...And A Partridge In A Pear Tree

As I have been going through my lists and buying last minute supplies, I have occasionally had The 12 Days of Christmas going through my head as I try to count & figure out what I still need... 280 pencils, 45 boxes of crayons, and a partridge in a pear tree. I know that for many of you parents, getting your kids ready for school every August is quite stressful, and I feel a little of your pain right now! My math skills have been refreshed as I check to see how many pencils I have, how many I still need, how many vitamins it will take to last 140 kids a few weeks, etc. But through it all, I have been overwhelmed by God's blessings, goodness, and faithfulness. So many times over the past few weeks as I have received donated items or heard of my teammates receiving donations, I have immediately begun to sing the familiar words of the doxology...

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow..."

I am so thankful to so many of you who are giving in such unique ways...here are just a couple of examples of how God has used YOU to provide for my needs and the needs of the people of Swaziland!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
~ Philippians 4:6

1. During my prayer time on Monday, I wrote in my journal, asking God to direct me to what to buy for the carepoints still. I was a bit overwhelmed by all of my lists and what I actually had in my living room. Later in the day, while talking to my mom, I had her check on the price of vitamins at Sam's (one thing I always kick myself for not taking with me on mission trips to places where kids are going hungry). We found a great deal and between her and another friend, I am taking enough vitamins to last the 140 kids a few weeks. But the clincher was when I was talking to my team leader and found out that vitamins were one thing they weren't able to get with the medical supplies that we're taking! Praise God for answering my prayers so quickly and directing our shopping!
2. As I narrowed down my list and checked things off as people gave them to me, the main things left to buy were random requests from several missionaries who are needing things that can't be bought in Swaziland. I realized that all of these could be bought at the grocery store, and knew I didn't have a ton more of my own money to spend...so I started praying for grocery certificates. And again, the Lord provided...Wednesday I went to get my mail and had a card from an out of state friend, with more than enough money on gift cards for me to use! She didn't have that grocery store near her, so she passed the cards on to me...at God's perfect timing!

So, here are a few lessons I've learned over the years about God's provision (there are so many more examples...just ask me about qtips sometime!):
~ Take everything to the Lord in prayer (our prayer lives aren't to consist of merely presenting a grocery list before the Lord, but we also shouldn't be afraid to talk to Him about the smallest details of our lives...He knows all of our needs before we even ask Him!)
~ When the Lord prompts you to think about giving something to someone...even if it seems crazy...the best thing you can do is obey!
~ We can all grow in learning to live with open hands - receiving the ways the Lord wants to provide for us, while holding things loosely enough to give them away (with generous hearts) if He calls us to.

"But as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you - see that you excel in giving also...For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness, your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness."
~ 2 Corinthians 8:7, 14