Jehovah Jirah....the Lord has certainly been our PROVIDER in the last 12 days and we give Him all the glory:
May 30 - at a meeting at church Jane was richly blessed by Talisha's (prophetic) words. When hearing that we are soon leaving to volunteer for a year in Costa Rica she got all excited and proclaimed,
"You are doing what you can do and that is to SERVE.
You're letting God do what He can do and that is to PROVIDE."
Those were such encouraging words to hear exactly when we needed to hear them. Yes, it's a bit unnerving to think about giving up salaries for a year but we are trusting that God indeed will be our Jehovah Jirah through it all.
June 1 - Jehovah Jirah example #1....Jane and Nathan went to Ditto, our local second hand store that supports Holland and Zeeland Christian Schools. All clothing was a dollar that week and Nathan needed a few more items for Costa Rica. We found four things but also ended up finding a beautiful brand new large suitcase that would be perfect for our travels ($30). When the store director found out what we needed the items for he said, "You can have it all for ONE DOLLAR!" I was planning on paying with a credit card and didn't even have a dollar bill with me so he offered to pay the dollar from his pocket and asked me to pay the tax. We got a beautiful large suitcase and 4 clothing items for SIX CENTS!!! Jehovah Jirah is our provider!
June 5 - Jehovah Jirah example #2...George had the great idea of organizing a pizza lunch fundraiser at Zeeland Christian the last week of school when there was no hot lunch scheduled. Through the help of friends and staff members at ZCS, we were able to serve hundreds of students during our Pizza Rica lunch fundraiser. We are very grateful for all those who purchased lunch that day and for the many students who came by the pay table and announced 'You can keep the change!' The ZCS community helped us raise over $1,000!! Jehovah Jirah is our provider!
June 9 - Jehovah Jirah example #3....we get a phone call from a Zeeland Christian mom who we don't know well at all and she says their family wants to support us through a really creative way. They plan to participate in a 4 day bike ride over Labor Day and many people who participate in the race raise money for a cause. This family wants to ride on our behalf. All money that they raise will be donated towards our expenses in Costa Rica! Jehovah Jirah is our provider.
We testify to God's provisions and give thanks for all these folks who have blessed us in such unexpected and generous ways. As of today, we have
$20,184 donated or pledged which is 56% of our $36,000 goal.
Prayer items:
1. Our house in Zeeland- we have 20 days left to do a LOT of organizing, cleaning, purging, packing and moving of stuff in preparation for our renters to move in. Please pray that we can get it all done on time and stay sane in the process!
2. Our housing in Quepos, Costa Rica. As of now there are TWO different houses we are considering, each with its own pros & cons. Please pray for wisdom and discernment as we try to decide what is best for our family and for where God is leading us.
3. Our fundraising - pray that in God's timing He will provide the necessary funds for our expenses
4. Safety in travel - we will be flying from Grand Rapids to Orlando on July 1 and from Orlando to San José, Costa Rica on July 3.
