possible thing for us to happen. If that was Matt getting let go and finding another job, then so be it. However, the trainers saw that Matt was a man of character and value. The spoke to the top guy at the warehouse and it was decided that Matt could stay at the warehouse, but in a position with a lower paying job. He will start working nights next week. I know to most that lower pay and the graveyard shift does not sound like a blessing, but to us this is huge. Matt and I will have time every evening to spend with each other. Additionally, Matt gets to go to church on Sundays. Before it was required that he work every Sunday. Also, Matt's new schedule will allow us to not have to put baby Haley into daycare when I go back to work. One or both of us will be home all day to care for her and to love on her.

We are still spending much of our time planning and preparing to move to Honduras. But God clearly wants us to wait for a little while since we were planning to move the exact time that the baby is due. We hope to leave in a little under two years. We feel that waiting a little bit will make the adjustments easier on our family. We have been blessed to be able to sit in on the missions committee while we are here. The committee members felt this would be a great way for Matt and I to familiarize ourselves with them and visa versa.

Praise be to God from whom all blessings flow. In the last 5 months my faith has been strengthened. I have learned that the only way I am going to make it in this life is to fully depend on my Lord and Savior.