Through The Ashes Of Pain

There is a little spot in the 98 acres that recently got bulldozed (to make entering the property easier for vehicles). That small spot was now a mess of broken branches, mud, and remnants of a small cherry tree. It looked pretty bad.

But despite the wreckage, a small patch of daffodils still came up and bloomed.

Even through the ashes of pain, they still bloomed.

That thought came to me today, when I looked at them.

They reminded me of myself.

These past couple of months have held some painful experiences for me...

But through the ashes of pain, my Saviour lifted me up.

And now He asks me to bloom for Him.

Father God, grant me the strength to bloom, even through the fiery trials of life. Amen.

It's all coming together

I love watching how the Lord moves and works in our lives. It's so fun to watch how, when the timing is right, everything just falls into place. For example:

I've been spinning for almost four years now, and have always had an interest in learning to weave. But there was a problem: I didn't have a loom. If you've ever seen loom prices you know what I'm talking about when I say that they are expensive. So for three years I've been hunting around on Craigslist, hoping someone might have a cheap loom for sale.

Then the ball began to roll. Around the end of June, I found an ad that merely said: "16 heddle floor loom. Very large. If you can come and get it, you can have it for free."

After some phone calls, e-mails and some talking with dad, it was agreed. We would go and take a look at it.

As it turns out, the people lived almost two hours away, but it was worth it! It took us what seemed like forever to get it out of the house and into our van because it was so big and we almost had to leave it behind because we couldn't fit it into the van, despite the fact that it was dismantled! But it did eventually go in. :)

Since I was so new to weaving, I really had no idea if everything was there or not so I had a friend come out and give me her opinion on it. She loved it! Everything was there, there were extra pieces, it was in beautiful condition, and it was very well made. :D We did find one little piece that needed to be replaced but I found the needed piece online and will be ordering it soon.

So without further ado.... My loom.

Does it look like a jumbled mess of wood and wire? That's what I thought too, when I first got it. I wasn't sure at first how easy it would be to use it, as it has 18 peddles (16 harnesses, 18 peddles), a beginner's loom usually has a maximum of four peddles! But my friend assured me that this one will last me a lifetime.

So, I have the loom. But I'm learning that it's like buying a horse. The loom is only the beginning! But once again, the Lord is working all that out. At one of the antique stores we visited the other day, I found some weaving supplies that I needed. Brand new, I would've paid $60 to $80 for these items, I paid a total of $15 for them! :)

I've been given a lot of needed supplies, I've been offered lessons, and my list of needs is getting shorter. :)

Being the silly person I am, I gave my loom a name (although I learned that almost all weavers name their looms and say "she" when speaking about them ;D). She is now known as "Marguerite". ;)

~Caitlyn

Will you pray with me?

Alas, we are having an extremely wet spring this year! And this now being June, the farmers are finding themselves in a bind.

Their hay crops are ready to be harvested. But it's too wet to harvest!! Some people have ignored the wet weather and cut their hay... It now lays sopping wet in the fields. Others watch as their hay grows past its prime, and know that they can do nothing.

Will you pray with me that the Lord will send two weeks (or more!) of warm, dry, sunny weather? My dad and I just came home from buying a few bales from a local farmer who was telling us about how he hopes to cut his hay next week.... Weather permitting. That hay is also what will be feeding not only my animals, but the livestock of many other people who are anxiously waiting for this year's hay.

Again, will you please pray?

Nothing is too small for the Lord! So please don't think that he is "too busy" for something like this! In Matthew 10:29, we are told:

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will."

I love that verse. If God cares that much even for the tiny sparrows, how much more so does he care about our problems?

~Caitlyn

Trusting

I may not understand Lord, but I trust you.

About a month ago, as I was praying, the Lord asked me something that I was not prepared for.

"Child, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Lord!" Was my answer.

"I want you to give two of your alpacas back."

"Operator? Hello? I think we had a miscommunication, for a moment it sounded like He wanted me to give two of my alpacas back!!"

Give two of my alpacas back!! Which two?

"The two pregnant ones." Came the soft answer.

On that very same day, my parents came to me and casually said something like: "Caity, have you ever thought of giving your two pregnant alpacas back? I'm sure the former owner would take them."

Later in the day, I got an e-mail from the former owner saying that if I ever wanted to give the alpacas back, she would come and get them.

Triple Whammy! Ouch that hurt.

Well, that was a month ago. It's taken me this long to yield.... To surrender.... To trust.

I tried everything.... "Lord, I just got them!"

"But they were a gift!"

"But Salinda hasn't had her baby yet!"

"But I want to keep them!"

"I haven't sheared them yet!"

"I don't understand Lord."

"Why do I have to give them back?"

Etc...

His patient answer was always: "Child, do you trust me?"

My untrusting reply was always: Yes, but...

Finally, like a wayward lamb coming back to the fold, I yielded.

That's all I had to do.

Just trust.

For the first time in a month, I felt peaceful. It was that feeling you get when you know you did the right thing. I e-mailed the former owner, who came today and picked up Salinda, Altimira and my little baby 'paca.

Actually, 'baby 'paca', has a name now. My dad came up with the winning name of:

"Tumnus". :)

We finally gave up trying to think up a name that would look good on his papers, instead we went with a name that fit his personality.

He was a goofy, curious little fellow, and the name Tumnus just seemed to fit.

I may not understand why I had to give them back, but I trust the Lord.

~Caitlyn

Thoughtful...

I'm not really sure what to write about....

Today has just been a slow, thoughtful day....

Looking at the picture I put up, makes me want to visit the coast again. Right now.

The Lord has placed some things on my heart that have been rather weighty to bear... At least for me. I know that if I would just yield... Just surrender all those words: "I", "me", "my", etc., life would be so easy. He only wants what's best for me, but being the sinful person that I am, I fail to see the bigger picture that he sees. I cling to what I see at my level, what is familiar, what is comfortable. Like a loving shepherd, He has waited patiently on me. I stumble... I falter... I ask why... I don't trust... I stray. Why is this so hard! Yet, each time He has picked me up, and lovingly set me straight again. I don't deserve His mercy.... Yet is staggers me everytime I think about how He died on the cross for ME. Wow. He died for me even though He knew my faults. He knew I would stumble, He knew I would falter, He knew I would stray! But He loves me so much that He ignored it all and took my punishment.

I deserved that punishment. I am not a patient person. Ask my siblings. I do not show mercy enough. Ask my siblings. I do not act like Jesus, like I should! Ask -- my -- siblings.

Thinking about the fact that he died for me, makes me so guilty. HE DIED FOR ME. And yet I still struggle with my waywardness! I still have a hard time completely trusting Him! Grrrrr!

What do I say now? This has been a stretch, writing this down. I don't even know how this all poured out. I sat down thinking I was going to blog about my alpacas.... But somehow those words wouldn't come. Instead these ones came....

~Caitlyn

What business?

I have come to a conclusion.

I am not a very good business-woman. ;)

I'm not very good at pricing things; as I always tend to put things at a lower price than they are worth. And I muchly prefer trading, bartering and haggling than plain ol' buying and selling.

Yesterday, a friend asked how my Etsy shop was coming along and I jokingly replied: "What shop? I've been too busy giving my yarn away to sell any of it!" Of course my friend was suprised (okay, borderlined on shocked), why on earth would I give such beautiful yarn away!

I explained that while yes I do have yarn in my shop right now (a measly 6 skeins), I absolutely love to just give my yarn away. I am not gifted with the talent of saying "just the right thing at the right time", writing my thoughts down is even harder. But I know how to give a hug, a knowing smile, or a skein of yarn.....

A lot of thought and love goes into each skein that I make. Right now, it is taking me about two weeks of work to make one single skein; but I love doing it. Spinning yarn gives one a chance to just sit. And think. And pray. And sing. I like to pray for the person who will be recieving the skein that I am creating.

I decided that it doesn't matter if I'm not a very good business person. Some may call my spinning a business, but to me, it's my ministry. I have prayed that the Lord would work through me and allow me to glorify His name through something. I found it through my yarn. To be able to give someone a gift of yarn is giving that person possibilites. Some may never do anything with the yarn, others may have an idea, or maybe, others may make something with their gift.... And then..... Give it away to continue the gift....

No, I haven't given away oodles and doodles of skeins, actually, I've only given away a very small handful. It's not something that I want to be handing out left and right, exactly. But rather, each one being a gift! Each skein is purposefully given; sometimes the skeins are later in being given than I was hoping, but, better late than never, right?

Ach, I'm not sure how this is all sounding. Did I already mention that I'm not good at writing things down? ;)

~Caitlyn

In the Beginning God created.....

And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:9-10

This is what I imagine what it must have looked like after God created land and sea. The newly created light pouring itself upon God's newest wonderful creation of earth and water. (minus the tiny seagulls in the picture ;D)

~Caitlyn

Ahem, methinks they're multiplying...

A week after bringing Mia and Marina home, a problem came up that began to escalate. Mia (my dark brown girl) was treating Marina (my white huacaya girl) like her own baby. Meaning, if I went near Marina, Mia would immediately begin spitting at me! This continued to escalate until finally Mia tried jumping on me and pinning me to the ground! I had no clue what to do about this, so I e-mailed the owners.

They apologized profusely for Mia's behavior and thought that perhaps another alpaca around would help even things out. I was flat broke, so I knew that I wouldn't be able to buy the female that they were bringing over. However, they hinted darkly at my keeping her. The new arrival's name was Altamira (alt-uh-meer-uh), and was soooo pretty! Standing at five and a half feet tall (that's tall for an alpaca!) and eyeing me with huge liquid brown eyes, I wished that I could afford her. When the owners were getting ready to leave they surprised me again! First they asked: "Would you want to keep her?" Of which I said "Yes!" They then continued to say that she was mine.

For free.

I was so happy! Three alpacas! Then they dropped the next bombshell.

Oh, and she pregnant by the way. She's been bred to a pure black male and she is due in August.

Now imagine my dumbfounded look as they continued still more!!

"But, you really shouldn't have just one baby around as that can cause behavioral problems, so would you like another pregnant female?"

Gracious! I've gone from two alpacas to six! So today, my fourth girlie came. This new one's name is Salinda (say-lin-duh). She's my beauty of the bunch. The color of ivory, the feel of silk, the biggest eyes I have ever seen! That's my girlie. :) Oh, and Salinda is due around April 30th!!

They weren't quite giving them to me for free. When they found out that I spun, we made a deal. two pregnant alpacas for spun alpaca fiber! They've given me four pounds to spin so far.

I offered to give both babies to them, as they have done so much for me; but their only answer was, "what if we helped you sell them?" :0 They assured me that they were just happy that the girls were at a good home. They had tried selling Salinda before, but they just couldn't find a good enough home for her. A lot of people ask me what's wrong with the alpacas, since they were given. There's nothing wrong! These girls are show quality, breeders! (well, Mia is just a pet since she can't be bred) They were a gift! A blessing.

Sure enough, with two more girls out here, Mia calmed down and I can handle Marina all I want.

It is so nice looking outside and seeing my own alpacas outside!

My Mia... She is still my top favorite. She comes up to me and rests her head on my shoulder while I rub her silky neck.

Salinda. Isn't she lovely?

Marina! Alas, she is rather camera shy, so getting a picture at all is something! She is very docile, and I gave my first SubQ shot on her today! She's my one huacaya girl.


And last but not least. Altimira. She and Salinda are both 11 years old, but their fiber is still incredibly soft! I'm praying for a pure black female baby from her!

The question is not "why have alpacas", it's "why NOT have alpacas!"

I am blessed.

~Caitlyn

I stood back --- And watched....

I am amazed.... And humbled.... And blessed.

The Lord is good!

Before I get to far, I want to warn you that this post is going to be ridiculously long.

Ever since going to the Flock and Fiber Festival back in September, I have been snooping around, hunting down some fiber animals of my own. I really didn't care if I got sheep, goats, llamas.... I just wanted my own source for fiber! But, I had in error in my ways.

I was trying to do this all on my own. I never asked the Lord for guidance, I just floundered about on my own. Oh I found plenty of animals that I thought were perfect; a lady was giving her herd of angora rabbits away for free, there were some pregnant llamas for $50, the cashmere goats for $25.... You get the picture.

But the timing was never right. "Oh yeah, I would need some feed and cages for those rabbits.." "Oh, I don't have the money to buy enough hay for those llamas..." "That's right! Those goats would jump right over that saggy part of the fence..." Etc.

Finally, in my frustration, I prayed and said: "Lord, I give up! Your will be done, if you want me to have some fiber animals I will trust you to work it out, if you don't want me to have any, please grant me contentment."

It was like having a huge weight lifted. I could now go about my daily life, knowing that it was in His hands. :)

A few days later, while trying to find some good quality alpaca wool (remember? I gave up looking.) I stumbled onto a website called 'mahartalpacas.com' These people were about an hour away and had very nice alpacas. Okay, I couldn't help but look at their 'pacas they were selling. Scrolling through the list I saw the usual, $6,000 thru $12,000 for alpacas.

Then I saw it.

What's this? A female huacaya for $100!!! And they're having a 50% off sale!! That would make her $50!!! Needless to say, I was kerflummuxed.

I didn't do anything at first, aside from showing my mom. Instead I prayed about it.... And prayed about it, and prayed about it some more. I really felt that this was the Lord's will, so I e-mailed the owners....

There were still a lot of things to think about though! I would need a companion, hay, feed, ect. But I never felt worried, I was merely along for the ride. The Lord was the one who was busy working it all out. And I got to watch it first hand.

After getting the okay from my dad, I set a date with the owners to come see Marina, the female alpaca. I learned that the owners had tried and failed to get 'Rina bred for a couple years, so they were just selling her as a fiber pet, hence the price. She was a lovely blue eyed white, with a lovely temperament to match it. While we were at the ranch, visiting, the owners introduced us to Bella Mia, the most beautiful, dark brown, female, suri alpaca I had ever seen. She too was unbreedable because she had birthing problems. I had seen Mia on their website, but didn't pay too much attention because they were selling her for $500.

When we were beginning to leave, they asked if I would consider a package deal for both girls. I was thinking, "Hmmm, they'll probably offer something like $250 for the pair, and I can't afford that." But I told them I might consider it.

"Would you take $50 for both." That was their offer.

My answer was something like "I beg your pardon!?"

They said they would be happy knowing that Marina and Mia would be at a good home, so money wasn't a big deal. They also offered to sell me some hay for a super good price!

I thought I would burst with happiness and excitement! The Lord provided a companion and hay!!

On the day that we picked the girls up, the owners surprised me again! They were giving me a free sack of feed (one sack stretches a looooong time), medicines and then, she wouldn't let me pay for the hay!!!

I am so happy with my girls now. :) Mia is my drama queen, who never does anything halfway. Marina is my laid back sweetie. Both are so friendly that I can barely believe it!

I did warn you that this post was going to be long, didn't I? Sorry. :-/

Because of the rainy weather, Emily hasn't been able to get any great pictures of the girls, but here are some okay ones.

Hmmm, Emily is so captivated with Mia that she forgot to get a good picture of Marina! That'll have to be the next post I guess...

I stood back --- and watched.....

~Caitlyn

I am so blessed....

The past two weeks have been so overwhelming for me; it's been blessing after blessing, with the timing so perfect that I can barely fathom it.

The biggest blessing was the Mountain Dulcimer.....

I've been wanting a dulcimer of my own for years, but I could never find one that was in my price range. Then, a friend of my mom's said I could borrow her's for as long as I wanted!! These instruments are so fun. Delightfully loud (I like loud instruments ;D) and delightfully easy. You don't have to know how to read music either, which is a huge plus for me as I don't know how.

Here's a video of me playing 'Power in the Blood'. (sorry it's sideways!)

Delightfully loud.

Delightfully easy. ;D

~Caitlyn

Just as He unfolds the rose....

I found this poem and liked it so much that I just had to share it with you all!

It is only a tiny rosebud,

A flower of God's design,

But I cannot unfold the petals,

With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers

Is not known to such as I,

The flower God opens so sweetly,

In my hands would fade and die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,

This flower of God's design,

Then how can I have wisdom

To unfold this life of mine?

So I'll trust Him for His leading,

Each moment of every day,

And I'll look to Him for HIs guidance,

Each step of the pilgrim way.

For the pathway that lies before me,

My heavenly Father knows,

I'll trust Him to unfold the moments,

Just as he unfolds the rose.

~Anonymous

~Caitlyn

Would I still sing that if....?

All day long I've had the hymm, 'Surely Goodness and Mercy' (I'm pretty sure that's what it's called anyway) stuck in my head. The song pretty much repeats itself saying:

"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, all the days of my life."

While quietly singing that, this evening, Dad's pager went off (he and big brother Chris are volunteer firemen) for a structure fire a little ways up in the hills from us. Dad and Chris tore out of the house and began driving to the fire station. They called a few moments later and told us to go outside and look east. There, sure enough, was a black column of smoke rising into the sky, billowing larger and darker each passing minute. We took a walk up a road that gave us a good veiw of the angry pillar and watched the firetrucks, tenders, brush rigs and ambulances zoom up towards their destination.

"There goes Sheridan!"

"Hey, I think I saw dad!"

We watched as Sheridan, West Valley, Amity, Mcminnville and a few other places send their firetrucks, all coming to conquer to fire.

We finally gave up trying to count after truck number 18 and began our way home. The smoke was showing signs that the firefighters were giving it all they had, but it still continued.....

On our way home, I heard mom humming the hymm, and it made me wonder who the people were, that owned the burning house.....

It made me wonder, "could I still sing that hymm, 'Surely goodness and mercy', if I was the one watching my house burn and smolder to the ground?"

It made me wonder, "Would I still find myself humming that song after a tragedy?"

I certainly hope so.

Another song that I feel goes hand in hand with that hymm is the song 'Count Your Blessings."

"When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed. When you are discouraged thinking all is lost; count you many blessings, name them one by one, and it will suprise you what the Lord has done."

We just need to remember that, no matter what happens, the Lord is there to comfort and guide. We sometimes get caught up with the questions: "Why?" Or "How could a loving God....?"

We just need to trust and obey......

Just a thought..... :)

~Caitlyn

I have decided

I have officially decided:

I like it here in Oregon.

We've lived here for thirteen years, but somehow I just couldn't seem to like it. Until now.

It's rainy today, with an ethereal mist slowly creeping down, covering the hills that I have come to love so much. I walked barefoot outside; enjoying the cold and wet.

The sheep poked their adorable faces out from the barn but decided to stay put, rather than coming to see me.

I look around, and think about all the beauty that fills this valley; how could I have ever not liked this state? Everywhere you look you see emerald green, with subtle earth tones blending perfectly. It's so amazing seeing how the Lord created everything so beautifully, so perfectly. From the smooth pebbles in our creek, to the ancient pines that murmer at night.

It is beautiful.

It is perfect.

This is the Oregon that I love.....

~ A blissful Caitlyn

The Power of Prayer

Hello everyone!! It's been a while hasn't it? It's been HOT up here in the hills and while I like heat, 105 degrees has been a leeeeetle much. ;)

So while trying to stay moderately cool I've been working on getting my spinning classes up and running. The Lord has blessed me beyond belief and I should be ready to begin next week!

In the last post I did about spinning lessons, I was having a troublesome time with my wheel and figuring out times and places.

It's so wonderful being able to cast our burdens to the Lord and leave them there, knowing that he will take care of them. I prayed and told the Lord everything and he has worked everything out in the most perfect detail.....

He provided a lovely Mother Marion Kick Spindle that was in my budget. (It should be here by Friday!)

A friend sold me 22 oz. of roving at a wonderful price and then suprised me by giving me 6 more ounces for free!!!

A friend of my mom's offered me her drum carder to use as long as I like. (this was a HUGE blessing as drum carders cost $400 to $700!)

The Lord has given me eight students so far.

I'm getting my spinning wheel fixed hopefully tomorrow.

There's a chance that I may be getting a paying job, spinning yarn for a small yarn company; while staying home!

There is a possibility of my getting another spinning wheel for free! (this is another big blessing, as I could then have a wheel for my own use and then have one for teaching).

A guy up in Clackamas is offering alpaca, llama and sheep wool for $1 a pound! I think we might be going up there in a week or so to get some.

The list continues on and on.....

God is so good! :D

~Caitlyn

If I can throw a single

ray of light across the darkened

pathway of another;

if I can aid some soul to a clearer

sight of life and duty

and thus bless my brother;

if I can wipe from any human

cheek a tear,

I shall not have lived my life in

vain while here.

Anonymous

This, Lord, is my prayer....

Lord, please grant me......

the willingness of Mary of Nazareth...

the obedience of Ruth...

the devotion of Esther...

the serving spirit of Martha...

the listening ear of Mary...

the hospitality of Lydia...

the faithfulness of Lois and Eunice...

the leadership of Deborah...

the trust of Hannah...

the searching heart of the Queen of Sheba...

the boldness of Priscilla...

the humility of Abigail...

This Lord, is my prayer....



I don't know who the author of this is, but I can relate to every word of it!



~Caitlyn

Did you know?

Did you know that there are actually two verses to our National Anthem? I myself just learned it a couple months ago. :)

Saturday, June 6th, was the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Our brave men fought hard and long for their homes, family and freedom. Many lost their lives, but they knew that they were not dying for nothing.

I thought that this would be a good opportunity to write both verses of our National Anthem....


O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.

O say does that star spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Verse #2

O thus be it ever when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation;

Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just;
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust!"

And the star spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.


~Caitlyn

Just a note to say....

Just a note to say that I took off all the Proverbs 31 graphics that I had on my sidebar. More than once I have scrolled down on my blog only to find that the gal who had created them had either changed the picture or changed the words. For a while I just continued switching the graphics but she has now completely changed her Bible version and almost all the verses are scripturally inaccurate! Some were still accurate but I didn't like the new pictures, so I reluctantly took then off. :(

So now I need to find new pictures to put in their places....

~Caitlyn

She stretches out her hands to the distaff

Remember my post about the alfalfa hay for the rabbits? (see "even the little things", 2008 post) Well, once again I got to see the Lord in action and this time he provided a beautiful spinning wheel and all the accesories.....for free.

An older friend of ours encouraged me to put an ad up on Craigslist asking for a free spinning wheel. I wasn't really sure it would work, after all, who on earth would want to give away a good sellable wheel? Nevertheless, I tried it and the first two times I did it I got a flood of e-mails.....all saying they wished they had a wheel to give and then wished me good luck. Hmm.

I tried one more time (three times a charm, right?) and this time I only got one response. It was a short e-mail; simply asking how old I was, if I did 4-H or anything like that and what I had tried spinning before. The lady and I corresponded back and forth, then in one e-mail she said she had a spinning wheel + accesories that she would give me! What's more, the wheel was, of all things, and Ashford Traditional, which is what I am used to. The only downside was that she lived in Scappoose, which is a two hour drive from us. Despite the looong drive, dear mom drove me up there today. The drive was entirely worth it!!! The "accesories" included hand carders (not cheap), a niddy noddy, a lazy Kate, four bobbins, three drop spindles, three books and some fiber (sorry, no partridge in a pear tree :D).

The wheel is in pretty good condition. The only repairs it needs are a new drive band and a new scotch brake, I can get both of these for under $10 at Woodland Woolworks.

I am so glad to have a spinning wheel again. I can't think of a more relaxing sound than the purring of a wheel.

She seeks wool and flax,

And willingly works with her hands....

She stretches out her hands to the distaff,

And her hand holds the spindle.

Proverbs 31: 13, 19

~Caitlyn

Even the little things

I had a very nice reminder yesterday that God does indeed listen to your tiniest cares. :)

Some of you may or may not know this, but, Emily's rabbit is heavily pregnant and is due any day now. You also probably know how we have moved them onto an all-grain diet.

So the story starts like this:

We were unable to get the oats from our Azure order so the rabbits have been eating just barley until I could get something more. I was really depending on those oats to come because barley alone will not provide enough protein or fiber for them. What's worse, they also needed Alfalfa in their diet, but it's been a bad hay year so there is no such thing as "cheap" hay right now.

I decided that if I could just get a bale of Alfalfa then they would probably be fine until my oats came (if they ever come). I called around comparing prices of hay bales; the cheapest I could find was close to thirteen dollars, which is too much for me to pay. In my frustration I prayed to the Lord and told Him my dilemma.

"Lord, I need help!
I can't afford this hay but my rabbits need it.
What should I do?
I still need 100 more pounds of feed in order to raise this up coming litter if rabbits.
I can afford the grain dear Lord, but not if I have to buy a bale of hay too.
but, you say that you care "for even the sparrows" (Matt. 6:26) so I will trust you to provide for this small need."

A couple of days later, Miss Jennifer (Peaches' owner) came by with some more horse stuff and while she was there she asked if we would by any chance be interested in a bucket of alfalfa cubes that she had but didn't need!! I quickly told her yes, and with that she showed me a huge bucket, packed full of sweet smelling alfalfa cubes. I was so happy and excited! So now the rabbits are all contentedly munching in their cages and S#3 and I are eagerly awaiting the litter of rabbits due soon.

How sweet it is to be able to trust our Saviour for even the little things. :D