Romans 2:11 tell us "there is no respect of persons with God." What He has done in my families life He will do in yours. Truly the Lord has done exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think. When the accident happened that took our children lives, financially we were just barely hanging on. Tom and I had a sign business in which he carved wooden signs. When He became ill the business could no longer operate. I had a small ceramic business which used to be our "mad" money, yet during those days when he was in and out of the hospital it was the only thing that was putting food on the table. After the accident, when our daughter lie in a hospital for 25 days I would not work. I just couldn’t. I remember praying, "Lord, you are going to have to do something, I just can’t work. I have to be at the hospital. Lord, you have to do something."  Up to this time I had tried to handle the burden of our finances myself. And the Lord let me, but when I gave up and depended totally on Him, He began to move. The local newspapers and television picked up on the devastation that had happened to our family. One of our neighbors started the "Rose Family Trust" for us. Many churches took up donations. Others presented the need and allowed their members to do as they felt lead. There were donations from The First Assembly of God, The Church of God, Two local Baptist Churches, The Episcopal, The Catholic, First Methodist, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ as well as some independent congregations. In addition to the support of the churches, there was the incredible support from the community as a whole. At the County Fair and Youth Show that year, a beef cow was put up for auction. A gentleman whose name we do not even know purchased a cow from the 4H Club. He said, "You can bid on the cow but you will not receive the meat. All the proceeds from its sale will be donated to the Rose Family Trust, and the meat will be donated to their family." The cow was sold three times. It was so successful that two other hogs were also donated and sold in the same manner.   In addition, a butcher volunteered to process the meat, with half of the cow and one of the hogs going directly to us. The remainder of the meat was sold at "butchered" prices, and this money was also given to us. A freezer donated by the Northwest Volusia Fern Growers was given to us to store the meat. By the time it was all said and done that particular project had raised almost $8,000.One afternoon I answered the phone and the man on the other end of the line identified himself as the local president of the U.S. Postal Service Letter Carriers Union. When he found out that he had reached me, he began to cry. "Oh, Mrs. Rose we just have to do something. We are so sorry for you and your husband and daughter. We want to help. We have taken up a collection from all the different postal workers. I need to know what to do with it." I told him that he could deposit it into the Rose Family Trust. Then he went on to say. "This is not all we plan to do. We are making up fliers to distribute to our postal customers. We are encouraging them to give to your family in the name of their postal worker. We wish we could do more."  His voice was still shaking with emotion as he said goodbye. I could go on and tell you about drives done by the local schools and colleges. Or other benefits held by local businesses. The bottom line is that within a matter of weeks our community, with help from government programs, paid off the over $400,000.00 in hospital bills and we had enough money to live on for over a year. The Lord knew we needed time to heal. And He supplied every need according to His riches in glory. God is able; there is nothing He cannot do. No need is too large or too small. God wants you to live the abundant life. It is His good pleasure to bless his children. Do not look at your job as your source of blessing even thought the Lord might use your job. Do not look at other people as your source of blessing, even thought He might use those around you. Look unto Jesus; line your words up with His words. Do not speak lack or poverty into your life. Stand up and boldly confess; The Lord is the strength of my life, in Him will I trust. For He has made me the head and not the tail, He has blessed me coming in and going out. My basket and my store are blessed. And He supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus. Cast down those fears that would exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. Declare that He is your Jehovah-Jireh the God that Provides, because He watches over His word to perform it.

Marilyn Rose