Unexpected Blessings!

  We have some friends who have recently started deputation. In sharing information with them, I mentioned that I wished that I had started a journal back at the beginning of deputation to write down little blessings along the way. I remember a lot of things that happened, but it would have been nice to have a journal of them. I never did that, but there's no time like the present. These are just a few of the blessings we've encountered along the way.

• We started deputation in a Ford Fiesta. Why it's called a "Fiesta" I'll never know, because there is no party in that car. Anyways, we were on the way home from a long trip, and had maybe an hour left. All of the sudden, we heard a loud pop. Our tire blew. We pulled off into a little parking lot on the edge of the road.  Now, a Ford Fiesta is very small and we had it packed to the brim. As hubby got out, thinking he would have to completely unload it just to get to the donut and the jack, a utility truck pulled in beside us. The guy just happened to own a tire shop and he just happened to be out on a call when he saw us. Within a half hour he had replaced our tire and charges us almost nothing for the new one. As we drove away, my hubby asked if I had caught his name. His name was Gabriel! God sent Gabriel to fix our car! There was some praising going on for that last hour of driving!

• For the past year or so, I have really wanted an instant pot. A friend of mine got one and was showing me how it could make rice and beans and be very useful to me in Brazil. Since that time, I have wanted one, but never felt right putting out the money for one. Well, last October we were at a missions conference and on the last night they did a surprise missionary Christmas. We had no idea it was coming. The church had done some homework and contacted friends of ours to find out a few things that we needed. We were the second missionary to get and open our gifts and I was already crying before we got up to open the gifts. I tried to hold back the tears as we opened the first few gifts, and I saw what had been given for my kids, but then I opened one for myself and it was an instant pot. In that moment, I lost it. I could hardly stop crying for the rest of the time. It was amazing to see how God was providing for our family! 

• At the beginning of deputation, we went to a meeting and it was one where we were pretty sure that the church would take us on. The support level they gave equaled 4% of our goal. Several months went by and we never heard from them. About the time we were getting a little discouraged, hubby got a phone call from a pastor that supports their missionaries for 10% of their total goal. We had only been there on a Sunday and really didn't think we would hear from the again. The church wanted to have us back in because they wanted to take us on for support! The news came just when we needed that little encouragement. 

• Before we even started deputation, we were getting ready to move. I worked as a nanny and on my last day, the kids grandmother came to me and as she hugged me she handed me a wad of something. She then went to her car, and I just stood there in shock because I knew what was in my hand. She then, came back in and said "I didn't realize you would be in Brazil for as long as you will be, so here's some more."  The first wad was $300, the second wad was another $100. She wanted to give us $100 for every year we will be in Brazil before returning for furlough. That money came at the exact right moment, because we had spent just about that much of savings just to move and we were starting straight out on deputation full time. From the very beginning, God was showing us that He would provide. 
• This was our most recent situation. A church's childrens groups pulled together money for the missionary kids. My kids got some much needed clothes and shoes, and then of course, the fun stuff too! 
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• There are many more, but I'll end with this that just happened a week or so ago. I am 32 weeks pregnant with our third baby. We had a pac-n-play for the first two, but it had molded since the last baby used it. I never mentioned it that I know of to anyone, I just figured I would find something used at a consignment shop. About a week and a half ago, we were at a meeting and a lady came up to me. She said that she knew I was pregnant and heard that I needed a pac-n-play. I don't know who told her, or how that person knew, but it was yet again an unexpected blessing. 

  That's all I have for now. There are many more stories, but I can't share them all at once. Has there ever been a time where you got that unexpected blessing??