Coming home (and what we found there)

Our van home again after its trip to SK and back
If you’ve been keeping up with our blog, you know that we’ve had some van trouble. We got some maintenance done, but it looks like the maintenance and repairs that are coming up may run into the thousands. Last you heard, we were hoping it would get us home from Saskatchewan.Well, first the good news. It did! It seems like the problem we were originally concerned about has been solved. However, there were enough other problems with it that we were more concerned than ever. I think it was running on prayer the whole way home!And now, the bad news. We woke up yesterday morning to find that our colds (if that’s what they are) were worse than ever. What’s up with that? So we were thankful that the trip went without incident, because we weren’t feeling well as it was.

When we arrived home, we got our mail. We were shocked to find out that some of our insurance is going up – waaaay up, meaning another large monthly expense. Then we opened another insurance letter. We discovered that the coverage of one item had run out, meaning another expense.

Then we read a notice from our building manager, informing us that our rent was going up – waaaaaay up. (It’s starting to sound like The Friendly Giant around here – “Look up….waaaaaaay up….”. Sorry, Canadian joke)

Then I was reminded that we were coming home to a computer that wasn’t working. For some reason, just before we left home it decided it was no longer going to boot up. It’s something else that needs to be replaced – but for now hopefully I can get it working temporarily (we had already decided it wasn’t going to Mexico with us – we’re just trying to make it last until we leave!).

So we came home being sick faced with a multitude of upcoming expenses (and some other inconveniences that I haven’t even mentioned).

Recently I heard musician Don Wyrtzen talking about the many many Psalms in the Bible that are laments. He said he sometimes wondered why so many Psalms were so “depressing”, but he came to see them from a different perspective. He said “It’s like a black velvet curtain against which the diamond of God’s grace is showcased”.

There’s no doubt that we need a lot of God’s grace right now – grace that seems all the brighter against the backdrop of these challenges. Please pray that God’s grace would fill our lives and hearts!

Of course, there’s good news too. As I already mentioned, we’re home safe. We got news of new monthly financial support. And in the good and the bad, God is present … as always.