Today was definitely not an ordinary Monday. After dance class all was quiet on Warren St until about 11:00am when I heard the first firetruck. We are close to a health clinic so firetrucks are not out of the norm BUT then I kept hearing them. I went to the window and they were all parked in front of my house. Then I noticed them unraveling the hose and looked to the left, only to see the house 2 doors down up in smoke. I immediately called Lucas because he had the number of the guy who lives there who is usually home during the day. Thankfully, he wasn't home but was shocked to learn what was going on. It wasn't until about 3:30 this afternoon when the last firetruck left. All in all, there were probably about 10 trucks and about 30-40 fireman. They busted out windows and slammed through the front door and then used a big chain saw to cut a hole in the roof. It was determined that they think it started in the basement from the furnace. Everyone is ok and thankfully all that was ruined can be replaced. My neighbors have been so generous in their donations which is no surprise to me. We really do have the BEST neighbors:).
God used this whole episode as a test of my faith. We have been challenged at church to be not only tithers but sacrificial in our giving this year. I had been struggling about what kind of "sacrifices" our family could make. We really don't live on that much and are not that big of spenders because we don't have a lot of extra, quite honestly. I had been holding a couple of checks from my work and from my birthday and had taken them to the car this morning so I could add them to our savings account. I was feeling a little more comfortable with our financial status because this was going to add more to our savings than we have had in there in a LONG time. When I watched these peoples belongings disappear right before my eyes, I thought about how God promises to give us our daily bread. So was I going to hang on tight to my extra, or give it freely to this family in need claiming God as my provider of all things? I think I passed the "test". Funny how God challenges us in these areas so that he can prove himself more faithful than every before. I am thankful about how God answered my prayer about our role in the sacrificial giving and I pray that he will give us more opportunities throughout the year to return to him what he has so generously given us.
On a much lighter note...our spring time beach vacation is in the books, April 22-28th. We will be spending a week at a friends condo in Hammock Beach Florida. When I say we, I mean the girls. Grammy, Aunt Natalie, Annie, Layla and I. I look forward to this trip every year!
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