Well, Elijah got the garden all plowed up with the rent tractor, looks like a BIG area out there!! When you live on a farm it just seems a tractor is a "need." We had one for many years but just used it to death, so now we rent one as needed until God provides. We have been praying for about 4 years at least. Elijah, every night makes this request when we gather together as a family and now he even has the little ones say "pray for tractor." I remember Joel and Josiah speaking those words but in their very little voices. Elijah has to be a man of faith, he has already bought a plow, a hay spike and a harrow with his own money for the future tractor. Now you might call that presumption, but I think I will call it faith!! So I share this bit of history with you because when the Lord provides I want you to be able to remember how long the prayers have been prayed and may it be a story and testimony for you to not give up. We do not know when the Lord will answer, maybe soon, maybe in years, but Elijah has taken a step of faith and put the "cart before the horse."
So here is a testimony unto our Great God.......
On Sept. 4th, last month, we were all sitting around the dinner table finishing up and the dogs began barking, I went over and looked out the window and there was a car. I could not tell who it was yet, so I went outside and walked towards the car. It was Freda, a widow neighbor that lives about 1 1/2 miles away. She is the lady that has let us put our cows on her land for no charge and on occasion Elijah goes over and mows for her. We really do not see her that much. As she sat in the car and some of the children started spilling out form the house, she said she came over to talk and "make a deal!" She wanted to get out, so I helped her make it over to the patio and we sat down. By now everyone is sitting around and listening to her. She is mostly directing her talk to Elijah and says she wants to make a deal, do some business, but she said looking to Terry, " I am glad your here too, but it looks like he is pretty smart, (referring to Elijah) She says she's in the process of getting things squared away and many people have wanted to buy her tractor, but she just was not ready yet. So we have a hint that the tractor is the business and Elijah's eyes are BIG as GOOSE EGGS with excitement!!!! But first she goes on a rabbit chase of talking about many things, people who lived out here, the railroad, how her and her husband built our house some 40 years ago and I can not even remember all the stuff she was saying. She finally comes back to the tractor and says she wants to sell it to Elijah. She tells us all about it, she just got it out of the shop and its all ready to go. Elijah had seen the tractor over there and even mentioned one time if she was going to sell it. He knew it was a great tractor!!! It was so hard to sit and be patient because she kept taking about many other things. She was even close to getting up and leaving but she had not mentioned the price yet, so she remembered and said she wanted a certain price and told us it came with a brush hog, a tiller and a box blade! Elijah bout fell out of his seat at this point and said, "I'll buy your tractor!" She told him, he could pay some now and some later and Elijah said I can write you a check now. She got a kick out of that and said, "I did not know you were so rich!!" She went on to say that she would get some papers ready and we would hear from her next week. Her house and land is near us but she lives in town because of her health. She is smart as a whip but she has difficulties getting out in weather and she is not suppose to drive but she said, she does. Several things came up, weather and her not feeling good so we had to wait when she was ready and she had a couple of things she wanted done around her place with the tractor. Finally this last Friday she calls Elijah and says she will meet him at the land and he can get the tractor and all the implements. What a day he was waiting on!!!!!!!!! SO WE HAVE A TRACTOR!!!!! And it was a major good price!!!!! This is an amazing answer to a prayer that has been prayed for soooooo long. I know we have prayed for a tractor in the evenings for all of Josaih's life, so that's 6 years. It has not been an easy wait at times, we've rented tractors and questioned why we had to wait so long when farm work needs done with a tractor, Elijah has thought, "I'm just gonna go buy one!" (let the bank buy it) But besides the wait, this is a great "stone" for all our family! God does answer prayer. Its really kinda funny how it all happened, it literally came to our "door!!" I told Elijah the other night, "don't say God doesn't open the windows of heaven and drop things down." Elijah has worked and saved for a Loooonnnnngg time. He has looked, researched and read about everything about tractors. This one will be a great tractor for our farm. Its a Kubota, 26 horsepower with 4 WD, has the front loader which was a real need for farm work. It will be a major blessing come winter and the big round hay bales need moving around. Last year we had to ask folks to help with their tractor. We are so thankful and wanted to share what the Lord hath done!! We want it to be an encouragement for YOU NOT to give up, but keep asking, seeking, knocking!!! A desire fulfilled is a tree of life!! Keep going back and back as the widow, yet with an attitude of "according to your will." Hope your hearts are blessed!
P.S. Keep your eyes open for Bethany's blog and all her goatie and new buck info.....exciting!!!!
