Juicy Strawberry

This week I harvested my very first strawberry!!! I don’t think any words can describe the joy that I have experienced. The strawberry was sweet and juicy and was 100 times better than grocery store bought strawberries. I may be bias in my opinion and that’s ok. There are at least a dozen more green strawberries in my hanging baskets that I hope will be ripe in a week or so.

My squash plants are growing rapidly. Every day I stop by the buckets to see how much the plants have grown since I’ve been at work. I notice that my plants grow much faster when it rains rather than when I water them with H2O from the sink.

And of course my tomato plants… they are growing fairly fast but the steam is still pretty weak. My loving husband decided to take my tomato plants outside because nets have been admiring the plants all week as well. When I looked through the window and all tomato plants looked pretty weak, so I had to bring them back to the house. I don’t think they are quite ready to be replanted. In fact, one plant had to be doctored. I took a straw and stuck it in the dirt right next to the plant that looked like it was going to die any second. I then took a string of dental floss and tied the base of the plant to the straw allowing the plant to have support. In about 30 minutes the plant was back to normal. I think it was just a high maintenance plant.

As my garden continues to grow I realize how impatient I am with the whole process. Instead of waiting for the proper time when the plants are ready to produce on their own, I desire for the plants to produce on my timing. In that the Lord has reminded me how impatient I am in my prayer life. When I submit my requests to God, I expect for Him to acknowledge them right away and answer them on in my time and according to my ways. Thankfully Isaiah 55:8 reminds us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My way.”

Send Me, I'll Go...

Even though I knew that God would provide for my trip to Kenya, I still managed to stress about it because I did not know where the money would come from. I sent out a lot of support letters to family and friends but did not receive good response. This intensified my worries as the time was ticking and only small potion of the total costs was covered. My best friend suggested that I speak at her parents’ and grandparents’ Sunday school classes. However I still doubted that my trip would be possible because no way would $30 or $50 donations would cover the cost of my trip. But God proved me wrong! The Word of God says in 2 Tim 2:13, “If we are faithless, Christ will remain faithful”. Amen.

It was bright and sunny day. As I was driving to church to speak about my upcoming trip to Kenya, I was a little nervous about asking for people’s support. During the first Sunday school class, I received several checks and promises to support my mission trip. As I was walking out of the class to go to the next one, one lady stopped me and handed me a check. While walking to the next room, I opened the check and saw that it was for $500 dollars! “O, ye of little faith (Matt 8:26)”, the Lord gently spoke to me. I felt ashamed that I did not trust God’s provision. While sharing my calling to go to Kenya with another Sunday school, I felt much more confident that money will not be an issue. In fact, I received several more checks and promises of support along with $1000 dollars donation from one couple!!! Did you get this? Within two hours God covered almost half of my mission trip cost. I was so thankful for the obedience and kindness of the people that donated money to make my mission trip possible. The Word of God say in Phil 4:19, “God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Jesus Christ”. God had a plan for me to go to Kenya on a mission trip and He met all my needs.

As a mission trip date was approaching fast, I was amazed at how fast my account was growing that would cover my trip expense. Not only did God provided money to cover my trip, but He also provided enough to cover all the medical expense that was associated with going to Kenya. I should have never worried nor doubted God’s abilities as an ultimate provider. He knew my needs and He blessed me beyond my imagination. Now it was time for me to seat and wait until it was time for me to depart on my trip.

To be continued…

Saving Money on the Phone Bill

When I married Daniel, I was introduced to a very thrifty idea on how we can save money on our phone bill. Since we live in the area where cell phone signal is non existent, having a land line is a must. The absolute cheapest plan that we signed up for was $16 dollars a month. If you have a land line you know that phone companies love to attach all kinds of taxes and fees making the actual bill twice the original amount. Our cheap plan offered nothing fancy like caller waiting or caller ID, the only thing that the plan did offer was local area coverage. Hmmm… most of our friends and family live further than 30 minutes away, which means calling them would be considered long distance. This also means that if we call them using our current phone plan, our bill each month would be outrageous filled with extra charges.

Since we were trying to keep our phone bill low, my husband shared a money saving trick with me. When we call family and friends, we dial their number, let the phone ring several time and then hang up before they have a chance to answer it. Once they see our number (all of our family and friends have caller ID and long distant plans) they know to call us back. We then enjoy our conversation without stressing about the phone bill. This system has worked for us for almost 3 years now and saved us lots of money. If we do need to make a long distant call to someone who does not know our system, we use a calling card. In fact, one calling card ($10 in value) lasted us over 6 months.

Calling card or no calling card, you too can save money on your phone bill. If our calling system is not appealing to you, reduce your phone bill by canceling all the extra services like caller waiting and caller ID. Ask yourself if you really need these services. Yes, I can find lots of excuses to justify the convenience of knowing who is calling me. But I can live without this luxury and I promise you too can live without it. You may say that it is only $20 dollars more a month but that is also $240 dollars a year. There are many more ways to save money on the phone bill and I would love to hear from you. What is your money saving trick?

Send Me, I'll Go...

Shortly after my trip to Kenya, I was on my way to work (internship). Because I always parked 15 minutes away from work (not by choice), I would bring my ipod to make my hot and humid walk survivable. As I was humming to the tune of the song that was blasting in my ear, I felt that God was trying to get my attention. My heart began to race as the Lord began to call me on a mission trip back to Kenya. I started to gasp for air, as if I was having a panic attack and the calling was stronger and stronger for me to go after graduation to Africa.

“God, I don’t think I am ready. Ok, so I wanted to go back to Kenya, but not that soon. Plus, I really didn’t like eating goat meat, so how am I going to survive several weeks with no good food. Oh, yeah, showers… I am sure on a mission trip I will not have that luxury so what am I going to do? I really think you picked the wrong person for this task”, I told God quietly and continued to walk. At that moment, I was a mirrored image of Moses who gave lots of excuses for why he was not qualified for the job that God called him to do. But God’s reassured promise to always be with me was a gentle push to step out on faith and trust that God indeed hand picked me to go to Kenya. I love what Judges 6:16 says, “Surely I will be with you”

Feeling God’s presence made the rest of my walk to work enjoyable. I couldn’t help but smile and evidently it was very noticeable. As I passed by my co-workers, they asked me why I was glowing. “Because I am going to Africa”, I said without hesitation. Now I just had to figure out how I was going to get there. When I came home I started to look on internet for a Christian organization that would go on a mission trip to Africa during the summer time. I wanted to go for more than just 1 or 2 weeks, so my search began. Most organizations that I came in contact would travel to African countries for only 1 week. I began to give up hope until I came across AIM (Adventures in Missions). I found out that the organization is sending a group of young adults to Kenya for 4 weeks shortly after I would graduate from college. My application was complete and submitted within an hour. I now had to wait for AIM worker to conduct a phone interview after which I would find out if I would be going to Kenya.

It wasn’t too long after my application submission that I received a phone call for an interview. I shared my story about how God changed my desires and is calling for me to go on a mission trip to African countries. We prayed about it over the phone and before we hung up I was told that I was accepted and now just needed to send $100 to secure my spot. After I hung up the phone I wondered where in the world I am going to get $100 in two weeks to send for a deposit. I began to feel anxious despite the fact that the Word of God teaches us in Phil 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” It was almost bed time and I went to my bathroom to get ready. “God, I don’t know how I am going to afford this trip. I don’t even have $100 to send for a deposit”, I said with the sigh. As I opened the cabinet in my bathroom to put all the toiletries away, I jumped. There was two $20 dollars bills lying folded in the corner of the cabinet. How the money got there, I still do not know to this day. But what I do know is that God reassured me that day that He is my ultimate provider and that He will take care of my expenses for this trip.

To be continued….

Saving Money on Car Insurance

My husband is a great driver and he has several speeding tickets to prove it. So when we got married I switched my car insurance over to his, because of his loyalty to the company. Our insurance cost automatically dropped because I had a perfect driving record and we also received multiple vehicle discount. Everything was going great until we started our tightwad journey. I began to wonder if we could save money by switching to another company.

Cutting our expense was my goal so I began to call different companies in hopes of someone giving us a competitive quote. Finally I came across a very reputable company that was offering $50 discount to first time customers along with additional $20 dollars savings every 6 months. I figured out that in a first year we would save $90 and that made me very happy. We made the switch and never looked back. After a year of giving our business to this particular insurance company our rates began to look high, so I was once again on a quest to reduce our premiums.

My journey began by reading a cut out article that I saved that provided three different phone numbers for highly recommended insurance companies. I called the first one and was quickly informed that they do not sell insurance in my state. What a bummer! I proceeded to dial the number of the second suggested company. My conversation went as following:

Me: Hello!
Rep: Hi, how are you today?
Me: I am great and I hope you are too.
Rep: How can I help you today?
Me: I am looking for a car insurance quote. I have never heard of your company, but came across in a magazine article that suggested that you offer competitive quotes.

Pause

For a second I thought that I must have dialed the wrong number but finally representative started to speak again.

Rep: How old are you?
Me: 26 years old
Rep: I am sorry, but we only provide insurance to citizens 65 years and older.

I was so confused and wondered why the article did not inform me about this very minor detail. Calling the third number made me very nervous, but my fingers dialed the number quickly and I was waiting for someone to tell me, “Bingo! Third time is a charm and we can give you a completive quote.” When my phone call was finally answered a gentleman told me that he would be delighted to provide a competitive quote for me. He explained that www.insurance.com plugs all my information in the system first and then top 18 insurance companies compete for my business.

“Let’s compete!” I told him excitingly and he started the search. For some odd reason he told me the price for my already existing company and it was at least $20 more than what we were already paying. I was first confused, but then it dawned on me. This company is a middle man between me and the insurance companies, so they have to increase the price that insurance companies provide by X% in order to make some sort of profit. The representative then mentioned another price that he received from a different company and it was $100 cheaper a year that what we are paying now. However, I have never heard of this company and was not sure if I could trust them without doing a research first.

I wanted a well trusted reputable company to take care of our cars. I wrote down the name of the company that offered a lower payment and informed the rep that I first have to discuss with my husband if we want to make the switch. As soon as I hung up, I called back to my existing car insurance and was connected to the manager. Our conversation went as following:

Me: I just found out that the company X can offer me the same coverage as you for $100 less a year. If you will match the price, we will stay with your company.
Manager: Ok. How about I lower your payment to $X amount. This will enable you to save $150 a year.
Me: Ok, please document this in your system and I will call you back as time gets closer to make a payment.

Once I hung up, I wrote down on a piece of paper the name of the manger, his promise, the date and time of our conversation. This is very important, one day I may share with you how writing down all this information have strengthened my past cases, when my promises were not delivered. I was so excited that night that I couldn’t wait to tell my husband. He too was very pleased with the savings.

Before too long, I had to call the insurance company back to make the payment. I was greeted by a very nice lady and I explained to her that on such and such day at such and such time, Mr. so and so promised me a reduction in payment. She was able to pull up all the documented promises but while she was doing that we started to talk about our plans for the future. I found out that she was working on her master’s degree and one day hopes to help police solve crime cases. I was so comfortable talking to this rep, that if she was to ask my social security number I would have probably giving it to her without thinking twice about it. This nice rep then asked me about my level of education. I informed her that I have my undergraduate degree and was working on my mater’s degree. She then told me that I qualify for an additional discount, which reduced our rate by another $30 dollars. I wondered why no one reduced our rate 6 months ago, when we paid our premium. However, I was happy and very grateful for this discount.

Before hanging up with the rep, I asked when my husband’s tickets expire and wrote the dates down on a piece of paper. This very nice lady told me that one of my husband’s tickets will expire in two months. I would have to call a month before the expiration and ask customer service representative to take it off. He or she will then credit our account and that should reduce our payment by another $40 dollars. But if I do not call, the ticket will be taken off automatically only when the next payment period comes around, which is in 6 months. Letting our insurance company keep our money was not my plan, so I made sure that I wrote down ticket expiration date in a visible place.

The point of me sharing my experience with the insurance company is to show that companies want your business and will do anything to keep it, even if it means to give you a discount. So what are you waiting for my friend? Visit insurance.com and call to find out who offers a competitive price, write down the name of the company and call you current insurance provider. Let your provider know that you are thinking of switching to the X company but would love to stay with your current provider if they can match the price. If they say, yes they can match the price; you can do a happy dance. If they say no, then hang up and start looking for another insurance company. By taking 30 minutes of my time calling around and bargaining with our current insurance provider saved us over $210 a year on our car insurance premiums. Don’t be afraid to ask around, you will be surprised at the savings that companies are willing to give you.

Send Me, I'll Go...

As I wrote monthly checks to World Vision, God has faithfully provided for me every time I had a need. I love what Luke 12:29-30 says, “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things”. Seriously, I can tell you story after story on how God blessed and provided for me in some unexpected ways. Please know that when God calls you to do something, He has already provided you with all the means to do it. My God continued to develop my passion towards people in Africa. Many times on Saturday morning I would watch infomercials about sponsoring a child and tears uncontrollably would run down my face. I couldn’t believe that it was possible for people to live in such poverty. God has also begun to speak to me through His Word in Isaiah 61:1-3.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to
Those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified”.

While I wrote in my Bible that I feel God is telling me to share the good news in Africa, I wasn’t sure how I was going to go there. I envisioned one day traveling to Mozambique to visit my little boy that I sponsored but I knew that I couldn’t afford that trip any time soon. However, God’s plan was different from mine. He opened the door for me to travel to Kenya instead through a class that I took at USC my junior year. In fact, I was able to qualify for a scholarship that partially covered the cost of my trip. And God provided money for the rest of the trip through student loans. I was so excited to have a chance to walk the streets of Kenya yet I have to admit I was a little nervous about the trip and what my eyes would see.



My nervousness continued as I boarded the plane with about ten other students from my college. I am not a big fan of flying so seating for 16 hours on the plane was definitely not fun. Finally we arrived to Nairobi, capital of Kenya and I was confused. I thought that we must have taken the wrong plane, because this town looked like down town Charlotte, NC and not the place surrounded by poverty that I have seen on TV. My teacher confirmed that we were in Kenya. To be honest with you, I was a little disappointed in what I saw around me that day. However, during the next two week I was able to have a glance of real poverty as I saw from afar Africa’s largest slum. I witnessed disparity when two young boys stole my classmate’s purse. But my heart was broken when young children begged for money and food as we drove through the down town Nairobi. Before the trip was over, the Lord has soften my heart and I knew that one day I would like to visit Kenya again.

To be continued…

Save Money on a Hairstyle

My friend’s haircuts always look perfect. Beautiful highlights and carefully trimmed long locks accentuate her sun kissed skin tone. Working in the business office of a cosmetology school, she always gets latest and greats haircuts for free. Since free is my favorite word, I would admire her picture perfect haircuts and wish that I can get my haircut for free too. But, since I do not work at a cosmetology school, free hairstyles are not an option for me. As I have shared before with you, I barter with my co-worker in exchange for a haircut. If bartering for a haircut is not your cup of tea, the option that I am about to share with you may do the trick. Call a cosmetology school in your area and sign up for a trainee to cut and style your hair. Yes, you will have to pay, but it will be a fraction of what you would pay at a salon. This way, not only are you doing a favor for a trainee, by letting him or her practice on your hair. You are also receiving a favor back by paying pennies for a new hair color or a haircut.