Changed By Love

Changed By Love

Following the Lamb wherever he goes… Revelation 14:4

Good Tidings of Great Joy!

We got a lead on a house that has over 3000 square feet.  The man we contacted about it told Gary that we couldn’t live in that house because we had too many children!!!   Gary called some agencies of the city of York and found out that the addendums to that rule state that if the children are all your own children, that rule doesn’t hold and square footage of the house makes a difference, and a den can qualify as another bedroom.  He called the guy back and told him what he found out.  The guy called Gary back, rather apologetically, and said that he’s not well-versed in these things, and that he sees the worst of situations in his business and hardly ever sees a family with our situation where all of the children are our natural-born children.

He is very eager to show us the house as soon as possible.  Unfortunately, he is out of town and won’t be back until tomorrow.  I have an appointment to go see the house at 11:00 tomorrow morning.  I think this is it!

It looks like we’ll be able to be in the house by tomorrow or Friday!

Our moving truck is sitting outside of our hotel room just waiting to be unloaded into our new house.  And the house is only 10 minutes from here!

So everything is looking WAY better today.

Another praise:  I went to rent a van so we could go see the house and do a few other things (like eat out) and I asked for a mini-van or SUV.  I had previously mentioned the fact that we had 10 kids.  He pointed out the window and said, “I know something that would work even better for you.   That 15-passenger van just came back.”  I couldn’t believe it.  Those things are so hard to get a hold of.  It had come back in moments before we walked in and nobody else had reserved it.  So we got a 15-passenger van for the same price as a mini-van!

I am so grateful for the way God is moving for us.  I knew He would.  I just wondered when.

Grandpa came to visit us at our hotel in York! He drove the last leg of the journey. Nelson's leg is sore from sliding on ice and straining his whole leg. He packed and loaded our stuff and drove 3 hours in a terrible snowstorm through Indiana with a very sore leg. He has to walk with a crutch. But he is a very determined and faithful friend! Dad saw his condition and offered to drive the truck the rest of the way. So we get a visit with Grandpa as well as all of our stuff that will fill our NEW HOUSE!

Eating Grandma’s fudge. Grandma sent a care package with Grandpa. Of course, it contained FUDGE!

Nelson icing his foot in his hotel room. It's getting better! He is full of faith and rejoicing with us that God is providing our house.
Abby and Kelsey played beauty shop.

Silly pictures – the LAST ones at the hotel!

Anna and Patrick went out to see the lunar eclipse. This is the picture they brought back from it.

No Room at the Inn

We have been discussing how our situation is similar to the first Christmas. It feels like God overlooked some details in planning our move to York, but we know that’s not true. We know that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and rulers in high places.

But I called Kenneth Copeland Ministries just now and had a prayer counselor pray with me. He prayed for wisdom from God to let us know where our house is. He said that we have the victory. And he said that we will have a good Christmas. It was very encouraging!

I read the following article on a pro-life site, Father Frank Pavone’s Blog, and it reminded me of the observations that we’ve been making about our situation.

No Room at the Inn

“She laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” The fact that there was no room for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in the inn at Bethlehem on the first Christmas should make us wonder. The birth of Christ was planned by God from all eternity, and the details of His birth and life were announced by the prophets. How could God forget to make room for His only Son, the Child who owns the world, and every inch of room in the whole universe?

Obviously, God did this on purpose. There was no room in the inn because God wanted to show that His Son comes as a Savior, to reconcile a world that is at enmity with God. Today, He does not seek an inn; He seeks room in our own hearts and lives.

We are in much prayer today.

Thank you for praying with us.

P.S. Our friend and my dad are on the way here in a moving truck with our furniture and stuff. They’re coming from Ohio. Nelson has a sprained ankle and is walking with a crutch, so when my dad saw his condition, he decided to come with him and help him drive. So they will be here tonight and will stay at this hotel, too. Then we need a place to unload our stuff into tomorrow, with the Lord’s guidance and provision.

Christmas at the Inn

Here’s the Christmas tree that Kelsey, Anna and Patrick decorated. We heard that it has been knocked down and blown down since they did it, and the hotel clerk had to re-do it, but it’s a tough tree, and for all it has been through, it still looks pretty good.

Fiona was sad because we took her away from Snow Buddies to take this picture.

I don’t know why the pictures are blurry. Maybe it’s because I was shaking so much with excitement. 😉

This is our only Christmas decoration in our hotel room. I got it at Goodwill for 97 cents.

Our Christmas is turning out pretty similar to the first Christmas, except I’m not having a baby.

Marble Art

Garrett really wanted a bag of marbles he found at Dollar General, so we got them for him. He said he wanted to play with them with Morgan. I don’t know how he knew it, but he was right. Morgan loved them! He played with them for hours and made some nice pictures with them. Here they are:

This is the artist responsible

A Prophetic Word that Hits the Mark

This prophetic word comes to my inbox every day. There have been so many times that it has been scary accurate. Right after we lost our house to foreclosure back in 2005, the first time I was able to go back online, I checked the “Small Straws” for the day we had to leave our house. It said something like, “See, I told you things were going to get crazy!” It went on to say that God was still with us even though it didn’t look like it. And to keep trusting and believing Him, for He was going to be with us through it all.

And He was. We kept trusting Him and believing Him for miracles of provision and for better days to come. And He was faithful. We have a history with Him. He has done impossible things for us in the past. He will do them again.

Once again, it has “hit the mark”, and our faith is very encouraged.

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns — 12/17/2010:

Maintain strong faith, and keep moving forward taking one step at a time in the strength and power of My guidance. I will not lead you astray, but like an arrow shot from a bronze bow you will hit the mark and achieve the goal. Refuse to waver through fear and unbelief. Trust Me in all things, says the Lord, for I will direct your steps on a straight and narrow path.

Isaiah 42:16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.

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