Just Some Ramblings.

"Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul."
Psalm 66:16

My visa for Thailand arrived yesterday... thus enabling me to get into the country:o). Two weeks from today I leave from JFK Int'l Airport in New York City and plan to be in Thailand until August 16th. I would have liked to stay longer, but that's not possible since I work at a Christian school:o). This trip, from beginning to end, has the fingerprints of God all over it. God deserves all the praise and glory!

The first blessing (financially... there were plenty of blessings leading up to this!) came in the form of a Christmas card. My co-worker, Amy, had enclosed a check for $50.00 to go towards the trip. After I thanked her for it, we were talking about the way the Lord provided for Rachel to go and then she said this, "When it's your time to go, God is going to provide."

The next blessing came about two months later. Every year that I've been working (with the exception of one) I've received some money back from doing my taxes. While talking with one of the staff members at church, I mentioned to him I hadn't done my taxes yet, but that I was praying that money would be a help with the trip. I was very surprised, but thankful, when he said he would do my taxes for me. Apparently that is a "hobby" of his, so one Wednesday afternoon, we sat down armed with information. About 1 hour later, he said, "Ok, here's what you should be receiving back." I looked at the number and was completely dumbfounded. God had provided $1800.00! At first I was in a happy-shocked state of mind, but then my joy turned to tears as I thought about what Amy had said and how God did provide!!!! He is so FAITHFUL.

God continued to provide, including opportunities to babysit for several families in my church. One thing I noticed last April and this March-April was that the babysitting jobs came out of "no where" and as suddenly as they started, they stopped! You see, God knew my needs last April and this March-April, and knew the financial side. He has never disappointed me and He constantly reminds me of this: "God's work, done God's way, will never lack supplies."

The next blessing came when I was ready to buy my ticket. I had mentally set $1400.00 as my "limit" for getting a ticket, and I found several that were exactly that or higher. But then I found one that was $1339.00 plus $20.00 shipping and realized, once again, that God is concerned about the little things. This one was just waiting for me:o).

The blessings have continued to pour in, such as receiving $45.00 in gift cards for free ($25.00 from a Rewards Program through my bank and $20.00 from MyPoints.com), so that will come in handy when I start to buy things to prepare for the trip. My visa was also a blessing in that I only had to pay $25.00, instead of the $100.00 I was planning to spend on it!

Another blessing was my car had to be inspected at the end of this month (great timing, huh?!?), but that was done on Monday with no mechanical problems! A huge weight came off my mind with that being done:o). My cell phone bill and car insurance still need to be paid during the summer (imagine that... they don't just give me two months of grace:D), but that all should be covered with the last paycheck:o).

All in all, the Lord has been very good to me. I am not going over with much "spending money", but that's ok. God has met my needs, and in a very visible way too! I have no complaints whatsoever, and would gladly re-do the past several months and repeat the lessons learned. I stand in awe of our great God and am amazed that "This poor man (woman) cried, and the LORD heard him." (Psalm 34:6)

If, no, since God has done this much before I have even begun to pack, I know He's got something in store for me to learn in Thailand... God is good!