So this is, I suppose, another chapter to add to the ongoing "faith and finances" posts. I've been meaning to write this "tidbit" for awhile now but my thoughts haven't really settled until recently.
As I mentioned, Kevin starts 3.5 months of school (Yr 3 & 4 of Carpentry App.) at the beginning of November ... 1.5 weeks away!! It's a drop in the bucket for most students who do a 4+ year degree or whatnot, but for us this is a time of stretching faith, as the income we receive from EI will certainly not be enough to meet our ongoing bills and we are unable to get a student loan for such a short period of time.
We've calculated (as most students do, I assume), to our best, what we will need to make up for lost income and brainstormed what we can do to meet that need. So far, Kev's boss has said that he can't guarantee either the increase to a journeyman's salary when he's done school (due to very limited work) or extra work for Kevin on weekends while he's in school. That leaves us asking the same question we often do, "is this a matter of stepping up our faith and going through with it (school) anyhow? or is this a matter of making a practical and educated decision based purely on unforseen circumstance?
OR is there a fine line between managing to do both?" And wearily we come to the conclusion that there is a delicate balance between making practical, educated decisions yet doing so with faith.
And so we have decided to attempt both classes (yr 3 & 4), using the first half as a sort of "trial run" (as one friend put it:) ). We have a plan of action but if that falls through and we end up using more credit than expected for our living expenses, the second half may have to be put on hold.
Really, it seems like a simple solution that we've come to, one that neither of us would have thought twice about 5 years ago... but now? Life has become more complicated and there seems so much more at risk when taking even the smallest chance. Our family is growing, our one vehicle seems an ongoing balancing act, our mortgage is practically more than we can handle (thanks to grace we've hung on this long!) and the credit reserved for emergencies is quickly being used up by vehicle and school expenses... and if you ask anyone who has lived paycheque to paycheque they would all likely agree that it's not a good feeling to hang by the "I hope nothing goes wrong at this point in life or else..." thread. We've been there all too often! And that brings me back to the reason for us taking this risk:
If Kevin gets his schooling done he'll be a Journeyman Carpenter, meaning he won't be limited by employers or locations and hopefully will have an opportunity to make significantly more than he currently does.
To take a slight turn in this thought process, I have been questioning one of our prayers awhile back. We asked God to provide for the amount Kevin needed for the first half of tuition (yr 3). Because we wanted to learn to walk by faith we told him that if he didn't provide that money by the time the school required payment, we would assume it meant we shouldn't head down that road. I believed with all my heart that God would provide that money! A preacher I listened to online (I know, gotta filter through these guys) said that he and his family lived by faith, nothing they purchased was done so without having the money in hand/bank and that everyone could live with great financial freedom like he had experienced. They had no debt and their mortgage was completely paid off. I figured if someone could be testiment to great faith (so I thought it was) then why couldn't we?? Well, God didn't provide that money and the schools deadline came and went. I asked Kevin what he wanted to do next, "Is it wise to even consider going at this point? We don't have the money to do it so maybe we shouldn't." We've both considered the philosophy that if you don't have the money you just don't do it, thus you might as well cut up your creditcards to seal the deal.... which I now think is half rediculous.
I asked God to give Kevin wisdom in this area (well, both of us but mainly him in this case) and Kev said he thought it was good to get his schooling done and thought we should just find a way to pay for it. *ch-ching!* went our mastercard and it was a done deal. We've waffled back and forth ever since, wondering if we're doing the right thing. Last night was one of those nights where you (well, usually one more than the other) lay in bed venting all your doubts and frusterations, holding nothing back. Today is a fresh day with fresh perspective and affirmation of our decision. As one wise relative said ;) "You're not using your creditcard for something that you want but don't need. You're using it for a worthy investment to help further yourselves down the road" Well said, great to hear!
And hope takes a front row seat once again.
So my conclusion on the debt-free preacher? Praise God! Good for him! Woohoo and all that (the first two were serious and then sarcasm sorta set in there)... but he needs to watch what he preaches. Not one person is identical on this earth. God created each one of us and knows our needs. He knows the areas where we are weak and the areas where we are strong. To a person who has the gift of making money, keeping them debt free as a way of showing his grace and provision really wouldn't hit the target. Placing great financial wealth in the hands of someone who has a spending habbit wouldn't really be beneficial either. God knows the areas in our lives he can use to teach us, to draw us closer to him and to get our attention. I envy (in all honesty) the person who has no financial obstructions - I can only imagine the ease that would bring to our lives at this point in time... yet if I could see every angle of our lives I might think twice about asking for such a gift. So to answer my own question awhile back on whether or not it's okay to use creditcards...? Sometimes. For some people. In come circumstances. At certain times. It's a question we all need to at least ask, not overlook. It may sound just as foggy of an answer as the question itself, but I've gained clarity on this one, after much ado....
I trust that God is providing for and protecting us where we are at and has grace to surpass our knowledge. If we
"seek him first, all these things shall be given to us" (Matthew 6:33, NIV) OR
"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:34, The Message)
Aiden is more likely the one to give Atalie a kiss, whereas she's more likely to resist! I think it's b/c he used to give wet kisses;) haha...
Trucks, trucks and more trucks!
Kevin took Atalie skating last weekend for the first time this year. She loves it! Got to wear "real" skates this time, instead of those rediculous "bob" skates.
Aiden seems bigger to me lately! Maybe it's the short hair??
Atalie sips the last drop of her mocha milkshake:)
I've also included a couple links to both Canadian and US websites which give a little more info on their vaccine (both quite similar):
1) I thought I'd give you this link first, which contradicts the next completely. It features Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, who of course completely reassures us that this vaccine is all together safe and harmless and we must get it asap! I'd like to believe him, really I would. But basically he's just saying "trust me", which is hard to do.
2) This one is equally as enlightening, only in the opposite direction. It reveals that small amounts of vaccine testing have been done but little/no documents have been presented to back up the results. I particularily enjoyed the last sentence, "...scientists are not yet sure whether these vaccines have very rare side effects, particularly in groups with weak immune systems, such as pregnant women or children under the age of three." Comforting....
3) An American site breaks down some of the lingo (which I otherwise wouldn't have understood) and goes into detail regarding Squalene. It's a little too detailed for my understanding but overall is very helpful/informative! "According to Prof. R.F. Garry's findings, the Gulf War syndrome was caused by squalene, which was banned by a Federal Court Judge in 2004 from the Pentagon´s use." So why are we using it again? And why are all the federal health authorities saying it's suddenly safe??
4) Wikipedia's article says, "There have been rumors, largely spread through internet sources, that the squalene contained in adjuvanted 2009 H1N1 vaccine has been linked to neurological and other disorders including Gulf War Syndrome. This claim has been demonstrated to be untrue. Clinical studies found no correlation between the presence of squalene antibodies and symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome, and adjuvants containing squalene do not induce an immune response to squalene."
5) Science-Based Medicine battles the arguement that drug companies are producing mass amounts of vaccines to make mass amounts of money, "...pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and hospitals stand to make a lot more money from an uncontrolled pandemic than from its prevention. The money spent on antivirals, antibiotics, sedation and pain medications, physician and hospital billing for the 200,000 people hospitalized in the US during a normal flu season would compensate them far better than profits from vaccine sales." but also (sort of) states that squalene isn't harmful.
So many conflicting statements! Almost leaves you wondering which side of the fence is "safe" and which side is "sorry"? And is one really better than the other?
In either case, you can't go wrong keeping yourself as healthy as possible, in more natural ways. Taking at least 2,000mg of Vitamin C; 5,000UI of Vitamin D (may sound like a lot considering Canada's low standard for this one, but just think: if you stand in the sun for 15minutes you acquire 40,000UI of Vitamin D!! ...hence our tendancy to get sick in the winter. So if you prefer the organic method, just take a long walk!); Zinc; and Fish Oil will all help to battle this virus. However, I've yet to take the last two in pregnancy and will be checking with my doctor about that on Friday! Happy Health!
Kev reads a few library books before bedtime.
Aiden doesn't sit still for more than one, of course.
He also just got a hair cut, compliments of Mom and Dad - team effort. Kev held him on his lap so he couldn't squirm away and I buzzed him as quick as I could. We shaved a good 3 inches off of him yesterday!! He was cute before but he's simply irresistable now. Haha...
I decided this year that quality was better than quantity (except in the case of the turkey, which gave us both quantity and quality!) and kept the menu very simple. The limited menu consisted of turkey, mashed potatos, gravy, cranberry sauce (fresh - thanks Mum!), a yummy green vegetable/fruit salad with homemade vinegarette and Mom's famous pumpkin pie.
Oh, and it was completely gluten free! It's the first turkey dinner we've had where Kevin wasn't rolling around in stomach pain and gas afterwards! We figured the stuffing and gravy were probably what did it every holiday. He thought for so long that it was the turkey itself. Not so.... I think he was relieved to discover this!
Mom brought some sparkling juice for me:) and we had a bottle of white wine for all the un-pregnants;) Delicous!! I'd drink this stuff every day if it wasn't loaded with sugar.
The only thing we were really really missing was stuffing... mmmm stuffing(!) b/c I didn't get around to making and drying gluten free bread. Not sure I would have enjoyed the gluten free stuffing quite as much however... although I know Kevin would have! Next time;)
Dad takes joy (really!) in helping chop up our gigantic pile of logs...
...and a good read by the fire afterwards!
Atalie checks out my latest edition of Todays Parent magazine while "helping" me make supper (about a week ago).
