Trials

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when things just keep going wrong? It really seemed that way to me these last two weeks. Whether it' s the breaker box on fire, the inverter not charging our batteries that give our home electricity during the day, the water pump making strange sounds, the wash machine not turning on, the hot water heater not working, water dripping from the ceiling whenever there was a storm, or just simply turning the tap on inside the house to find out that no water would come out, it just seemed like there was always something. I have to admit it's easy to get frustrated and discouraged, when you find yet another thing broken, and it's also in times like those easy to forget that we do have a Sovereign God, who is in control of everything in our lives, even the small things. But He really is!

September 20, 2009

4:00 p.m.

I turn on the tap only to find nothing, no water. We normally never run out of water during the day, but Anoud and Denise have some visitors (something we hope to tell you more about soon) and it could be with the extra people here that the tank has run dry. Jason goes to turn the generator on for about 10 minutes which powers our water pump and refills our 200 Gallon Tuff tank. Once the generator is off and the pump stops running I check the water again still nothing.

5:00 p.m.

Both Jason and I are up on the roof. Today the sky is dark earlier and lightning zig zags across the sky. I hear thunder too, but the storm that's coming in seems to be far away yet. Jason unhooks a pipe and I place my hand against one end to keep the 200 Gallons of water from draining out. As he searches for a wire to push through the pipe to check for blockage, I keep my hand firmly against the pipe. Even with that, water still slowly seeps out. The sky darkens even more and now it's impossible to see. Anoud goes and gets the wind up flashlight. Minutes later, I feel the first drop on my face and look up. All of a sudden the sky opens and a torrent of water pours on me, plastering my clothes to my body and blurring my vision. It's like God opened the flood gates of heaven and all I can do is just gaze around in wonder. Wow, what power. I can't leave my spot until the pipes are put together so I sit on my knees and wait. The storm is getting to fierce and it's impossible to see anything now, so Jason decides to put the pipes back together and we head back into the house to towel off. Jason tries to turn the generator on again so we can have water flowing through the pump, but now the generator doesn't want to start anymore either. So all we can do is wait till city power comes on to pressurize our water.

6:00 p.m.

I'm so cold now, I'm shaking all over. I've started coughing pretty bad too. City power just turned on and I decide I'd better shower off and then get warm. The hot water heater hasn't been working either and I dread having a cold shower but I'm muddy and need to get clean. As I step into the shower I silently pray that the water isn't going to be too cold. Just in case I turn the hot water tap on. After several minutes warm water comes out. It lasts for my entire shower. Once I'm out, I test the water again only to find it growing cold. I go outside to check the heater but it's not on. I can't believe it! God cares. I find my warmest clothes and slip into them. I'm still coughing and my throat hurts, but the warm water really relaxed me. I fall into bed early that night.

September 22, 2009 (two days later)

I stare at the pages of my Bible study book and understanding begins to dawn. The chapter for this week talks about counting it all joy when we fall into various trails. That God uses those trials in our lives so that we can grow and trust Him more and more. After the study I go to my bedroom and pray. As I am praying and thanking God for what He's done, and laying the problems with our house at his feet, I hear an excited shout from Anoud outside. In the bathroom I can hear the water begin to flow. I jump up and look. Sure enough water is flowing. For three days now we've been without water during the day and now as I am praying God had answered once again. What an amazing God we serve.