There are so many people that had impacted my life so drastically that I wanted to take a picture of everyone together outside of the house church in Borisov, Belarus. After church was finished, we all went outside for the memory. There was not enough room within the small street to get a clear picture, so someone wisely went into the church and retrieved three pew benches for the back row to stand upon. It was a wonderful picture and just as it was taken all three benches clasped. Thank GOD no one was hurt, but the benches took the blunt of the injuries. I took it upon myself to fix the benches before the next church meeting. So, the next morning I went to the grandmother’s house and surveyed the damage. Receiving a hammer from her I started to remove the bent nails and straitened them. Looking at the long thin board that went from one side of the legs to the other, I decided to rebuild them in a different fashion. After cutting the long board and making braces on both sides of the legs and an angled support in the middle, the benches were repaired and even more sturdy with only a few inches of left-over material on each bench. One must use whatever one has in his hands because there is no Home Depot or Lowe’s to gain resources. I thank GOD for the simple things in life for I am not a carpenter, but I know a carpenter’s son named Jesus Christ and He gives wisdom as we pray and ask Him. Everyone was astonished that in the next Bible study there were just the right number of seats for everyone.
After my repair work was completed, the grandmother who allowed the church to gather in her small house, asked me to help her pick some apples. Seeing how I was there already and she was so generous to the family of GOD, I said yes. Going out back to her garden area, there was an apple tree and a small handmade ladder made out of sticks. I climbed the latter and started to pick the apples tossing them down to her that she caught in her apron and placed in large bags. The ladder was rickety at best and with me leaning from side to side to retrieve all the apples, it gave way and the top run broke. I tumbled down catching my legs in the next run and was hanging up side down not far from the ground. The grandmother was quite alarmed and ran towards me to help, but all I could do is laugh. How ironic it was that it was now I who was falling from the lack of support. Well, with only a few small pieces of wood left over from the benches and the few leftover nails, I was able to repair her ladder better than new. GOD is so good and He is our provider. When all the apple were picked, there were five full large bags of apples that she took down the street to a place that bought them from her to make apple juice. She was paid enough to purchase the potatoes needed for the upcoming winter. It intrigues me how GOD uses the simple things in life to bless the faithful. Thank you, Jesus!!!