A is for Apple

I keep seeing on random people's blogs, posts about apple picking.

Since it's apple season and we are so blessed to have three mature, fruit-producing apple trees in our backyard I thought I'd take Hudson on our own apple-picking adventure this week.

A close up of the goodness.  I think they are gala apples, though I'm not sure.

My little helper for the day.  He had so much fun running around outside, even if it was more like summer with the 85 degree weather than an October day.

All in all, we collected about 30 pounds of apples. Yes, 30 pounds and there are still more on the tree.  We gave some away to people at church, some to the ladies in the Thursday Bible Study I attend, and some to neighbors.  I plan to make apple butter, apple sauce, and freeze some for the winter months.  Anybody got an apple corer, peeler, slicer they want to let me borrow? Pretty please.

Somebody thinks he's a big boy standing on Mama's stepladder, grabbing apples.  When did he get so big?

My first ever all-from-scratch apple pie.  As you can tell from it already being half gone, it is good.  

We are very thankful for this harvest of apples.  Considering we did not plant the trees or do anything to them at all (no pruning, no fertilizing, no watering even) we feel ever more blessed at how well they produced this year.  Thankful to the Lord for apples!

Thankful for the Lord's Provision

I have written many of these posts in the last almost two years:

http://dearbabylackey.blogspot.com/2011/10/thankful-for-lords-provision.html
http://dearbabylackey.blogspot.com/2011/11/thankful-for-lords-provision-part-ii.html
http://dearbabylackey.blogspot.com/2011/11/thankful-for-lords-provision-part-iii.html
http://dearbabylackey.blogspot.com/2012/12/thankful-for-lords-provisin-part-vi.html
http://dearbabylackey.blogspot.com/2012/01/thankful-for-lords-provision-part-v.html

but I wanted to share that this week we received this in the mail:

Yep - our debt for Hudson's delivery has been reduced by almost $16,000.  Pretty sweet.

For those of you who have half the day to read how this came about keep scrolling.  For the rest of you we simply ask that you praise the Lord with us.

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After being denied for state Medicaid to help cover our pregnancy and delivery expenses, we sought counsel from the hospital's financial aid department.  They assured us that the easiest and most beneficial thing to do would be to apply for Medicaid Spend Down.  Seemed simple enough.  Fast forward: Hudson is born and on July 3, 2012 (the date is burned into my brain) I drove over to Norton Hospital and turned in about 5 pounds of paperwork to the financial aid people.  They said it would take about 4-6 weeks to hear anything.

After 6 weeks, I contact the financial aid office and am told it's in the hands of the DCBS (Department of Community Based Services) and to give it some time.  I call every week for about another month and am finally given the name of the case-worked at the DCBS so I can call (read: annoy) her.  I call her every other day for about two weeks and hear absolutely nothing.  So I head to her office where I am given the run around that I will hear something soon, they are backed up, don't worry, blah blah blah.  I contact her either by phone or in person every week for several, several months and am always told the same thing.

In February 2013 (yes, 7 months later) I receive a collections letter from the hospital.  I called, rather upset, because I was told the account would be on hold until the Medicaid Spend Down decision was finalized.  Long story short, after many call transfers I speak with a lady who tells me that my Medicaid Spend Down was denied because I failed to cooperate in providing information.  Huh?  Apparently I refused to provide them documentation as to how much child support I receive monthly.  Yes, it was news to me too.  I quickly explain that James and I are married, he is Hudson's father, we've never been divorced or even separated, blah blah blah.  She gives me another number to call, this the supervisor of the financial aid department.

After speaking with the supervisor, it is confirmed that I was denied because of the child support issue.  I ask if it was simply a coding error but she reveals that there are notes on my file from the case-worked stating she made several requests of me and my "ex" to provide this documentation but was refused.  She said she will send the case to the office in Frankfort for it to be reviewed.  I talk to the supervisor at least twice a week until April.

Fast forward to April.  We have moved to Missouri and I call to speak to the supervisor and am told to my joy that I was approved!  I should receive the information in the mail within 7-10 business days.  I am ecstatic so I wait and wait and wait and nothing comes.  After calling the supervisor several times and told to "wait" I call the office in Frankfort.  She had made the error of telling me who she had contacted so I contacted him.  To my shock he tells me that he has no record of my application, of her request for a review, nothing.  I call her back and speak with her supervisor who only tells me he'll look into it (never heard anything from him by the way). 

Thankfully the man in Frankfort actually did his job and on July 3, 2013 (a year after my original application) I received word that I am actually approved for Medicaid Spend Down for May - August 2012.

So far it has only covered the Norton Hospital Bill, which was a HUGE chunk of our debt so I'm not complaining.  Our OB/GYN doesn't accept Medicaid Spend Down so we're still on the monthly payment plan with her.  We'd miraculously paid off my urologist before moving to Missouri so it's a moot point there.  I'm waiting to hear from the C-Section anesthesiologist (apparently putting people to sleep and waking them back up is quite the money-maker) and Baptist Hospital (for the thousands of dollars in labs I had done at various times) to see how their bills work out.

If you've hung in this long - thanks!  I know that was a lot to read. 

I have no idea why God allowed this to be such a drawn-out and frustrating process.  I still wonder why he didn't allow me to conceive while I was covered under the seminary insurance.  I question why he didn't give me favor to get approved for the Medicaid while pregnant.  But the Lord's thoughts are not my thoughts and while I don't understand (and perhaps never will) I have two options: A) acknowledge his goodness and trust him or B) look for flaws in his plan and doubt his goodness.  I'll take the first option and continue to thank the Lord for his provision in providing the money for every monthly payment we make on our little guy.

Ministry Update

We have now been in northeast Missouri for almost 5 months!   When we arrived the week of Easter, we hit the ground running and haven't slowed down much since.  So a ministry update is seriously long overdue.  Here's what we've been up to lately:

VBS
The last week of June we hosted a Vacation Bible School.  The Lord was so gracious that we had a total of 19 students - that's up from only 9 last summer!  So much fun was had by all and we had one student come to faith in Jesus and two realize their need to be obedient in baptism.

Revival
PBC hasn't had a revival in several years and one deacon in particular really desired to have one.  So one we had, indeed.  James' friend Lenny came down from Chicago and preached wonderful messages on the transformative power of the gospel.  Local believers provided special music each service.  Again, like VBS, the Lord was so gracious to bless our efforts and we had great attendance.

Salvations and Baptism
We've had three people profess faith in Jesus in our last five months - two adults and one child.  The two adults have had to move from our community but quickly connected with a local church and have already followed in obedience in baptism.  The child who professed faith was baptized along with the two other children from VBS.  It was James' first opportunity to baptize anyone.  We are so thankful that the Lord has allowed us to see fruit quickly and we pray for even more.

State Fair and other Associational Work
One thing I immediately noticed about our work here is how tightly the local association works together.  So many of the local pastors (including our Director of Missions) came to our revival which was such an encouragement.  I recently got to go to the Missouri State Fair for the day with other ministers from the association to share the gospel with other attendees at the fair.  In our four hours of work, we shared the gospel with 95 people and 7 professed faith. 

 

These are just the highlights of the past five months.  In addition, we've had the youth and children over several times, visited the local nursing homes every month, gone visiting with other church members, worshiped at local hymn sings, attended WMU meetings, etc... 

 

How you can pray for us:

• Time Management!  Particularly for James, our time is stretched and we need to be more intentional about using it well.
• Relationships - we have befriended several people/families in our community who are not believers.  Pray for these relationships to grow and that we might be bold in sharing the gospel.  Pray specifically for LH, JM, RL, and the S family.
• Beginning New Ministries:  We have plans for two or three new ministries at PBC. 
• Praise!  I had recently been struggling with a bit of loneliness as there aren't too many stay-at-home Mamas my age in our community.  The Lord very quickly answered my prayer as at our revival I met another pastor's wife from a church about 45 minutes away that hosts a weekly "Mornings with Moms" Bible Study every Thursday.  It starts next week and I can't tell you how excited I am about getting out and meeting other Mamas.

Mini Vacation

My husband is good at many things.  One thing in particular is planning short get-a-ways.  He sets a budget, saves money, searches for the best deals, and plans activities for the days.  I'm thankful for that because I'm a saver (not a spender) so I would never ever suggest spending money on a vacation as I'm simply too practical for that.  Isn't it great how God connects people who have varying strengths and weaknesses?  While my frugality is a strength in many ways, it's not when it comes to having fun and relaxing.

Anyway, James planned a short vacation (Monday - Wednesday) for us in Amana, Iowa.  It's a former German settlement area with lots of historical buildings, shopping, a water park, and Chick-fil-A close by!

And because we Lackeys can't do anything the easy way.  It was a rough beginning to our vacation.  James woke up Sunday with Poison Ivy on both hands and wrists.  We surmise that he got it that weekend while doing yard work.  Then Sunday, after bringing the Pack 'n Play up from the basement Hudson decided to pull up on it thereby pulling it on top of himself.  Those things way a ton.  I was sure he'd have a cracked rib, but he was fine.  Monday while loading the car.  I somehow didn't pull the kitchen door (leading to the garage) shut completely and Hudson pried it open and of course tumbled down the two carpeted steps leading into the garage.  There were lots of tear, not just from him.  He was fine, thankfully though you will notice a nice carpet burn on the bridge of his nose courtesy of his fall. 

Whew...after a start like that it took a while to get relaxed.  Fortunately we did and had a good time.

H was a big fan of the hotel room.  He liked opening/closing the AC.

 

He loved jumping on the plush pillows on the bed.  Such a silly boy.

 

We went to the hotel's indoor water park.  Hudson was not a fan. The water was f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g and there was a lot going on - water splashing, teens having fun, changing colored lights - he never offered to cry but tensed up and held on to us for dear life. 

 

Relaxing while Daddy shops for shoes.

After 3 months of no fast food.  We indulged. 
My tummy was not happy afterward.

"Where's mine?" Hudson wants to know.

 A photo tour of the Amana Colonies - 26,000 acres.

Tuesday evening we drove to Des Moines for James to buy a weedeater (it was a good deal hence the long drive).  The mall there (Jordan's Creek) was amazing!  We ate Chick-fil-A and ColdStone for James' birthday.  The mall had a family area that included a nursing room, three (!) baby changing stations, and a nice play area.  It was a great time to let Hudson move around before we loaded him back into the car.

On the way home Wednesday, we stopped in Coralville for Chick-fil-A (again!) and Hudson enjoyed his first carousel.

All-in-all, we had a great time.  Thankful for a few days to get away.

To Glorify God

and enjoy him forever.”  That is the purpose of man, according to the Westminster Catechism. 

The Lord was kind to teach me (yet another) lesson in glorifying him this week. 

I went into town to go to the grocery store.  Afterwards, I stopped to fill up the gas tank because when you live in the middle of nowhere you never pass up a gas station.  I only had cash, so I had to prepay.  In line I was behind a sweet African-American lady.  I only mention this fact because out here I have for real only seen 2 people with brown skin in the 3 months I’ve lived here - it’s very strange and very white.  Suddenly she turned around and said, “I don’t mean to bother you, but could I ask you something….” 

“Do you have spina bifida?”  Now I get asked this question or something similar quite often as I wrote about recently on my friend Kate’s blog.  I must confess that as a child/teen/young adult I was not kind to those who asked me this.  I’d give curt answers, sarcastic answers, etc…but as I’ve aged I’ve lightened up about it and am open to talking about my stupid spine.

So, I answer the lady’s question.  She responds with, “Oh I just wondered because my 6-year-old granddaughter has spina bifida and she can’t walk yet and I just wanted to know if there was any hope for her.”

Right at that exact moment, the cashier taking our money for the fuel needed the grandma’s attention.  Thankfully the Lord prompted me to pray and I had about 90 seconds to pray and prepare for how to answer her. 

As she turned around I was able to tell her about hope.  Hope that her daughter, regardless of ability to walk, could have a good life.  I told her about my childhood spent with wonderful friends and family.  I told her about the blessing my education - a master’s degree, no less.  I told her about my husband.  I told her about my sweet, sweet baby.  My perfectly healthy 13-month-old son whom I was blessed to carry and deliver and now parent.  Most importantly, I was able to tell her about how all of this was the direct result of the kindness and faithfulness of Jesus. I wasn’t able to give a complete gospel presentation because the cashier needed me to pay for my gas so the line could keep moving, but I was able to get in most of my personal testimony.

With her eyes tearing up, she thanked me and was gone. 

To glorify God. 

Last week, I was invited to a “healing service” at a local charismatic/Pentecostal church.  I respectfully declined.  It’s not that I don’t think that God can/could heal me.  I am 100% confident in the Lord’s ability to do so.  That said I am equally confident in that I do not think it is the Lord’s will to do so.  Call me crazy, but I think the Lord receives more glory in my limping around than he would if I was healed.  You see, in my limping around, I stand out - I garner attention.  That attention affords me the opportunity to share the wonderful news of Christ with others that I simply wouldn’t have if I was “normal.”

Now, this is not to say God wouldn’t be glorified had I been healed.  But it’s more of a reflection of me. I know me.  I know how fiercely independent I am.  I fear that had the Lord healed me, no one would ever know because I, in my sinful pride, wouldn’t share about it.  I know people whom the Lord has healed from diseases or delivered from sinful lifestyles who bring him tremendous glory so I say this not to belittle their ministry.  It’s awesome when God does miraculous things.  But it’s also awesome when God doesn’t heal but gives daily strength and grace to simply thrive. 

Now I should have taken the opportunity to share this testimony with the sweet charismatic/Pentecostal lady who invited to this "healing service" but I was annoyed at her invitation and simply said, "no thank you."  Just being transparent lest anyone think I've arrived.  I have so far to go y'all.

Overall though I’m thankful that this is one way I can glorify God.  And I am thankful that the Lord has disciplined me to the point that I can be mostly thankful for this (dis)ability to glorify to him.

I asked the Lord three times to take it away from me. He answered me, “I am all you need. I give you My loving-favor. My power works best in weak people.” I am happy to be weak and have troubles so I can have Christ’s power in me.  I receive joy when I am weak. I receive joy when people talk against me and make it hard for me and try to hurt me and make trouble for me.

I receive joy when all these things come to me because of Christ.

For when I am weak, then I am strong. -- 1 Corinthians 12:8-10