Life Lesson #1,367,540...

Have you ever been worried about something, thinking,"poor me... this isn't fair... how are we going to make it better?" Look out...It's a perfect opportunity for God to issue a reality check.

Last week we were at the end of the month, and the end of our budget. We had about 12,000 colones (about $24) left for food for the last 2 weeks. At first it didn't seem too bad, then our cupboards started getting bare. We share this with you not to make a pity party out of it, but in honesty, for perspective. We started wondering how we were going to make it on this budget. What happens if something unexpected comes up? As the days past, I (Jamie) started getting a little down, thinking, "How am I going to keep my family healthy?" and I began to feel a little sorry for myself. (Have you ever been there?)

Last Friday night, out of the blue, we had an unexpected knock at our gate. There was our friend Richard, with a bag of deliciously BBQ'd ribs and a salad. "I was just walking our dinner guest home," he said, "and we thought we'd share our leftovers with you." There was our dinner and lunch for the next day. Check point #1.

On Sunday, we went to our little church. It's a very simple church. They use an overhead projector with hand written songs, a variety of plain folding chairs (1/4 of which are broken) and meet in the small upstairs room of an office building. The pastor and his family are some of the sweetest and most generous people we have ever met. It's a wonder how they can feed their family of 7 on the average pastor's income, about 500,000 colones ($1200) a month. Keep in mind that groceries here are no less expensive than they are in the states, some items cost significantly more, and the average rent is $600.

After the service, the pastor's wife asked us how we make our income. I briefly explained, in my caveman Spanish, that we receive donations from supporters. She nodded her head and walked away. For a second, I thought maybe I had said something wrong, but then she came back carrying a large, heavy grocery bag. "Here," she said in Spanish, "this is our contribution, it's a gift." Every ounce of me wanted to say, "No, please don't. You need it more than we do." but I graciously accepted it, thanked her profusely, and started walking home fighting back tears as we went.
When we got home, I opened the bag and started to cry. "OK God, I get it. I need to trust you. You will provide. Thank you!"

This is what was in the bag...
rice, beans, pasta, salt, and soup mix...and a whole lot of Jesus!