Testimonies
My testimony is about our family of six living by faith and within our means, before we entered the era of credit card living...
Wanting to share the love of Christ we had recently discovered, our church family sent us off with their blessing, prayers and donations; returning us to the old neighborhood of my husband’s youth. Leaving the suburbs of Olympia, Washington with four young children, ages 13, 12, 11 and 9, we arrived in Liverpool, England; settling uncomfortably in the antiquated cobbled streets of the inner city.
The generosity of his family was heartwarming, welcoming their brother’s American family into their arms. But making ends meet was a daily struggle for each of them and the honeymoon soon ended. We began collecting the eleven pound family allowance at the post office each Tuesday afternoon.
I used envelopes, labeling them Rent (due weekly) Milkman (due every other day upon delivery) Bus Fares & Lunches (all four kids had to take public transportation to and from school daily) Baths (all six of us went to the public bathhouse on Wednesdays and Saturdays) Laundry (I did the washing on bath days). Whatever was left went into the envelope marked Groceries & Misc. The envelopes perched behind candle holders on the mantle over the coal fire (One hundred- weight of coal was delivered through the back gate monthly).
It was a day of celebration when a check arrived from back home. Initially, it had been adequate for our basic needs, and we trusted God for our provision. The hundred years’ old stone church with the sparse congregation soon adopted us. We were blessed with army blankets, blocks of lard (to cook chips), and wallpaper.
We had the privilege of having as guests in our sitting room, believers from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, with their delightful brogues and lilts tickling our ears with happy choruses of praise to God, accompanied by guitars and tambourines.
Clothing our brood in school uniforms kept the need for outfits to a minimum but as they were at the growing-like-weeds stage, keeping them in shoes alone was a challenging feat. And did you ever know a child who didn’t occasionally lose a coat, hat or gloves? Or have an appetite to match that growth?
Thankfully, our family had a favorable influence on the personal faith of our British counterparts. Through hardship and blessing, our children have never forgotten the valuable lessons of How to Make Ends Meet from 1974-1976.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
I really enjoyed thistestimony of your time in the UK- especially your ears being tickled by the various dialects- did you learn to speak (or probably the youngsters did) with a Scouse accent I wonder?
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 1044 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Bella Rossiter or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 1044 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.