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 We
faced trouble financially because our medical school loans were so hard to
repay after Dr. Kai beat me up and threatened to shoot me. The losses
continued for many years. One day there was terrible stress over threats
from the school loans. God knew my mother heart was thinking of our
children and how they could get enough to eat. We found large bags of
beans, rice, lentils, and were preparing for the worst.
A friend called up and told us where we could glean potatoes. Just at the same time the lawyer had bad news for us. God provided a way out. We gleaned over 600 pounds of free potatoes. They were organically grown and so fresh and delicious. While we were gathering these wonderful potatoes, there was a memory of gratitude that came to me. It was something that happened five years before. |
 Again
pressed by school loan repayment problems, we were short on food for
feeding our family.
I prayed to God about it. I reminded Him of Malachi 3:9-10. We had returned our tithe and also given all we could give to help spread the gospel. We had even given extra to make sure if we missed tithe, it was all paid up. A huge semi full of potatoes just harvested there in Othello was headed down the road in the fog. He missed the stop sign and failed to turn left at the "T" in the road. He ploughed into the ditch, turned over and diesel spilled. His huge load of potatoes was all over the ground. Some had diesel on them but others were begging to be gathered up. I felt sorry for the loss to the farmer and to the truck driver but thanked God for about 1,000 pounds of potatoes. |
 Besides
the normal boiled, baked, fried, and mashed potatoes, we came up with some
creative uses of potatoes.
This one is a quick microwave one. After slicing the potato and putting in little pieces of sweet pepper and dribbling on some gravy, it is covered with plastic wrap and microwaved for 3- 5 minutes. I made up a recipe for non dairy gravy that used a blended up a potato. I used a tablespoon full of cashews, a cup of water, a couple tablespoon fulls of flour, nutritional yeast, then added seasonings of onion powder, salt, a tiny bit of garlic, and sweet basil. The boiled potato added, thickened up the gravy real nice. |
 These
potato boats were a real favorite.
The potatoes are baked, cut in half, scooped out and mashed potatoes are prepared with whipping them in water and the gravy mentioned above. The skins are toasted a little before putting in the mashed potatoes. Then they are topped with home made non dairy "cheese". This cheese is made just like the gravy mentioned above but added to it is a tiny jar of pimento or cooked red sweet pepper. This is baked for just a little bit to make it toasty. Also added on top was chopped or sliced olives. |
 Here
is another rendition of potato boats. |
 Potatoes
have protein, vitamin C and many good elements in them besides starch. It
really helped to fill the hungry tummies of the four children.
We are so thankful to God for providing for all our needs. He did it in such abundance, it was hard to find room for all the potatoes He gave us. As the Giver of every blessing, God claims a certain portion of all we possess. This is His provision to
sustain the preaching of the gospel. And by making this return to God, we are to show our appreciation of His gifts. But if we withhold from Him that which is His own, how can we claim His blessing?
If we are unfaithful stewards of earthly things, how can we expect Him to entrust us with the things of heaven? It may be that here is the secret of unanswered prayer. {COL 144.4} |
