The Single Mother and the Oatmeal

The Sabbath School lesson on stewardship a couple of weeks ago reminded me of a personal experience from years ago that I would like to share here. A young single mother of seven children moved to our area. She and her family were hiding from a very abusive and dangerous husband/father, and was struggling to provide for her children, as well as to keep them safe from the man who was trying to hunt them down and kill them. Though the oldest children were teens, she did not dare leave them home alone without adult supervision, so most of her income from her minimum-wage job was going for gasoline and child care. She had almost nothing left for groceries, rent, etc.

We were having struggles of our own at the time, as it was during a time when the construction industry was floundering, and my husband’s work was dwindling steadily, along with our income, but we wanted to do all we could to help this mother. Because I am a member of a cooperative food buying club that carries an inventory, I felt that the best way to help initially would be to purchase as food items from inventory as I could with the money I had left when I went to pick up my own order that month. Among the items I purchased for this family was a large bag containing 25 pounds of oatmeal. This would normally last my own family about a month, but this family was larger than mine, and due to the shortage of food supplies on hand, they were eating this oatmeal three times a day. (Thankfully, the whole family loved oatmeal.)

Several months later, when this mother finally was able to get financial assistance from the state, she told me that she had put the oatmeal in the freezer, and they scooped it out of the bag as they needed it. At first, the level had gone down quite rapidly, but when they had nearly reached the bottom of the bag, and expected to run out soon, at that point the level of oatmeal in the bag continued to remain the same. For several months they continued to eat oatmeal from that same bag, until their welfare went through, when the oatmeal finally was used up from that bag.

God still works miracles today to help those who place themselves in his hands. We may feel that we can do little to help those who are in great need, but if we do our little, God can multiply our efforts, as He did for the widow who fed Elijah, and as He did with the young boy’s lunch.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

Amen and amen!

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Even so come, Lord Jesus
Linda

That made me cry. It is so amazing how God works! Praise His holy name! Thank you Jesus for working in our lives so faithfully.

Wendy
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Maranatha!!!

Cathy,

Wonderful story! It reminds me of something that happened to me in 1977. My son and I attended Soquel Campmeeting in August and stayed on afterwards a few days. The last day we were there before going back home to Sacramento, I wanted to take him along the coast of the bay and show him our Academy, Monterey, Carmel and the 17-mile Drive.

In my wallet was a $5 bill, four ones and a little over $2 in change. The gas tank was full. However, I knew that if we went that far and spent money for lunch and the 17-mile Drive, we wouldn't have enough gas to get back home.

I prayed that God would keep the gas tank full if that was His will so we could get home. So we took off for our day of fun in the sun. The first stop was at K-Mart to get some hair spray. That took over half the change.

As we drove thru Castroville and past Fort Ord, I noticed the gas guage was slowly going down. I just kept praying.

When we got to the 17-mile Drive, I used the $5 bill to pay the entrance fee of $4 and the rest of the change to buy a little map of the different movie stars homes. We also stopped at a grocery to buy some things for lunch - and some ice cream bars.

When we returned to the campground late that evening, the gas tank was very close to empty. We went to bed wondering how we were going to get back home the next day.

When we woke up in the morning, after breakfast my son went to take his shower. I sat down on my bed and pulled my wallet out of my purse. Letting out a big sigh, I opened it to see the damage...

What do you suppose I saw???

YEP!

a $5 bill, four ones and a little over $2 in change!!!!

Writing this just now I can still feel the way I felt staring at that money!! I've always gotten a thrill out of thinking of my angel getting a big kick out of putting that in my wallet while we slept

I can imagine the fun the angel had replacing the oatmeal too! Aren't we gonna have fun in heaven talking with them and seeing the expressions on their lovely faces as they tell us "The Rest of the Story"

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Look up!!! He's coming!

When the kids were very little, we were soon to be between cars again without funds for a down payment much less payments. At table grace we began to claim the Malachi tithe promises about a car.

For the nest decade and a half God impressed some one to give us a car till we moved from Alabama up here to Ohio. God is a long term God. Get Linda to fill you in on the details.

Karen glad to see you here. You ought to tell others about your adventures with Real Player and a cd-burner & Net 99. That is an answer to others prayers too, though you knew it not at the time.

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Edward F Sutton

quote:

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Karen glad to see you here. You ought to tell others about your adventures with Real Player and a cd-burner & Net 99. That is an answer to others prayers too, though you knew it not at the time.

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OK, Ed! Are you gonna elaborate, or just leave me hanging like that?

And where do you suggest I post this wild adventure of mine??

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Look up!!! He's coming!

That's a switch somebody want ole never wordless to talk MORE

Post in in this forum as part of YOUR Testimony & I will elaborate later.

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Edward F Sutton

Cathy

This is a wonderful testimony! God is able! I can see I need to visit the testimony forum more often.

I have one that I will share soon. Just out of time for now.

When I visit your area, I'll know where to go for a good breakfast of oatmeal!

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Soul winning is soul loving.
see 1 Thes.5:14-15).

Your brother in Christ

David T. Battler

I'm glad to know of somebody who likes oatmeal. We have it for breakfast almost every day and my kids all hate it. I don't think my daughter even has any in her house, now that she is in her own home.

Cathy,

I hated oatmeal too growing up. Now I eat it without cooking it. It is very chewy and has a delicious taste. I even take a flavored packet of the instant, like maple syrup, and sprinkle some of it over the plain to sweeten it up a bit. Gives my teeth alot of exercise this way, and now I finally like it

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Look up!!! He's coming!

Hope that oatmeal is precooked, ask Linda about the tech specs about uncooked (nonhydrolized ) starches in the body.

Ed Sutton

[This message has been edited by Edward F Sutton (edited January 03, 2001).]

Dr. Lorraine Day advocates eating oatmeal raw, soaked for an hour or so in juice or water. She insists that this preserves the enzymes needed to digest it properly. We ate it that way for awhile, during the summer.

But all of those people who insist that anyone who has any kind of health problems could completely restore their health if they would copy Dr. Day's diet and eat 75% of their food raw and drink enormous amounts of carrot juice (yes, I have had them beating me over the head with this nonsense, and I do NOT appreciate it, especially when they tell me they know they should eat that way themselves and they don't!!!! ) do not realize that it is a departure from the counsels God has given us through Sister White if we were all to eat the way she does.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

[This message has been edited by Cathy Sears (edited January 04, 2001).]

Cathy,

You said "do not realize that it is a departure from the counsels God has given us through Sister White if we were all to eat the way she(Dr Day)does."

Would you please elaborate further? I don't understand what you are saying. Thanks

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Look up!!! He's coming!

Cathy, Karen, All,

I posted an article written by Dr. Agatha Thrash in the Healthy Diet and Recipes Forum in the topic titled Grains . . . Cook'em, Cook'em, Cook'em. I hope you will read the article and continue the discussion of how grains should be eaten in that forum since this is the testimony forum. Thank you.

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Even so come, Lord Jesus
Linda

Karen, I will address this topic in the Healthy Diet & Recipes section as soon as I have time to get together the SOP quotes to show what I am talking about.

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The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever.

Yes, I just finished reading the article Linda posted there and am also interested in this discussion being continued there.

In fact, it would also be a good idea for those of you who posted here to repost there what you already posted here.

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In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

Wow Oatmeal a topic

But it does underscore our need of knowing how anatomy & physiology & the laws of nature work together. Sr White could not digest the 5 chain pentose polysaccaride(sugar) in beans & possibly other legumes. To her they were a source of pain & gas & a very upset digestive system.

Not everybody can eat everything with benefit, and others need more of somethings than others.

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Edward F Sutton