We are in the Doldrums..(Jeremiah 29:11)

It's been awhile since my last post, mainly because there are no updates to tell about.  It has been over 6 months and very little has been done on the house.  We do have an HVAC system installed now.    Paul and I found a mantel on marketplace that we purchased.  We had Ashbusters come out and give us an estimate to get our chimney in working order.  😳😳😳...We are going to have to think on that for awhile. We do have an appointment in March for another company to give us a second opinion.  We still can't seem to get the plumber back out to finish the rough in.  Our builder tells us ever so often, the plumber will be there "next" week.  However, he never shows.  

Our paster preached the first Sunday in January on the doldrums, which I had never heard of.  The "doldrums" is a nautical term that refers to the belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters.  Paster Brad's message referred to people that get stuck in different areas of life, but specifically our christian life.  As Christians, are we complacent in our Christian life?  We just hang out and exist, because there is no movement or growth in our life.  We need the fresh breath of God blown into our lives.  Paul and I definitely feel like our house is in a doldrum.  We don't understand why and can't figure out where things went wrong.  We are trusting God that there is a reason for this. We are going to do what we can and let God handle the rest.  That's easier said than done, but that is our goal.  We will keep plugging along and pray God will blow some fresh wind our direction.

We are missing Wilma and Candy.  They have been with Renmi for a month and a half. They were recently pregnant check and are still open😞.  Itty bitty bulls have a hard time taking care of these big mini girls😂.  We look forward to them coming home soon.  On an even sadder note, we had to put our sweet jersey bull calf, Fitz, down.  He became very sick.  It was heartbreaking, but we knew this journey wouldn’t be all fun. We are currently searching for another jersey bull.  I have noticed Iris seems to hang out in the corner of the field where she shares a fence with Britta and Barry.  I am beginning to think it may be when she is in heat.  I'm debating whether or not to let her visit Barry and see if he can do anything for her or getting her AI'd.  Barry is just so small and young, not sure he can handle big momma.  Hopefully, sometime around March, Britta will have her calf.  

We need some excitement on the farm to lift our spirits.

Winter has brought on some challenges.  Grass stopped growing and hay was needed.  We bought 3 4x5 bales of hay.  Paul and I working together could roll those out on the fields.  We found someone else that would deliver 4x5 bales, so we bought 11 bales.  When he delivered, he said "I know I advertise 4x5, but my baler just does them bigger."  Each bale weighted over a thousand pounds!!  The man told Paul, "You know you aren't going to be able to move these without a tractor."  Paul responds, "Oh that's ok, I've got a wife".🙄😂  So, the day comes that the cows need more hay in the field. We both pull, tug and pushed to no avail...didn't move it an inch.  So, I suggested he just call our bush hog guy and pay him to do it.  

He called and within no time he came out and gave our babies some hay.  He wouldn't let Paul pay him, and Paul hated to call him again.  We pulled hay off the bale and filled up buckets to take out to the field.  We were having to do this almost every day.  We finally got enough hay off one, that we were able to somewhat roll it to the gate, until it got away from us and flipped over.  

There was no getting it back up, so Paul got the truck and just pushed it with the bumper into the field.  

When Paul was sent to Washington, he had to ask Marty again to put hay out.  He came over within 30 minutes and put hay out.  I told Paul to ask if he did plumbing work too!!!😂. We have met some of the nicest people in Tennessee.  We had another neighbor stop by the other day.  His name was Paul also, so you know he had to be a really nice guy!🤓

I don't know about ya'll, but I feel like nothing is going right in the world or in my life. I have so many things to be grateful for, but it seems life is just hard and disappointing these days. I have been faithfully reading my bible and look forward to it in the mornings. I write this blog to be an encouragement to others and to share God's Love, Grace, and Mercy.  Honestly, I haven't posted lately because I felt like it would be a venting post. I’ve needed to remind myself of God's truths. His love, goodness, faithfulness, grace and mercies are always there in every circumstance.  

Kenzi Caudill, of Blogs by Women, says, "Part of the wonderful mystery of God is that, while orchestrating everything for everyone in the whole world, He’s still 100% focused on YOU and is bringing you the right answer at the right time, if you only trust Him. Remember that just because I don’t feel like He’s working doesn’t mean that He isn’t. In fact, it’s precisely the opposite. The issue isn’t with His mission; it’s with my vision. Whether or not you see it, believe it, or feel it, God is always working on your prayers. Our prayers take on a greater sense of urgency, and we remind ourselves to trust. We continue to pray and wake every day with a sense of hopeful expectation that God’s answer is on the way! That is exactly what we should do and, sometimes, we do see His answers immediately! But what about when it’s days, weeks, or even months later and we still don’t see progress? Those are times when I’m so thankful that I’m a child of the God that we see in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

A Prayer for When You Feel Like Giving Up
Dear Jesus,
Sometimes the day can’t pass quickly enough…
While others fly by at lightning speed.
I can’t seem to keep up
With the pace of this world.
I’m tired,Lord.
My heart is weary and my spirit is weak.
I’m trying my hardest
To take the next step
To keep trying
To move on.
But between me and you, Lord,
I feel like giving up.
Help me remember the reason I began
Help me see the purpose behind Your plan
Provide the necessary grace
Keep me set upon Your face
To find strength for that next step
To discover faith to keep trying
To pause for this moment
And then move on.
In Jesus’ Holy name, Amen.

By: Rachel Wojo