I grew up poor. We knew that there was no extra money, but we never went hungry, always had clothing, and had a home. We never had a new car, braces on our teeth, or expensive trips, vacations, or toys. We walked a lot of places, in part because my mother never drove an auto.
And, in retrospect, there were many benefits from our relative poverty. My family had no money for college, so my older brother and I both went to the US Naval Academy. We both graduated, and we both benefitted greatly from the excellent education and training we received, and the professional job we automatically gained after graduation. I am so happy that G^d worked that out--as He did.
Brenda's family was similar to ours in many ways. They had sufficient funds, but not much excess.
With 5 children, Brenda and I deliberately decided that I would earn the income and she would take care of our children and home. She home-schooled some of our kids about 5 years. In due time, all 5 of them would go to U of AL, where they got half-tuition since I worked there. They all graduated with NO debt. Thank you L^rd.
Never have we had a new home or a new car. Our kids were never given a new car or designer anything. They were raised modestly and we lived economically. To this day, we, or at least I, have a hard time easily spending money. As missionaries we sometimes spend donor's money, but we still are extremely tight with it.
Because of our economical thinking, we find ourselves in a strong financial position in our retirement. Old habits are hard to break, so it takes thought and effort to spend more than minimal funds.
But that is a great benefit of growing up poor. Thanks be to God.
Great testimonial.
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