Remember that time when God sustained a family of nine with the income off of one acre of strawberries…? It was a miracle acre at that. Not only the best strawberries the world had tasted, but they literally grew too many strawberries. Look it up, strawberries don’t do what they did for us… especially in permafrost Ohio. We didn’t even tend them after a year! Then, when we no longer needed them… they simply stopped producing. Praise Him!
Remember that time when an overstuffed station wagon hit a deer at full speed? I remember seeing how smashed the front of the car was. I was sitting on someone’s lap, yet somehow didn’t move and didn’t wake. No injuries at all. Praise Him!
Remember that time when Mom, alone, was putting 4 kids through college, feeding 2 at home, paying all of
the bills, and paid off 10 years worth of land payments in 2 years… all on a factory worker’s salary. Let’s not forget that she was secretly giving faithfully to at least half a dozen charities. Yes, indeed, Praise Him!
Weguens, do you remember that time when you were dead for 5 hours? Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t “remember” it, but as you recall the story, after they prayed for you it resulted in the salvation of at least one voodoo priest and all of his followers. What a POWERFUL God! Yes, Praise Him!
Rose, Remember that time that you were passed out, foaming out the mouth after eating poisoned candy given to you by a shady (voodoo) neighbor in Haiti? Mom found you almost dead and called on the only name she knew to help: Jesus. Minutes later, you sat up, and vomited out the candy IN WHOLE PIECES as if you never ate them at all. Then you went about playing as if time had reversed and nothing ever happened. Yes, Praise Him! Just as you did that day as a child, praise Him!
Gethro, remember the time(s) you were in ridiculous car accidents? Like the time you were in a truck bed and it flipped, throwing everyone out… injuring everyone but you? How about when you destroyed your car after getting the accelerator stuck before turning a huge curve and going through a forest? Mom woke up at that exact time… she was praying for you. Praise Him, Praise HIM!
Robenson, remember the time when you were t-boned at an intersection, drivers side!? How fast was he
going again? 55? A split second earlier and you would have been smashed with your car… but thankfully, it was only your car that got crippled. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!
Remember the hundreds of stories in which Dad “should have” died? Like the time assassins were on a roof, but couldn’t shoot him because they heard a voice say “you can’t kill this man” then a cloud come down to cover him. Dad didn’t know about this until these men were saved and testifying on the radio (where he preaches). Praise GOD!
How about the time a man went to kidnap him and ended up shooting himself, and putting himself in the
hospital… His accomplice ended up accepting Christ! Praise God!
And then there was the time when Dad was walking down the street and a man pulls out a gun aims point blank at the chest and pulls the trigger only to hear clicks as Dad is calling on the name of Jesus. Praise Him!
Then there were the many times when Dad was not where he was “supposed to be” when men were sent after him or us. Like the time one of his friends were killed in his place when the gunman was angry not to find Dad. Or the time fire was set to his room and his office. Dad lost lots of stuff, but his life was spared because God told him to leave on those nights. Praise Him, Praise HIM, PRAISE HIM!
Remember the miracle of coming to the United States to escape persecution and kidnapping (Wegs and Fegs)? We came legally on a plane at a time when people were being sent back on non-seaworthy boats? Political refuges weren’t being accepted in America at the time. But we were.
Remember how we were always poor, but never hungry? I’ve heard stories of people like us, and they usually end up on welfare, loosing their electricity, and having their phone cut off, and unintentionally “fasting” for weeks at a time. Not us. There was always food on the table (with leftovers galore). In fact, we always got mad at mom for giving our food away! The same went for clothing, and yes… Christmas Gifts (remember that huge box!). We never received it, but the neighbor kids sure loved my roller skates. Still… Praise God!
Do you remember how dangerous we were as children, to ourselves and to each other?
Robenson + Feguens + “blowtorch” = no eyebrows.
Feguens + Gethro + arrows = What was I thinking!
Weguens + Crossbow shot straight into the air = RUN! Duck and cover!
Junior + usually Gethro + some sort of sharp object = tie him to a piano, save yourself!
Robenson + Weguens + Broomstick = Broken nose
Junior + Feguens + bright idea to tie bikes together = don’t tell Mom! + Lots of bleeding mixed with peroxide and tears
Feguens + Knife Obsession = Enough Said
Gethro + Rose(cheerleading) + BB gun + strange timing = BB in the arm
Us + broken shingles = crazy
Mom Gone + Weguens in Charge = Revolt
Door Trap + Dad (who was supposed to be Weguens) = Fear of God (and a new look on an old song)
Us + any neighbor kids = “kraze tèt li!” (I swear we were the town bullies)
We are still here…
If anyone has a reason to praise Him, it’s US. If anyone has a reason to seek him, it’s US. I’ve been studying the Books of the Law lately (Genesis through Deuteronomy—though I’ve hardly read anything but Genesis and Exodus). The more I read about the Israelites, the more they remind me of us, our family. We can never fully understand why, but God chose THEM out of many. And because of the faithfulness of a few people (Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, the prophets), they received every blessing they could imagine, even when they rebelled and literally worshiped statues. There came a time when God stopped delivering them… Not because He was unfaithful, but because they were unfaithful. They didn’t hold up their end of the deal, and frankly, they no longer wanted God. They thought they no longer needed God.
Let’s do the “chosen people thing” right. Let’s be like them in every good way but lose the negative aspects. Like Abraham, let’s say yes and agree to God’s plan even when it is impossible. Let’s even let it rearrange our lives and priorities when it makes no sense. Let’s follow Him, even through the desert, but let’s not grumble. Let’s return to “Egypt” and help deliver our people, for God has delivered us for such a purpose. Let’s be like David and stand up and challenge a man simply because he defies our God. Better yet, let’s be like David and become “people after God’s own heart.” Like Daniel, let’s resolve not to be defiled in a land where immorality is the standard. Most of all let us not forget the God who delivered us time and time again. This alone will keep us in a place of humility and thankfulness before Him. We are truly blessed. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Yes, I’ll say it again, Praise Him!
Love,
Junior.
