Opportunities for Faith

This week we are certainly having some opportunities for developing faith!
First, there is mum and dad's registration issue, which I think has been resolved, but we won't really know until they try to leave Russia.

Then this morning I found out that we were not able to withdraw sufficient to cover our office expenses for the rest of the month. I was at peace about the situation, trusting that it is in God's hands and I used it to challenge our office to step out in faith and believe that He would provide for them. I also challeged them that while this is the first time this has happened for our office, it is the third time soemthing like this has happened for our missionaries and most recently a number of them hadn't been able to withdraw (do to the bank's problems, not theirs) for two months! I think this is a great opportunity to learn what it is like to be a missionary and to step out and trust God. Even though for us it is really only for a couple of weeks till my mum gets back and is able to sort the situation out.

But, all that said, I then called my sister for a little encouragement and emotional support (it's pretty stressful to have to tell 13 or 14 people that you don't have the money to pay them). She and her husband "just happened" to have some extra on hand (this is very unusual) and they very graciously offered to loan us as much as we need. I had challenged the office that God can provide "manna from heaven" and indeed He can!

I just want to affirm that we continually need your prayers and that your prayers do make a difference! Here is a link that another missionary posted with some info on how to help your kids get interested in missions: www.jonomiller.com/node/1581 My parents did a lot of this stuff with us, even though we were missionaries ourselves. And it made a difference for me, it got me personally interested in missions.

A few other prayer answers recently include my continually improving health, absence of migraines and my work progressing smoothly. Over the last few months my health has been slowly improving, with occasional set backs, but in the last month it has taken a couple of leaps forward. I began taking some supplements that I had stopped sometime last year. They are very expensive and I didn't feel that the benefit euqalled the cost, but I obviously did not realize the full benefit until after I stopped taking them! Then my sister-in-law also suggested that I take a ProBiotic and shipped one over to me (it replenishes the good bacteria that antibiotics kill off) and that has also really helped. I have had a definite sure of energy since starting those. So praise the Lord! He has been answering your prayers through these things.
Plus since I cut back on my caffeine intake a few months ago the migraines that I have been struggling against for a year have all but disappeared! Instead of having a migraine two or three times a week I've only had a few in the last few months and none of them severe.
With my energy levels increasing and my migraines decreasing I am more productive at work and am better able to focus and concentrate. I still have low days occasionally and I am not quite back in full force, but very close. It's great to be able to make progress on my work again.