Let it Be

I never thought anything could be so low as the one I have  seen and heard but I must admit it just went to a whole new level. Coming from someone you used to hold with respect is a bit disconcerting.

But it did. And I shouldn't be surprised. But I am. I really only have myself to blame. I should be able to recognise these characters by now. But I like looking at the good in them that I overlook my better judgement.

Not anymore. Especially with this kind.The bullies who stir trouble and blame others in the end. The ones who throw accusations and make them sound as truth. And are they believable!!! At some point it is best to  give up. And  in some cases it is best to let go. And let things be.

For the sake of peace.

Because  there are more important things in life. And being proven RIGHT is not on top of my list.

Enough said.

this parenting gig: raising this miss 4

I love how she is so confident and aware of how much she is appreciated and valued. I suppose you can say that I mentally decided not to starve her with the longing to verbally tell her she is loved, even though it is a love language that I do not eloquently speak. And so I tell her how much I love her every single day, whether she is being silly or on her best behaviour. And the more I do it, it starts coming out without making an effort. And the best part is, she starts telling me that she loves me,  even when she doesn't want anything. Sometimes at the most randomly appropriate times, she tells me and instead of being upset with her, she gets away with certain consequences.

My parents love me and my siblings equally and I know that without a doubt. But growing up I couldn't remember a time when I was verbally told of their love and affection. When I was old enough to understand, I never blamed them because I knew they did the best they could and were probably doing better than their own experience.  But with it came the decision to deliberately make an effort when the kids come.

And so they came, and now I am scratching my head. What wrong did I do that she can be really stubborn and single minded when she has decided on something.  Why does she take ages to listen and obey really simple instructions? And how did she learn to use her charm on us so she can be spared of the repercussions of her action?

We have tried having a chat and for a time it works. We gave her treats and we even remind her often how it is NOT like her and that she is upsetting people.

Just when I was beginning to think that this phase is exclusive to our darling Miss 4, our ever so gentle Mister 5 gave us exhibit A to the opposite Not sure where the reasonable little boy we have went - the one who came home with us that day was  inconsolable because we wouldn't give him more time to play or eat treat foods When he calmed down, in between sobs he said, sometimes it is hard to stop crying mummy, even if I want to.

And that gives me hope that all our prayers, chats and efforts are not in vain. That they hear us, they want to  obey but at times they get overwhelmed, and that's good enough for us. Amidst all the stubborn streaks and inconvenient dramas, I can see a glimmer of  sunshine that as we remain steadfast and consistent, things will get through to them in the end. 

this parenting gig: when hovering has its benefits

i was once accused of helicopter parenting by a random person because i would much rather stay close to where my kids were playing. which was close to the road, the alternative being that i listen to a whinger about a relationship that's falling apart. i suppose i would much rather be accused of anything, because I would much rather hover over my kids than have someone else dump their rubbish on me.

and those times that i do hover are really amazing especially when i hear about their conversations between them or with their friends. others we are able to nip some things in the bud, before some words become part of their everyday vocabulary.

we have always spoken to them as we would with adults, even before they started talking. these are just a few of the things we/others have had a chat with them that they surprisingly took on board -

1- how special they are and that God loves them very much. they started hearing these ideas from one year old at a class in church via a memory verse that goes - God even knows the number of hairs on my head. I am worth more than a million birds Luke 12.7 Imagine my surprise when our little miss said something to that effect when someone else was telling her something different.

2- not to be afraid. sometimes they get this, other times they don't and they often use it when it is convenient such as when one of them wants company to go upstairs. an appropriate as well as convenient reply is often - that's okay, God is with you, remember?

3-private parts. we  had to do this chat a bit early because of an incident that happened around them. i am very grateful for the mum that mentioned it to me, prompting me to pray and  google what to say!! Thank God for what I uncovered after a little research. Someone mentioned that to pretend that the issue will go away is ignorant. How interesting that our now 4 and 5 year-olds make random comments related to that conversation when they were 3 and 4, including about dancers and swimmers who don't cover their bodies.

4-secrets. a necessary corollary to our private parts conversation is secrets. we had to stop using the word altogether because apparently it is a word often used by perpetrators. we told them we do not keep secrets from each other and that we should always tell. We can surprise each other, not keep secrets.

imagine our amazement when we slip and use the word secret and little people comes to us reminding us that we don't keep secrets. very impressive! it made us conscious at remembering what we tell them because it will come back to us.

5- ugly/fat/stupid and words like that. we had to tell them that there are some words they will hear that we don't use. and because they somehow understand #1, it is easier to engage them in conversation, point them back to God (like we do when they start having tantrums when we don't buy them everything they want in the shop, our #1 standard question being - did you talk to God about it?)

i can keep going but  i feel that in the end we will only be held accountable for what we do with the little lives that we are given the privilege to raise. the Bible says in Proverbs 22:6 says Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

it goes without saying that we do not have everything figured out. everyday is a learning experience. some days we fall into the trap of screaming, getting annoyed and being impatient instead of being gracious and loving. most days though, we needed to be deliberate about telling them how much they are loved, how gorgeous little miss is and what a gentle champion our little mister is. we also have to learn to correct them in love. 

needless to say, i have now kept my distance from that random person. what great observation skills - i will have to give credit to that. i just wish it is used to build and encourage. instead of tear others down - but that's another topic for another day.

Tread Carefully -

- please.. It usually takes me hours to finish a blog. Let me tell you - it gets me really excited when I have put a story  or a series of unrelated stories into one. It's like giving birth every time - the bit where you meet your newborn for the first time. And I have to admit feeling really pleased.

I am a mum to two preschool kids. I can't even count the number of times they surprise me with words like reality, idea, actually, imagination used in the right context - just a few that I can remember off the top of my head. But other times I long for adult conversation, and blogging has become that avenue for me to do a narrative ( because I can't do that with my kids - I get politely interrupted with "excuse me mummy, I have something to tell you") and a creative outlet, if I may be so audacious to use that term.

So when I found out that some people, a few of whom are very close friends of our family, were offended by one of the points I blogged about, I was deeply saddened. I was literally physically sick that I almost could not accompany my son to a birthday party!  Never mind that they have long forgiven me way before I even found out!

I thought maybe there are others who are just lurking out there and not saying anything, just waiting to explode. (we don't want that.. I can get a bit dense, unless I am told that there is an issue)

What prompted me to ask them was an incident totally unrelated, with another person then becoming historical, finding undertones on stuff that I blogged in the past. What I found very sad about the later was - this person, whom I thought knew me better, would much rather talk to others instead of confronting me about the issue. Even after I opened doors for a conversation, the "door was slammed" all because of a misunderstanding. After giving it some thought, I realised that there was more to the issue as I thought I knew or the whole thing would not be blown out of proportion. Which happens when offenses are not dealt with. But no judgement there - just wished it was dealt with differently.

I remember being confronted  as a  young person, and learning early that - people who are NOT part of the PROBLEM or SOLUTION do not need to know about an issue or it becomes gossip. And if I ever get offended, I should speak to the person involved. In cases where I do not want to, I should just let it slide. Or look at the situation from the person's point of view, hopefully it will shed some light over the differences of opinion.

Because of the abovementioned incidents, it made me rethink why I blog, what motivates me to make time to put together my thoughts, and tell stories etc. Anyone who knows me well will hopefully know that I will never  offend them ON PURPOSE!  I think of myself as transparent - the what you see is what you get sort. I do not subscribe to disposable relationships, thus I don't go about making friends while secretly scheming something on the side.  I would like to think of myself as one who aspires to builds up, not tear people down. Many times I had to bite my tongue in the name of keeping quiet when I have nothing positive/encouraging to say. 

With all those thoughts invading my mind at different times, it made me realise that maybe I needed to state the obvious and spell things out -

1. Whatever I write or have written in the past, it has my BELIEFS, BACKGROUND, SOCIO-CULTURAL ORIENTATION, EDUCATION, LIFE EXPERIENCES all over the place! Please do not read something in here and analyse it based on what you think it means. If you're not sure, ask me. I might even pay for coffee :p It is my opinion. I am not writing to criticise other people's choices or pass judgement, that is NOT my place. It is not like me. And if you thought I was being offensive, please ACCEPT my APOLOGIES. I am only expressing my opinion on a subject that I am passionate about.

A friend said that if people will choose to be offended, they will always find something to be offended about. True that - even if a line starts with no offense.

2. Let's agree to disagree - there will always be something that I will blog about that you won't be happy with. Let's leave it at that. We are all different! And that's what makes life exciting! I don't know about you but I wouldn't want a friend who will agree with me at every opportunity.

When I was feeling sick and a bit depressed over the dramas of my life, I messaged a long time friend who once told someone that if they wanted a friend who will tell the truth even if it hurts (only when asked) to go to a friend like me. I miss my friends with whom I have had long history with. The kind that knew me, without having to explain anything to them. At the same time I am grateful for the new friends that I have made who even though I haven't known them that long, feels like they have been there all along.

3. Some things are not worth losing friendships for! 

I remember being in a situation where I felt that I have every right to be angry and offended over a friend's action. However when I calmed down and thought of what my reaction would have done even if I felt that I had every legitimate reason to feel entitled to be angry, I calculated that it was not worth losing a friendship for.

A favourite speaker once said - if you overlook my imperfections, I will agree to overlook yours.

4. We all need grace - getting what we don't deserve - and if we have experienced grace from THE Creator, it makes it easier to extend grace to others.

Someone once said that one of the best test to a lasting friendship is when they get past offenses.

At the end of the day it would be nice if this was known as a  venue where anyone reading will leave encouraged, hopeful and joyful. At least to all five of you who regularly read my blog! (Haha - thanks!) And, if after reading this you feel like giving me a piece of your mind, will you sleep on it? And if you still feel the same way afterwards, maybe we are due for a catch up anyway. :-)

When feeling knocked over..

All I was doing was try to catch some sleep..

I just came home from a fairly quiet night shift and a friend had just told me that she might have to drop a shift, if I was interested. So I went to sleep that morning with the thought of possibly getting an extra permanent shift - only to be rudely interrupted by a call that meant rejection.

We are currently at a state where we are getting things organised. With that meant creating new deliberate habits and making an effort to cut down on interest rates  or at least cutting down on payment period. With that in mind we went to see someone, only, on this particular morning I had to get that call that they did not want our business. Fair enough! I just wish we got the call another time, because I was really tired, I wanted to sleep and had plenty of room to cry.

And cried I did, towards God - it seemed like a perfect plan, how can we NOT get it, are you hearing me at all? - and being the drama queen that I am, I actually felt better afterwards.

I was just grateful that on that weekend at church, our Pastor's message was on the timezones of grace. I am not  going to rehash what he said because it is available on podcast for anyone interested. What I stood out for me though was the way he explained and illustrated Psalm 23:6 that says surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He then called two guys to represent goodness and mercy and made then follow him as he mentioned situations, good or challenging.

How easy is it to forget the promise of God's word?  How often would  I rather try and sort out things on my own? But how blessed was I that I just had a reminder that goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, be it during times of rejoicing such as when my little boy tells me he will never ever stop telling me he loves me or times like this, when I felt unfairly treated and knocked over what I thought was a great business!

While I can't do anything about other people's reaction, I sure can do something about my attitude and reaction over every situation that I face.

A few weeks later I got a call from work asking if I was interested to get more shifts..I only asked for one - I got given three more permanent shifts. And it works out really nicely because it is no longer all over the place and I got my kids an extra day at preschool, which means I can sleep for at least four straight hours without them jumping on me or wanting my attention. Surely goodness and mercy follow me....

Economically Speaking

I just realised that a lot of my decisions hinged on economic reasons. I know it sounds terrible, but let me explain -

A few years ago. I went to college with big plans to study law (I was reminded when I saw my highschool yearbook). However when I finished my business management degree and after I landed a job at a local bank, the "dream" was shelved, and being the eldest and having younger siblings, I probably thought I should be helping financially instead of having to keep studying - it just made more sense in my head. 

When my husband and I decided that I should stay at home to look after our young babies three years ago, it was definitely because we found it more expensive if I kept working and get them to go to a childcare centre.  I know a lot of friends whose kids are in childcare centre and I am glad it works for them. When we started calculating the cost - all overhead expenses related to it,  and how much I was making, it seemed like I was going to work to pay for childcare because I would have been left with little. When we factored in a few other things like everyday joyful times less the frustrating bits, what stood out were the little stuff they did everyday and we couldn't even begin to assign a value to it because they are too priceless. Since then we just had to make some adjustments in the way we did family - with the help of Google search, I found out a way to make organic laundry powder. There was also a way to make a DIY laundry softener. I discovered that I did not need to compromise on some little luxury by finding a way to make a body wash just like my favourite brand or a body scrub that I really liked. These are some items that eat up a bulk of our groceries budget and by making them at home, it significantly lowered our expenses. Another thing that we learned to do was doing our washing and drying (if we must use the dryer that is),during off peak. When we look at the comparison rates of our energy bill, we can't help but notice that it has plateaud. We went to the park and beaches and wherever kids entertainment is free.

I also started researching on the homeschooling option. Many years ago before I even had a husband and kids, I started thinking about this option. Lately I thought the main reason I wanted to do it was because of fear of my kids getting bullied since they have exotic skin than usual. However when I started looking for schools and saw how expensive it costs, my true motive was exposed. Apart from believing in the benefits of homeschooling, I realised that it is the cost of private education that makes me want to pursue the later. I do know how to read and write and did units of competency in education so in my head I was thinking how hard can it be? My husband do not agree though. Not that he doesn't see the benefits but then is just not completely sold out. So I thought that maybe we will just send both kids to kindergarten together next year! Then we will save some money rather than paying so much for two days a week to preschool!

Not too long ago I did another career shift so I can go back to work. I thought that if I get to work nights then I won't have to make arrangements for the kids. It works really well and now I am beginning to think about where I may be headed and which direction I wanted to take. I am very grateful to be working in a dementia specific facility. The longer I have worked there the more I can say that I am really enjoying the job. I was recently challenged to go further and study. The question that comes to mind though is apart from the issue of calling and other important stuff, what will probably lead me to go into a full on study is finding out how much more I will make because already I am happy with what I am getting paid. (haha!)

I was chatting with some friends where I declared that I would probably not buy a brand new car even if I can afford it. I know how fast the value of cars depreciate and I can't justify it to myself how I would spend so much on something that I would probably only keep for a few years. In my mind, it is just not good stewardship of my finances. No offense to friends with brand new cars because  a) don't mind me, I just couldn't afford it and b) the operative word on the previous sentence is MY. Unless, I get given a new one, then my chances of ever driving a new car is slim, because I centainly won't pay for it. 

It is because of the same mindset on finances that we tithe. For those who do not know, it just means giving 10 per cent of my income to my local church. The reason we tithe as a family is mainly in obedience to God's Word. At the same time we did not want to be under a curse. We do it voluntarily and we are not under any compulsion and as much as possible we try to be joyful givers. Which is not all the time if I am being honest. But because it is an attitude, then we can talk ourselves to be joyful in giving even during hard times.What we find is, eventhough it is tempting to withhold our tithes and spend it on some legitimate and urgent matters like bills, when we go ahead and give anyway, we find finances coming in ways that we would never have thought of on our own. I find David's take in Psalm 37:25 very comforting - I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

I suppose this is where I need to keep a balance. While counting the cost before taking a plunge is important, I hope it will not stop me from stepping out in faith especially when I feel that God is leading me into a certain direction. If you have read my previous entries, you would know how grateful we are for the many supernatural favours that we have the privilege of experiencing. I find it both a humbling and exhilarating position, one that we do not take lightly.

Sure you can call me pragmatic. But given the right balance (read: as long as I don't allow my natural tendencies to get in the way of God working supernaturally) then I won't even feel bad or apologise for it.

Our Vanuatu Holiday

A few months or so ago, our little miss started telling us that we should go on a holiday. Not sure if she understood what that meant and considering where we were financially, we told her to talk to God about it, pray and find out what He thought. After a few seconds of her usual "God, can we ...." she came back with a very excited tone saying - "mum, God said YES!"

A Story of Answered Prayers

It turned out that while our little miss was praying, somewhere in the Pacific Islands just happened to have purchased some equipment that needed hubby's help. Never mind that in all his years of employment, he and his boss never travel at the same time, let alone be away for a week! For some reason his boss sounded adamant that the whole family travel along - it is mostly paid for anyway.


A few days after everything was arranged, my shifts at work got changed all of a sudden. Instead of missing one shift, I had to miss two. While I had someone agree to cover for me, I was left with two shifts and no one covering for me. After much prayer, my boss whom I emailed replied,  "enjoy! don't worry it will be sorted!" And so we went ahead, what with a little girl's prayer getting answered, bosses who did not know they were being answers to someone's prayers, and an awesome God who delights to weave things together to see to it that a prayer, no matter how random it seems, gets answered.

So with our faith full to bursting, I thought we'd see how it goes and believe for an upgrade. The thing that came to mind was our flights - to which my darling husband laughed. But when I told him that the kids are on board, he agreed, especially when I joked that the three of us will take the business class seats and leave him in economy. By the time we arrived at the airport, we had forgotten about our prayer of upgraded seats. While we did not get that upgrade, to my surprise, God did not forget, even if that prayer was on a whim!

 Port Vila, Vanuatu

I have to be honest and admit that I did not have high expectations going to the island. A few years ago, we went to another Pacific Island and having seen the ads, I went with really high expectations, only to be disappointed because not only did I find everything ridiculously overpriced, I couldn't help but think that I have seen way better from my beautiful home country and I did not have to pay so much - but that is another story altogether.

I found Port Vila just beautiful. It is a great place to relax, unwind and de-stress. Voted the friendliest place on earth, it certainly rubbed off to the kids as they would say hello to just about anyone they meet. A classic display of their friendliness was when we went to a local church one Sunday. During the service, the guests were asked to stand up and briefly introduce themselves while everyone else was being really warm and welcoming. At the end of the service, the guests went out together with the pastor and waited outside as the rest queue to shake their hands!

Food is great and cheap and ice cream made from local produce is just delectable.Did I mention the massages and summer dresses being bargains?


I was going to say that I was a bit surprised to find a Filipino restaurant advertised on the inflight magazine that we had to go and see for ourselves. But being Filipino and how we take the command to go to the ends of the earth literally, I was just happy to see the familiar and meet some Cebuano speaking folks at that!

a little bit out of the way, eratap beach resort is worth the drive

Iririki Island Resort

One can't help but fall for this beautiful island resort. Refreshing is written all over the place! We met the lovely rooms division manager who gave us a little orientation about the island, our rooms and the beautiful facilities. When asked why our room was not close to kids club or the poolside, she casually replied that we have been upgraded. WHAT? So God's idea of an upgrade was not a 3-hour flight but an 8-day ocean view room! Sweet! Even our little miss squealed in amazement and asked "can we live here forever?" The rest of us was quick to tell her that we were only staying for a few days but not fast enough before it was labeled "our holiday home".

Kids club was a really fantastic idea especially that both little miss and little mister are qualified to go! Open from 10am to 6pm everyday, they beg me to take them everytime but some days the teacher is nowhere to be found. While they get a bit disappointed, the pool or park play or ice cream always manage to console them. Sometimes spa or some tv time works too.

I love that the poolside is very kids friendly, even for young kids that I can even leave them to play on their own while I stay close to the shade. What a great place for anyone and everyone! We did not even go anywhere, except for a daily trip to the mainland for ice cream treats and walk at the main street. We even skipped a paid tour around Port Vila because the kids find it more fun to hang out and feed the fish, or play by the pool or go to the beach side.

The room has its own kitchen and laundry, that from a housekeeping point of view, it was really perfect. I did not have to worry of having a luggage full of dirty clothes because I washed and dry them at night while waiting for my hardworking husband to get back.

All four of us felt overwhelmingly blessed with the whole experience (including the one who went to work!). We thank God for the gift of rest. Our faith has certainly grown leaps and bounds! Indeed the scripture that says with God, nothing is impossible, is for real.

Grateful

I was going to write about this for a competition, however the terms and conditions stipulated a limit on the number of the object of the gratitude. I found it a very difficult task because I couldn't pick one. Having said that, this is definitely NOT to print a picture of a rosy, perfect life because ours is certainly far from that. I just really wanted to give honour where honour is due.

In the words of our new senior pastor at church when he preached one sunday on a part of Numbers 13 that we so popularly remember as the account of the twelve spies, the ten spies who came back with emphasis on the negative report, did not understand the order of FAITH. There was no problem with the analysis, it was the order. In my life for instance I can quote the things I know of God and then go on complaining about the things that are not right in my life. OR, I can focus on God, inspite of my circumstances. And when I chose the latter, I found myself abounding with praise for the many miracles that I would probably have ignored if my attitude was different.

If truth be told,  I must admit it was a rather massive 2013 for us. We found ourselves in situations that were unfamiliar, leaving us with no answers. At the same time we felt the consequences of some miscalculated  decisions. But in the midst of the brouhaha, I am blessed with a husband whose loyalty and affection is towards God.  He refused to allow our challenges to bring us down and discourage us. I love that he  leads us to trust God always and to give room for a miracle from above. And did we see a number of miracles happen!

It was probably in the area of finances that we found ourselves badly hit. While it is an ongoing journey for us, already we have seen God move in so many ways. We could have chosen to hold on to every single penny, but we decided to partner with God and turn it into a step of faith. One example worth mentioning was when we participated in a faith promise for the next generation payable in one year. In the natural, it does not make sense to participate, with bills and expenses that needed to be paid. But as we prayed about it, we could not resist "testing" and waiting to see the floodgates open. (Mal 3:10b) Had we not participated, we would not have seen provision (from "out of the blue") for half of the amount we promised in the first quarter, get involve in a ministry partnership opportunity, support and even pay for a course for myself.

Speaking of a course, I did a 5-week study in assistant in nursing because I thought I wanted to get a job that allows shiftwork. My previous job in admin and database coordination is not a very feasible option because most of the availabilities are over an hour away one way from where I live. And I find it hard to leave my adorable three and four-year olds to work while most of whatever I make will just go towards child care fees. It was a very practical, hands on course and thank God I have small children because the over two years I spent with them at home came in very handy. When I did my two week work experience, I found myself overcame with compassion and my thoughts getting invaded by my  lovely, mostly dementiac residents that I had to spend some time praying for them. My performance review came back with the deputy director of nursing at that facility giving me excellent marks. It was a great encouragement for me, especially finding myself settling well (much to my surprise!)  and maybe even taking more classes in the future. A month after I finished the course, I got my driver's license (thank God!) which really helped because a few days later I got a job casually twenty minutes away from home. Less than a month into my employment, I got offered a permanent position and all I could say was - that is not NORMAL! We could never say that God has forgotten or left us alone. He has sorrounded us with friends who are like family - getting offers to toddlersit our kids when I was doing my training, or so I can pick up shifts available.

One time not too long ago (eventhough it seemed like a lifetime away) we found ourselves in a serious bind. We had a bill that needed to be paid on a monday but did not have enough money to settle it. A few days before that, one of my favourite brothers generously agreed to help. I was not sure the money will get into our account on time so I was stirring him to send it another way. We needed the help on a monday, not any other day. However all my subtle attempts did not work so even if something was arriving, I was sure we will not get it until two to three days later. So the stress of a bill that needed to be paid was still hanging over our heads. Sunday came and close friends who lived on the other side of the city (read: over an hour or so drive on the highway) from us were in our area and asked if they can pop in. Naturally we said yes. When they arrived, for some reason we split into two groups, me with the beautiful heavily pregnant friend were sitting in the lounge with the kids while our hubbies retreated to the playroom. In the course of my conversation with her, she said and I quote, maybe not verbatim (lol) - you will let us know if you need anything! In my head I was thinking that I had to be a better friend to her because she is ready to pop and being a first time mum, it can be overwhelming. However, I caught myself crying because I really appreciated her words and it just touched me but for some reason I changed the subject. I looked out for the hubbies who were in serious conversation but I did not think they would get into the details of our need at that moment. I was wrong - they came out with sweaty eyes (my darling husband mostly), and more help getting into our bank account via bank transfer. We were stunned! And we sat there long after they left in disbelief at the timing. We knew there has to be a POWER beyond HUMAN(read: the timing can only be GOD at work!) orchestrating all these things. But knowing the banking system, credits do not land into the accounts immediately -they get credited on the next banking day, even if the online transfer was made though the same bank.And then we were back to the monday situation! All the cash getting to our account, neither getting there in time for monday. An hour or so later, our friends came back with an envelope containing more than enough to sort out our monday debacle. It turned into a monday miracle because for some reason, all the monies got there early, yes, on that monday!

Our situation may have looked impossible, but the experience made our family into one team on the same side with our faith and dependence on God activated and strengthened. We love budgets now, and we endeavour to stick to it. We learned to be generous even in our lack More importantly we have greater capacity to make room for God to move. Which makes this new year really exciting! I love quoting 1Corinthians 2:9 in  the New Living Translation version - No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. Indeed, the best is yet to come!