Unexpected Blessings

When we pray, it’s easy to imagine how God will answer. Our imagined answers always come in ways that we can work it out to make it happen. But we are finding that God enjoys surprising and amazing us in how He will answer those prayers.

We have been surprised and amazed by God over and over again in this journey to build Elijah’s Retreat. It happened again over the weekend when a group of seven folks from a church in Rusk showed up at the ranch to help.

They are part of a larger ministry called the Chainsaw Ministry, and before you get the wrong idea, let me explain. They are a group of people who go out with their chainsaws to where there is need and offer their help. For instance, they spent a lot of time after Katrina and subsequent hurricanes helping to clear away fallen trees from people’s homes. They are a wonderful group of people, ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work, with a lot of sweat and sometimes blood involved.

So they came out and cut down a huge dead pine tree in our pasture right next to the playground where the kids will all be playing. The tree was hit by lightening a few months ago and the whole top third of it had already fallen off and broken the fence. So they took it down and chopped it up so Jeff and I could haul it away.

Next they headed down to our Beaver Pond where the beavers in the past two months have cut down three big trees which fell very purposely across our dock. The beavers had also cut down a tree that blocked the trail that the 911 Air Charter group just cleared for us over Memorial Day weekend. Do you think the beavers are trying to tell us something, like maybe, “stay away from our pond!”? Whatever the case may be, the kind folks from Rusk pulled the trees off the dock and the trail and cut them up for us. They did all of that in only two hours time! It was unbelievable how quickly they worked!

So, once again God sent a group of strangers to help us here at Elijah’s Retreat. They are no longer strangers, but dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, and dearly loved. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for moving in strange, unexpected, surprising, and always wonderful ways! It is so exciting to walk with YOU through this journey!