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We trust the Lord for everything: from our salvation to our daily needs. He has never let us down. Granted, He has called us to live frugally and deny ourselves, but He has always provided for our needs. Here are just a few stories of His amazing provision for us...
Low Cost of Living
January 2004 - We started off the month by taking a two week survey trip down the Baja Peninsula all the way to La Paz (about 900 miles south of Tijuana). There were two main purposes in doing this: 1. To see where there is the greatest need and 2. to find out what is the actual cost of living . It turned out to be a very revealing trip for us. We were ever more burdened with the need in Baja South. With a population of almost 1 million souls, there exist only 5 Bible preaching Baptist churches in the entire southern state. We also found that the cost of living is quite a bit lower than our pre-set support level (we're switching to a different mission agency which will allow us to immediately head for Mexico with a low support level and trust the Lord).
Hitting a Cow
On our way back up from the bottom of the Peninsula, we spent three nights driving so we could make better time. On one of these nights, just after dark, as we crested a small hill, my lights fell upon a cow in the center of my lane. In México the roads have little to no shoulder, and in this particular place there was no where to go but straight in to the cow… and that’s exactly what we did. I hit him going about 25 MPH , with a very loud thud. Now a cow is a very large animal, and I knew for sure that I had just totaled the front end of our van in the middle of México, and even worse we were in the middle of a 220 mile desert. I pulled over as soon as I could to assess the damage and to see what I would have to do. As I began to check for damages I marveled! We had received a deposit of fur on the bumper, and a small dent the size of a spoon in our hood. WE HIT A COW!! And basically had no damage. I firmly believe that God was protecting us in answer to those that have been praying for us. Please continue! We then continued on to our next church in Brawley, CA (East of San Diego), and then to Arizona to visit with my cousin Tom Lucatorta, we enjoyed a great time of fellowship, and we were able to see their ministry with the Apache Indians.
God Provides Dinner
The change of our mission board in March of 2004 (enabling us to immediately leave for Mexico with a low support level) brought on several changes. The most noticeable was the change from receiving our support regularly to receiving all our support only once a month. Although this is very handy for planning our monthly expenses, this meant that our first month on the mission field (April) would be met without any income. Knowing the first month would be harder than normal, I had saved sufficient money to amply cover the expenses during this time. Well, I firmly believe that the Lord had other plans for us. Shortly after we arrived in Mexico, Josiah spent 4 days in the hospital, costing all the extra money we had saved. During this time, we experienced the most serious financial struggles we have ever had in our lives. About seven different times, we ran out of money and food, but every time, almost miraculously, God provided for our needs. I wish that I could share a day by day account of how God provided during this time because I believe you would be very encouraged, but space does not permit. I would, however, like to share one example of how God provided for us during this time.
One Sunday evening, we went to church knowing that we didn’t have anything to eat for dinner after church. Just before we went home, after the service had ended, brother Oscar invited our family over to his taco shop to have dinner. We were delighted to go, and that took care of dinner. The next day, we received a gift from our church deposited in our bank. Well, the story doesn’t end there. Just this past weekend (2 months later) we had Oscar and his family over for dinner and shared with them how the Lord used him in our life to provide for us during this difficult time. Then he told us this story: the evening he had invited us to eat we had eaten about 50 tacos, but that weekend he made significantly more money than he normally does. The Lord used him to provide for us and the Lord blessed him for giving. What an exciting testimony!
A Medical Bill We Couldn't Pay - but He Could Handle
So many exciting things have happened since our first month of "testing" in Mexico, and God has bountifully supplied for our family. In the story above I shared how our youngest son was in the hospital for 4 days. What I didn’t mention is that we do not have insurance. The bill after 4 days amounted to a bit over $12,025. I paid what I was able to ($1,000) and asked what type of payment plan we could arrange. I figured the Lord knew very well that we didn’t have insurance, and that likewise He must want to teach me to trust Him even if it involved making $50 a month payments for the next 4 years. After speaking with the financial counselor, I was told to fill out a few papers and, if we qualified, they will sometimes write-off a part or all of the bill. Well, I filled out the papers and at the end May, we received a letter from the hospital saying they had chosen to write off the entire bill! Praise the Lord.
God's Provision of Land
After moving to Mexico, we started our ministry in Rosarito - working in a Mexican church. Although I had the privilege of preaching, soul-winning and helping with the music in Rosarito, our burden and calling lies about 750 miles south. We planned on moving further south in early 2005.
Obviously, we would need a place to live. We have always had the desire to buy a piece of property where we could build a home for our family, as well as housing for visitors (national workers, visiting families, relatives and youth groups or pastors). A goal that the Lord has laid on my heart is to build a little farm or ranch, a place where we will live for the duration of our time in México. Kind of a home base for our family.
We began to pray during family devotions that if this was the Lord’s will He would provide the money. Without even knowing our plans, a lady gave us a gift of $9,006. I called to thank her and shared that we were planning to buy land to use as a new ministry base, and she was very pleased. She then shared what happened. Originally, she had several uses for the money, but the Lord seemed to close the door on the others so she asked the Lord, “do you really want me to give it all to the Lockwoods?” Amazingly, she didn’t even know what we were praying or planning. When we let God do the work, He gets all the glory.
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