Nov. 13, 2006 - Oh, the drama and grief!
I can see the Lord so clearly in the work we do here. On Saturday morning, the volunteers and I walked into the foodbank to find a note that said, "Frozen turkey's in the freezer. Please give to families on Saturday. Signed, the head gobbler in the flock." 
We have no idea who left them, but praised the Lord for them, since there were just enough birds to hand out to the families who came in for food that day. I love how God prepared a turk for each family. Very cool! 
So who came?
I did some praying/counseling with three of those families. One of the other volunteers prayed with the fourth. I was in tears most of the morning, as all three of the people I spoke to had serious spiritual and physical needs. But what brought me to my knees was how eager they were to just have someone listen and offer hope in their circumstances. Two of them had come through last month, and when we spoke to them back then, they really shared very little with us. But this time, they opened up and even asked about why we were there. They wonder if the ministry is affiliated with any particular church in town, or why we'd give so much time to listen to their problems and then say, "Let us know if we can do anything else." And it just struck me how fortunate I am to have a Savior who walks and talks with me as I go through my everyday trials and troubles. Many of the folks we minister to just don't have Him. It's so exciting to see Him drawing them to the ministry so we can be used to touch their lives even just a little.
The price? And yes, there IS one.
As soon as we began praying earnestly over the ministry here, and began sinking our teeth into the tough stuff that needed to be done (mostly cleansing of sin from our own lives and humbling ourselves before God daily), the enemy went into action. As you may have read in my previous postings, the neighborhood kids play a major role in life here in the complex. Although they don't live on the property, they have very little to do that will keep them out of trouble. Some of them have no restraints whatsoever, which breaks my heart. And some come from very dysfunctional families, so I have tried to make sure they know how much we love them. Some of them even call me "Mom," b/c they have no mother to call on. 
But my kids have grown to care for them...probably becoming a little "peer dependent" of them, in fact.
Our kids are not allowed to just "run" like those kids do, and so our kids get upset when they realize we have restraints on them that those kids just don't have. Since we've lived on the farm for the last four+ years, we really have only had each other to spend time with. All this "freedom" is very new to our children, and they don't understand why our standards are so different from the other kids' families standards.
So, of course, my teenager is feeling left out and angry that we're so different. His pride reared it's ugly head yesterday, when a couple of neighborhood girls (who are just way too forward for my liking) came to the door and asked if he could come out. We said he couldn't for a couple of reasons, one of those being that he spent almost all day Saturday with them and a few other friends. However, I made it clear that the girls could come in and watch football with him and his father, or sit with me and my friends at the kitchen table. They declined. 
He got so angry 
that he swore at his father. He had to be "forced" to go to his room. It was later that I realized the whole problem was not so much that we'd told him he couldn't go out... but was far more about how we had told him...in front of a couple of girls. 
Is that not the most peer dependent thing you've ever heard of? He's working off his bad attitude today here on the property, doing some much needed cleaning work.
And lest my dd be left out, she experienced some genuine "shunning" this weekend, herself. She had plans to play with one of the neighbor girls, but when that girl got a "better offer" to go running all over town with some older kids, the plans with my dd were "forgotten." She was so hurt by this...and I was tempted to be so angry. In fact, I'll be honest,...it totally irritated me. How could they treat her like that??
Then I realized how much I am like them. How often have I turned away for God's best in order to "fit in" better??
My dd let me pray with her, and love on her only for a second...before she curled up in a ball and cried for a while. I felt so bad for her. But she said she understood why that happened, and then she was trusting God to develop some long suffering in her through this experience.
Lord,
This is exhausting! I am so excited to see Your hand at work in the lives of the people who live here, work here, and visit from time to time for food from our storehouse. I know it's work You have called us to do. So, Lord...the enemy is fierce and working with all his might to keep us from doing it. Bind him up, in the name and through the blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Don't allow him to reek havoc with my children and my marriage. Open the hearts of my kids to recognize the attacks for what they are. I can't love You for them...they have to choose You. Thank you for what you're going to do in our home. Amen.
Comments
Nov. 16, 2006 - Hello!
Posted by tallenmomof5
I stumbled onto your blog while reading Rosy's. I know that I know you from the fiar board, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment....
Anywho, I've been tremendously blessed reading your blog.
Praise God for your family's passion to serve!
In Him~
Trish A
