This has been a hard week for us here on the little urban farm. Rain seems a forgotton thing of the past. It is so hot! For the first time we lost some rabbits due to the heat!

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My son wants to be a missionary in Africa, so he is experimenting with an underground den. See his den here. He wants to provide a family, in a third world country, a way to sustain themselves with rabbit meat throughout the seasons. He read a story about a man that became a Christ follower and because of this, was denied work in the local community. If this underground experiment works, it could be a way for men, like that Christian man in the story, to provide for his family.

God in His infinite wisdom has given us, as a family, a glimpse of lack. When I come up against times like this, first I think; I need to get a job! I frenetically scramble around for a while doing resumes and perusing want ads, preparing to place the kids in public school; Then I remember my son, who wants to be a missionary and I think; Maybe this is all for him. He has to feel it, doesn’t he?; hunger, I mean. He has to know what it means to ask His Father in Heaven for sustenance and receive it.  I had not planned on telling this story, but now seems a good time.

One day, we, 5 kids, me the mom, and a hard working, brilliant man came to this point of lack. Lack of food. Lack of money to buy food. My husband was at work that day, as always, working hard. These days they approach the employees and say; “Forget about a raise! We know the price of food is going up, along with the price of insurance, gas and housing. Just be lucky you still have a job!” It feels like the politicians in Washington sit and debate in a whole different world than we do. So we do consider ourselves lucky to have a job.

Back to that day when the cupboards were bare. After lamenting to my Father in Heaven tearfully, I decided to include the kids in prayer. After all, they were a big hungry part of this. It wasn’t like they weren’t going to notice their tummies were empty. So I took a big breath and a big chance. I gathered the kids, we bowed heads and prayed for food. We prayed for that Friday morning meal and for the meals after that until Monday when we got paid. At that moment when I held a chubby hand in mine, I doubted my Father. I thought, “What will happen if He doesn’t show up for these kids?” I thought; “This is a crazy kind of faith.”

No sooner than we had risen from our whispered prayer, then the door bell rang. It was the sweet widow from down the street. She had in her hands, a bag of food. This wasn’t just any food, this was day old food from, wait for it…… Starbucks. Yes , it was muffins, biscuits, scones. It was yogurt parfaits, cake Popsicle’s and lemon bread. It was REALLY yummy stuff. The kids jumped around loudly proclaiming, ” You are the answer to our prayer!” Our sweet friend didn’t really know what to make of all this frenetic activity. However, she left our house forever changed. We were all, forever changed!

Our Father continued to provide; The next day we happened to be going to a friends house, who had her own flock of chickens, out in the country. During our stay she proclaimed that she had way too many eggs. Could she send us home with some? I started crying. As she folded me into her arms I told her all about the story of our whispered prayer. Unbeknownst to us, she had her husband pack the trunk of our car with frozen food, which we found when we got home. We ate dinner that night knowing that it was straight from our Father. It tasted amazing. We ate the eggs for breakfast. We were well provided for until we got paid. Wow, Oh how he LOVES us!

Since that time, we have had times of plenty and times of lack. In these times of lack I always remember my son. The Lord says to me, “Do you really want the first time he depends fully on me to be out in the missionary field in Africa?” I answer back, “No, I want him to know of your faithfulness all the days of his life.” So we do our experiments with underground dens and we pretend we are scientists, but somewhere, in another country there is someone, feeling the same gut wrenching lack, because they have made the decision to follow Christ. Perhaps we are not so different from this person than we think we are? 

If this is a season of lack for you, involve your children. Join hands with them and ask for help from your Father in Heaven. He is faithful to provide. Who knows, you might just have a missionary in your midst.

As I write this I am hearing thunder! It is finally going to rain & cool weather comes along with that. Praise God! I am going to go out & play in the rain!

Blessings, Dash & family