Our Place - A Photo Journal

Our House

Our Neighborhood

Our Community

A "Cozy" Living/Dining Area (Realtor Talk for "Small")

Entrance To the Upper Deck

Back Yard - "Easy Maintenance" (Realtor Talk for "No Back Yard")

The Park Beside Our Neighborhood

God Of The Cardboard Boxes

Am I imagining all this or is there something to it? With Hurricane Dean barreling through and the need to collect cardboard boxes for the move to Puebla, I was off to SuperRama. It was a race with the rain to see who would claim the coveted boxes first. “Not much to pick from here” I thought as I scavenged though the scant few boxes. Returning to the van I saw a worker pulling a cart filled with boxes. Not just any boxes but nice heavy duty banana boxes, perfect for packing and enough to fill the van. A treasure of cardboard boxes sent from God.

Was this an insignificant occurrence or is God the God of cardboard boxes? Do I just want to see Him at work and so any little thing will do? Let me be ill-mannered and answer my own questions.

I believe the hand of the Lord often comes in a very commonplace way. So common in fact that it is easy to miss it or to credit it to a “coincidental occurrence”. May the Lord deliver us from short sightedness when it comes to seeing what He is up to.

Whether God provides $500 by an anonymous donor who was awakened in the middle of the night with the divine impulse or He reminds you of $500 you put away three years ago, it’s ALL from Him. Whether He answers by healing solely in answer to your prayers or He prescribes just the right medical help, it’s ALL from Him. Whether He changes the heart of a neighbor though a supernatural occurrence or by a kind word spoken by you, it’s ALL from Him.

Let’s not miss the Lord’s mighty hand because He answers though the common place, but live in the expectation of God’s intervention - in both the supernatural and the commonplace. He is after all the God of the cardboard boxes.

Uncle Vernie Style

Uncle Vernie, who was a factory worker in Williamsport, PA, would often write my grandpa who was a pastor in Cosby, TN. He would always conclude his letter with a list of unrelated but interesting tidbits of information. Today in Uncle Vernie style I offer the same from Puebla.

1. Our apologies to all of you who take time to read this journal from week to week. We have been interrupted by a move and lack of internet availability.
2. People have consistently summarized Puebla in the same way: Cold weather, Catholic, Pretty, Closed.
3. The church that meets in our community invited us to a church picnic on Sunday which coincided with Mexican Independence Day. We met at a park that was once the Puebla airport.
4. It can sure take a while to get things done here!
5. I came across Numbers 11:1 just before we started the move. It must have been from the Lord, but I can’t figure out why. “Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused.”

6. Painting cement walls is hard work. (Not a complaint)
7. We live in a neighborhood of 24 homes all very closely knit together. (We’ll post photos of our home and neighborhood one of these days.)
8. School started back for our children today. They are really excited about this opportunity – Not!
9. We got into the spirit of things here by painting our living/dining room walls yellow.
10. How is it possible to move into a house almost half the size of the one in Cuernavaca and still need to buy more stuff?
11. Thanks to all who continue to hold the ropes in prayer for us. By the way we are reading the story of William Carey who started the idea of rope-holders in the first place.