Molly Pitcher Dinner, a formal military ball, put on by my Guard unit Dec2013

God truly answers prayer

Not obliquely, not vaguely, not on a ridiculously long timeline. This is God touching our lives.
So here are the exact words of our prayer requests from 29Dec:

1. What kind of education Ben should pursue (he is a personal trainer)

   I have been introduced to a set of leadership courses for ministry put on by my church. There is also a school in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea(PNG) which has medical training; something I have been looking into.

2. Whether we should attempt to secure visas without Ben having a degree

    PNG is one of the few countries which does not require immigrants to have a bachelors degree.

3. Financial provision for the coming semester, this will be the largest hurdle yet!

    Ongoing, but we have made it through the first month and I have been hired at a job which both pays more and suits my abilities much better. Also, we have had commitments for support made by friends and family that are helping already.

4. Wisdom for Ben in communicating better and to be the husband God wants

    I have learned my place better as the one who needs to have a plan; to have vision. Also, I am learning to identify the bad habits I have been using that cause tension between us. It is easing the friction between us and helping us to love each other better.

5. Patience and wisdom for Mary in being a good helpmate for Ben

    Mary has become better at letting me lead and being persistent and patient in helping me to overcome my many character flaws while trusting more and worrying less.

6. We are currently looking at a laptop for her; please pray God will provide what we need to facilitate her education

   Our friend just GAVE us a laptop. GAVE. I am blown away. 

Every prayer request. Every one has received special, tender attention from Abba. I have no words to describe the absolute sense of contentment in where we are. Whether the bank balance showed .76 or 1,700.00 we have been cared for every step of the way. 

I declare without reservation that our blessings stem directly from our obedience. 

When we received instruction, we followed regardless of what circumstances dictated. No money? Don't care. Not legal? It just happened. They always say 'no'? YES. Several times more expense than income? Try zero debt. 

Blessing after blessing after blessing. There has been a cascade of opportunities to trust; to have faith in the Provider. Tough situations, real tear-jerkers and anxiety wrenchers.  They keep getting more adventurous too. We have been in an every increasing spiral of craziness ever since we started dating and despite the insanity of saying so we are eager for more. No matter how impossible the hurdle, we have been carried over every one in ways we could not have imagined. 

If you are not stirred to your core by this I urge you to ask yourself: Why not?  Don't be afraid to be uncomfortable, to step outside the familiarity of your routine. That is where God works. In His plan. He doesn't need you: He wants you. We are extras in this play and He loves us so much He is giving us a spot on stage when He could just make everything from nothing. Wouldn't you like to see the adventure he has planned for you today?

In His grace,

Ben and Mary Grimm