Page 89 - Evidence of Things Unseen

our sixteenth wedding anniversary. We had not planned this date to coincide with our stay,
but the Holy Spirit revealed that there was significance to this event.
The number sixteen is eight times two, eight representing new beginnings. The Spirit
indicated that this would be a time of new beginnings for both of us. As I mentioned, Tony
and I had spent our honeymoon at Jekyll Island sixteen years earlier, and God returned us
to the same place to mark a fresh start in our marriage. While we were at Jekyll Island, I
also realized that we were now in our sixteenth month since God had called me out from
wage earning to trust Him for our family’s provision.
These were days of great grace for us, and we spent time as a family riding bikes,
taking walks, and visiting the many historic sites in the area. There was a fishing pier just
a couple miles down the road from our location, and my son said he would like to try to
catch some crabs while we were there. I told Josiah that we would have to wait on this
matter, due to the cost of the crab baskets, and string we would have to buy. A few days
later we walked to the pier and there were two crab baskets, with string attached, that
someone had left behind. Josiah was able to use them, and by this provision the Lord saved
us about fifteen dollars.
On our anniversary I wanted to do something special for Tony. I wanted to cook some
steaks over the outdoor grill provided at our site, but all the steaks I had seen at the little
store on the island were beyond my means to purchase them. The cheapest began at $7.99
per pound. I decided to go look one more time on the day of our anniversary. I found one
package containing two steaks toward the back of the meat counter that were marked $2.99
per pound. I could find no difference between these steaks and any of the other ones. I knew
God had shown me grace, for these steaks were $5.00 a pound cheaper than any of the
others, and five is the Biblical number for grace. Tony and I ate outside by candlelight,
sharing a wonderful meal together.
Another blessing we had during our stay involved a tour through the millionaires’
village on Jekyll. During the early 1900's, Jekyll Island was a favorite vacation spot for
America’s rich. Many “cottages” were built, along with an impressive hotel and a private
marina. The wealthy cottage owners and their visitors would arrive by boat to the island.
During World War II the rich tenants of the island were advised by the government to leave
due to a concern that the Germans might mount a surprise attack by u-boat, or other
means, and kidnap these rich industrialists and their families. The tenants never returned,
choosing rather to locate to other areas. The village and hotel have been maintained, a
museum built, and tours are offered daily. A trolley ride and tour of the homes normally
costs ten dollars per person, but on a single day of the year tours are offered for free, and
we happened to be there during that day.
God continued to show His hand of provision in various ways. A couple were camped
beside us in their motorhome, and they had no car with them. They wanted to go to town
one day, and when I saw the man beginning to unhook his motorhome I offered for he and
his wife to use our car. He was happy to take me up on this offer, and he brought the car
back with a full tank of gas, when it was only a quarter of the way full when he borrowed it.
We obtained another blessing when we drove to town and found a local burger
franchise selling their hamburgers for about fifty cents each. We loaded up our freezer in
the motorhome with them, and the children, Tony and I were able to pull one out and cook
it in our microwave oven (which was given to us free just before we left for Jekyll Island)
whenever we wanted a quick meal. In all of these things, and in many more ways, we saw
the hand of God carrying us through this time, and stretching our money in ways we could