(By Anna Aquino) “Are you sure?” I could feel myself clutching the pen as I started to write the check. “Yes.” My husband was insistent. “That’s what I feel we need to give.” I quickly did the math in my head. We did have that amount in our checking account, but it was the amount that I needed to go grocery shopping. I could see the faith in my husband’s eyes. I knew if he was this sure, then it had to be God. I struggled. Really?  When the offering was announced to send money for food for an organization, I was all about donating something. But my grocery money?  Surely my husband must have heard wrong.
I sighed. I tried to ignore the internal turmoil about the amount or thoughts of where we would get food for the two weeks, and I wrote the check. I wish I could tell you this had been an easy choice for me at the time, but today over 14 years later, I remember how nervous I was at that moment. I can remember going to our home and looking at our pantry. Like many Americans, we had way more than we needed. Surely, I reasoned in my head, I could get creative in my cooking, and we’d have enough of something to stretch for the next two weeks until pay day. The days began to roll by, and I found I was getting more and more creative with meals. About 10 days into this adventure, we were down to barely anything. CONTINUE