We're being trendy and starting a blog!

So it seems like everyone is blogging these days, especially newlyweds who want to keep everyone updated on their new and exciting life! I guess we'll just try it out and see how it goes. I (Liz) might even be the only one writing on this, but maybe Jon will surprise me and write too!
The main reason I suddenly got the urge to blog was because of some cool stuff happening to us lately. We've been feeling stressed financially lately, with Christmas coming up and so many bills to pay. Jon and I both decided that we would take classes during the winter semester, so we had to figure out how to pay for school on top of our normal bills. I had no idea how we were going to do it. Sadly, the last thing I thought of was to trust that God would provide and pray that He'd help us find a way to make everything work. This past weekend, I had just gotten home from depositing our paychecks in the bank, and I was looking in the cupboard for a piece of paper so I could make a grocery list. I pulled out a pile of junk, and on top was an envelope, which was opened. I pulled the card out, and it was a wedding card that someone had mailed us in October, and inside was a check! I have no idea why we opened it, left the check inside, and then tossed it into the cupboard with a bunch of other stuff, but obviously God knew we'd need it later. It was the best surprise...and something I never would have expected to find.
Yesterday, I went down to the pharmacy in the building where I work to pick up a refill. When I called for the refill last week, the woman had told me that I had no co-pay at all- the medicine would be free (which surprised me cause nothing is ever free when it comes to insurance..)! But when I went to pick it up yesterday, it turned out that they had entered the prescription under a different person's file with the same exact name, and SHE had no co-pay. I actually had no coverage at all, so my doctors office would have to try to get my insurance company to cover the meds. I was prepared to have to just pay for it without insurance. But...the women in the pharmacy are so sweet, and one of them went to another doctors office in the building and ended up getting me samples, so I'm all set for the month and didn't have to pay a ton of money! Today, the doctors office called me and told me that although they can't call the insurance company to get the meds covered, they will just give me samples for free each month!
Finally, Jon just texted me with a cool story. He is really into working out every day, and drives about 20 minutes each way to a gym in Highland. He loves that gym, and is starting to get to know people there, but it's a long way to drive when he could be going to a gym practically within walking distance of our apartment. So he cancelled his membership at the old gym and joined a new one close to where we live. On top of the new gym being cheaper, Jon will also save a lot of gas cause his car isn't exactly known for getting great gas mileage. He was excited to switch, but I was a little worried about the start-up fee that he'd have to pay to start the new membership. Here I was worrying about how we were going to pay the rent and he's getting a gym membership! Once again, I should have trusted that God would provide, but silly little me, I didn't. Anyways, Jon is at work right now, and texted me that a woman who worked at World Gym (where Jon just joined) was at the checkout next to where Jon was working, and somehow it came up that she worked there and he told her he had just signed up. She told him she'd waive the start-up fee! That's when it hit me that we should have just been trusting God this whole time. It reminded me of this verse:

'Don't try to hoard money, or buy lots of things. Someone will only steal them. Store up your treasure with God, where no one can rob you. You have to choose. Will you spend your life getting rich, or will you do what God wants? You can't do both. You are such worriers. You worry about what you are going to eat and what you are going to wear. There is more to life than food and clothes. Look at the birds flying overhead. God takes care of them and he cares much more about you. Look around you. See how God dresses the wild flowers. Not even famous King Solomon had clothes as beautiful as theirs. So don't spend your life worrying. Do what God wants and he will give you all you need. You can trust him.' Matthew 6:25-34

Hopefully this was as encouraging to everyone as it was to me! Until next time...