fish (and other provisions)

"FISH!"  Cali shrieked for joy.  "Mama I saw some FISH!!!!"  She leaped off the couch and came tumbling over to the stove where I was trying to get dinner cooking, and she began to pull on my leg.  "Fishies, fishies, I saw fishies!"

"Fish?" I asked absent-mindedly.  "What are you talking about Cali?"  I was sure there were no fish in our livingroom.  But I glanced toward the door and saw four crappies and one white bass dangling just outside the window on a stringer.  Next I saw Jevon's face, also peering in the window.  He laughed when I spied him, and he flung open the door with an air of triumph.  I quickly changed the menu for the evening to fresh crappie fillets.

Fish from the lake is just one avenue of God's provision for our table these days.  When we left Wisconsin, we promised you stories of how God would provide for us while we were here in school.  The hard part is deciding which stories to tell you...since we see His provision for us in so many different ways.  Occasionally God has provided through a surprise check from a friend or in our mailbox.  Once our apartment was "broken into" by someone (we don't know who), someone who left groceries piled on our kitchen table, and in the fridge. 
During the peak of harvest season, local people donated lots of produce to the school here and we had even more abundance of fresh vegetables than we would have had if we had stayed in Wisconsin tending our own garden and yard. 
A fellow student even found wild watercress growing down on the creek this summer, and showed me how to harvest and cook it.

Oh, and did I mention that the bait with which Jevon caught those crappies and white bass last night was a surprise gift from a local "hill-Billy" Christian who has befriended us?

God's complete provision for our first semester school fees through savings, and through you who have given financially for our training, is amazing to us, too.

SOOO...God's bountiful provision is one thing we are always thankful for.  We are so glad that He has made it possible for us to be here at the missionary training center, pressing forward toward the goal of reaching tribal people groups with the Truth of God. 
If you have a spare moment this week...send us an e-mail and tell us something you are thanking God for right now.  We'd love to hear it.  We are praying for you...

Love,
Danica for the Rich family