Dear Journal~

Louie here.  Hope this finds  y'all well.  I am afraid I'm doing rather poorly.

I don't know how I am going to continue to provide for my family: food, clothes, shelter, gas.  Oh, the gas!!  Prices nearly $4.00 now, and every week it costs me almost $100 to fill up my van (oftentimes even more than that!).  The gas prices are eating me alive!!

I can't get a smaller vehicle because of the number of children we have.  We need it to transport them to their appointments, games, music, etc., and besides, our van has a reliable wheelchair lift.  So does our bus, which eats up even more gas than our van.  So we don't drive the bus, not like we used to.

Because of the ever-increasing gas prices, food's going up; no, everything is going up, with no end in sight; and it's gotten Bill and myself scared to death.  I don't know what we would do if it were not for the gracious people from church:  they see our dilemma, they try to help out financially as best as they can, which we greatly appreciate!

Suddenly, I am wishing that Bill and myself didn't adopt so many children.  Maybe it was a mistake to adopt the children we did.  They are eating me out of house and home, and now that they are nearing teenagerhood (or adulthood), I'm afraid the cost of raising them is only going to skyrocket!

I know God has a plan for our family, and I know that I should trust in Him completely, not to worry about things, but at times I can't help it.  I see the gas prices or the food prices, and it makes me ill.  I don't know how long I will be able to afford to feed/clothe/provide for my growing family!!

Bill and I both work to try to stave off the cost of food/gas; it seems that our paychecks don't last as long as they used to:  over half of the money goes into the gas tank or to the grocery store; we are lucky if we have money left to pay our bills!

I don't know what we would do if we ever had to move from our house:  it's perfect for a family our size, and it's our own (finally), but when things go wrong--again, the expense.  Where else could we live; who would take in a family with over fifty kids, most of them handicapped??

Well, I've just gone and made myself cry again, so I will go now.  I am too upset to write any more.  I will write in here again soon; until then, this is your friend, Louie, signing off!  Take care and God bless!  Just keep us in your prayers, pray for a financial miracle that can help us in our time of need!  It is not cheap to raise a family like ours; and I fear we're going to end up on the streets!!

~Love, your friend, Louie Sandusky. :( >tears!<