Trials and blessing

For an update on our electric situation, the electric is still going out for 3 - 5 hours at night, BUT for the past 3 nights it has rained in the evening which cooled it down and made it comfortable during the blackout time. We haven't woke up as much. Thank the Lord!

On Sunday morning we noticed our refrigerator was not staying cool. The light was on, the fan kicked on, but Doug thought the compressor was not turning on. It indeed proved that the compressor was not kicking on as the food grew warmer and warmer. Monday morning we salvaged what was still okay and asked a few of our neighbors to store it for us, and pitched the rest.

Doug called a guy to come fix it and he said he couldn't get here till this morning at 10:00 or 11:00. Doug had made plans to work at the mission and cancelled them so he could be here when the guy came to fix the fridge, but the guy still hasn't come!! Doug has tried his cel phone numerous times today but can't get through.

We are hesitant to call someone else because this guy fixed our AC and he was very detailed and good. We feel he would do a good job. Some seem to beat and bang things and we're afraid that they may do more damage than repair. :-)

So....another day in the Dominican Republic.....waiting for tomorrow. You never know which day "tomorrow" will be. :-) In the meantime we're surviving without cold water or cold anything, cooking nonperishables such as box macaroni and cheese and pancakes etc., and counting the other blessings we have.

If the guy never comes, we'll have to go to plan B. I'm not sure what that is yet.

In the midst of these trials, we had a wonderful service on Sunday evening with much of the Lord's presence. After we sang "The Love of God", the church was noisy. Almost everyone was vocally praising God. It was a beautiful time and a reminder that God is still in business - even when everything seems to be going wrong! He deserves praise just because He is God - whether everything around is falling apart or staying together.

The verse keeps coming to my mind: "For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 38,39) And I add nor refrigerators, nor electric! :-)

Also II Corinthians 4: 7 - 18 has greatly encouraged me.

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
8 ¶ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.