GOD CARES FOR HIS OWN

It looks like I'm going to end up working backwards on telling this one. Because the first pic is of the cake and card made for Joyce this week--her birthday was on the 10th. The reason it's gonna be backwards is because of the thoughts that came. (No, I didn't have food coloring; that red was made with a cherry drink powder, and grape color turned ash when combined with margarine's yellow.) 

We see Joyce at least once a week because we use the same washer-dryer; that reminds me of how our washing machine began groaning a few months before we moved and shut down completely just a few weeks before we came here to Okinawa.

Our washing machine had given us its life's work. The city had bought it for us brand new when we moved to the Iwatsuki apartment in 2012. Because of road construction, all residents were requested to leave, and cooperation was financed: new appliances (which meant for us, a washer-dryer and 3 air conditioners) were purchased, and 3 months' rent was paid! (This is a pic of the empty plot of land after the building was torn down!)

There would've been no other way we could've made the move. I need to back up a little more: our family had just moved down from Koriyama after having fled the 2011 Quake with nothing but what we had in our backpacks; while others may speak of not having enough to afford what they need; we had only what was handed us. And God had given us a roof over our heads with the entire family intact, schooling for the children, bicycles (two of them!),...and I almost forgot to mention: Joyce was there in Iwatsuki at the time!

We'd had to move for a reason other than that city construction. Altho' church was about 15 mins.' walk away, Joyce had picked us up by car to take us to church most weeks. Right after she left for the U.S. for furlo' however, the church moved clear across to the other side of the city! There was no public transportation there, and it would take over half an hour walking one way. This is when God stepped in and let the government pay for our move to a home near the church's new location, with a brand new washer-dryer, three AC's, plus 3 months' rent!

So altho' it was Joyce's birthday, I couldn't stop my thoughts from flying in all these directions and marveling: we have a powerful, wealthy, loving Heavenly Father!