Nov. 22, 1996

My wife, Kathy, suffers from MD or Muscular Dystrophy and retired from teaching about 15 months ago. Before Kathy stopped working she was making over $35,000 a year with her Masters Degree in teaching. When the superintendent of schools asked for a volunteer, Kathy transferred from one public schools to another, for more money. She had gone back to teaching 4 & 5 year old kids. Kathy had not asked me about the change or asked me my advice but I would have reminded her of all the draw-backs she had experienced years before with this age group but had forgotten about. Kathy could not do anything right for the woman principal of the school who was a principal for the first time. If you know what I mean? We have all had bosses hard to please from time to time. Kathy got to the point with this principal that she would come home in tears some nights, which made me feel like getting over in the flesh and taking a baseball bat to the school and having some serious word with this woman. I did finally go(without the bat) but with my Bible and the principal would not even let me read one passage from the Word of God. Through nagging the principal was trying to pressure Kathy, the only teacher she hadn’t personally hired, into quiting. She didn’t know how to answer when I asked her if she had been born again. She had been a Jehovah’s Witness at one time. The meeting helped for a while but Satan didn’t let up trying to destroy our family through our finances.

I had told Kathy to just trust in God, that He would help us. We had prayed often and asked God for help. Satan had me believing we couldn’t do without Kathy’s income. I told Kathy to hang in there by faith. Well, things went from bad to worse. One day, two weeks from the end of the school year, Kathy came home crying and weeping before the Lord as she drove the seven miles from work to our house. Much like the this passage from (1 Sam 1:10) where .........Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD .... about a son and in (Romans 8:26) where it says .......the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

The Lord had me call a trusted friend in the Lord that same day only hours earlier and share with him our problem. Brother Lee Vining said that I had been asking Kathy to have faith but where was my faith that God would provide for us miraculously? He said it would take real courage to step out by faith and let her quit working. I was convicted by the Holy Spirit through his words and was determined to prove my trust and faith in God by my actions.

Kathy came in with big tears in her eyes and said she couldn’t go back and I said, OK ! And I stopped her. We are stepping out by the grace of God in Faith. She was blown away! She hugged my neck as we prayed and asked God to make a way for us, by faith, where there was no way. Kathy would stay home and raise our daughter, Faith. I am a prison evangelist and an inmate friend of mine had suggested the name Faith. When we read his suggesting words, we knew “Faith” was the right name for her. My eldest daughters’ name in Hope. And God is our Love. Faith, Hope and Love but the greatest of these is Love. Seems appropriate at this point that Kathy will be staying home by faith with Faith. She told me later that she had rehearsed all the arguments to give me when she walked in that day about why she couldn’t go back. She didn’t need any of those arguments now.

June 1995

We lost that $35,000 a year income that day but we gained something money can not buy. We increased our Trust and Faith in the grace of the living God to provide a way where there seems to be no why. We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corin. 5:7) You, might need that scripture someday yourself or maybe you need it, Today. We always have had trust and faith in God but when we are weak then God is strong. ........."My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corin 12:9) God enjoys proving to us that He is able when we take refuge in Him.

The money just was not there without Kathy’s income to meet all of our monthly bills. How would we make the house payment and all the other bills that Kathy paid? And we would loose our Major Medical and Dental insurance plans when she quit. “I thought,” that God would increase the sales in my textile business to make up the difference. But the Word of God says, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (Prov 3:5 NIV) Little did I know but God was about to bring His resurrection power from another direction.

By faith, things started happening right away. The same school board superintendent that started all this mess with the increased pay slot, advised Kathy to retire instead of quitting. If she quit, she would have to go back and finish the school year out. If she retired with a medical disability, she wouldn’t ever have to go back. We wrote an expansive letter to the School Board on Kathy’s medical problems and they voted to let Kathy retire because of medical reasons. Praise you Jesus! This would enable her to apply for Teachers Retirement disability because of her Muscular Dystrophy. Our “natural eyes” couldn’t see that.

We knew Kathy had $18,000 in the Teachers Retirement System. She was bringing home about $2,000 month when she quit and at that rate of withdrawal the money would only last us about nine months. And we didn’t even know if she could get it now. But we also found out that you have to have 11 or more years in teaching to retire and get medical disability benefits. By faith, Kathy had 13 years! Praise you Jesus! Our “natural eyes” couldn’t see that.

We didn’t know that the school system puts money into the fund too. After applying Kathy will now, by faith, receive approx. $750 a month for as long as she lives. Praise you Jesus! Our “natural eyes” couldn’t see that.

Remember, we thought we would loose all of our Major Medical and Dental insurance plans when she quit? By faith, we were able to hold on to the Major Medical part of our insurance plan for about $100 a month. It would have cost me hundreds of dollars a month for the same coverage elsewhere. Praise you Jesus! Our “natural eyes” couldn’t see that.

Natural eyes hadn’t seen Social Security benefits because of lost wages for Kathy, when we stepped out in faith. By faith, we applied and ask God to give us what He wanted us to have in His perfect will. After months of effort, medical reports, doctor visits and much prayer a check arrived. Based on her income level and the amount she had put into Social Security, Kathy received a check in the mail in Sept.’96 for $977 a month for as long as she lives. Plus, a back payment check of over $6,800. Praise you Jesus! Our “natural eyes” couldn’t see that.

Kathy was eligible for a total benefit of $1,400 a month. By faith, our kids were eligible too and will all three receive $162 a month till they are 18 or out of college. Praise you Jesus! Our “natural eyes” couldn’t see that.

Wow ! Do we serve a powerful God or what? Kathy lost over $2,000 a month income plus Medical and dental benefits but by faith, God has replaced it with $650 TRS + major medical insurance plan + $977 SS + $162 times the 3 kids = $2,113 + a resurrected major medical insurance plan. Praise you Jesus! Our “natural eyes” can see it all, now!!!!!!!!

Faith without deeds or action is dead. Isn’t that what the Book of James is teaching us? You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. (James 2:20-22 NIV)

By the grace of God, we did just what Abraham did when he put Isaac upon the alter to sacrifice him to God. We were laying Kathy’s job upon the alter. We were looking for exactly what Abraham was looking for - the resurrection power of God. And we found it by faith. The Word says, Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. (Heb 11:19 NIV) We received Kathy’s income back from the dead, (the resurrection power of God) when we took refuge in the God of the Bible.

Scripture says: How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. (Psa 31:19 NIV)

"See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (1 Peter 2:6 NIV)

“Thank you Father, for our “faith eyes” and help us to trust you more each day.” Jesus said, ......."My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9 NIV)

After many years of praying for the healing of Kathy’s MD, our faith in our Lord’s ability to heal her, in His own time, stands strong. By faith, Kathy has been healed in Jesus Name and we rejoice.

To God be the Glory, for the great things he did for us
and will do for us all, By faith.......

His witnesses,

Brother Reid Callaway and the girls,
Kathy, Hope(26), Sarah(12), Katy(10), and Faith(3)
Email : Evang777@aol.com

Reid Callaway (father) Kathy (wife) Sarah (12 years old) Katy (10 years old) Faith (3 years old) Hope (26 years old - not in picture) Picture taken with autumn leaves in the North Georgia Mountains with a waterfall - Oct 1996