$50.31
It's a number I will never forget because it represents God's provision and a dear child of His obediently caring for our family.
My friend called me up one day while our family was raising support to come to Australia and work with the indigenous church developing resources in Kriol, and distributing the Kriol Baibul. She told me that she had spoken with her husband about supporting our family in the work God had called us to do, even though she had just lost her job (and 1/3 of their family's income!). She asked her husband, "Couldn't we just support the Mullets?" But he was realistic (being an engineer--a generous engineer), "You just lost your job! We should be cutting our support of missionaries, not adding another one."
My friend persisted. "Couldn't we just live carefully, spend wisely this month, and see what we have left, and give THAT to the Mullets?" Her husband graciously agreed.
When she called on the phone she said, "We usually support our missionaries with $50 per month. But I wasn't sure what we would be able to support your family with...But God provided, and at the end of the month we had $50.31 left over after all of our expenses! So, we are going to support the Mullets at $50.31 per month. And I won't leave off the .31 on our checks to you, because it's a reminder to me of God's faithfulness."
Our whole family was blessed through this family's kindness toward us, and my friend's desire to give all she could. She consistently remembered our family in prayer as well. She would use landmarks or objects to remember to pray for people. She told us that whenever she drove down a certain street she prayed for "so and so" because she had done something with her there. Then she said, "And I remember to pray for your family every time I look at the word "Precept" because I first met Cheri at (Bible) Precepts class. And since I'm a Precepts leader, you can guess how often I see that word!"
When our son went through kidney failure and dialysis, Tina was one who regularly read our blog and continued to pray for our son. She was a blessing from the word go.
Tina Downey will be dearly and truly loved and missed. Each time she is remembered, she will be remembered with love and honor. She was a blessing in life and I am truly saddened by her passing. However, she has blessed and inspired me and our family to trust the Lord, and give it all you've got! May God bless and keep her family during this time of sadness and mourning. We will be praying for you all and are so grateful for the chance we had to get to know Tina and your family. We are looking forward to the day when we will meet again.
