Where Is Your Faith?

It’s been a year since I took the leap of faith to start Latrobe. And my, how things have progressed! I asked God to order my steps (Psalm 119:33) and not only has He given me the vision for this engineering services company, but He has provided an avenue for two offices. Within the span of one year, I have an operation in Uniontown, supporting Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia manufacturing activities; but before my 41^st birthday, I will have in operation a second office in Port Arthur, supporting southeast Texas and Louisiana. God is good.

This summer, He revealed some things to me.  In May, when I did not win the Women in Technology Award, He told me that the night was to show me where He was preparing me to play. According to His word in 1 Corinthians 2:9, it is written: No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. Just continue to walk in faith…

The move to TX took a lot more adjustment for our family than I planned. As such, I did not work/travel as much this summer, choosing instead to be home for James and Quincy. In the natural, I began to tithe based on the incoming revenues, which were lower than the first three quarters of operations. During the same time, I started to hear Reverend James Cleveland’s song frequently on the radio, ministering directly to me, according to Luke 8: 25--Where is your faith?

What’s the opposite of faith?  FEAR: false evidence appearing real. Our cost of living increased. I hired my first employee to manage the Uniontown office and we saw the opportunity to expand the operation into Texas.  Along with that comes the expense of marketing material, new office infrastructure, more payroll costs, etc.  Did I also mention that we have two kids: one preparing for his second year of college and one preparing to find his way as a student athlete?  God was testing us, to see if we would respond out of fear or faith. He already knew what He was planning to do for us (John 6:6).

Givers are gainers. You should give at the level that you expect to be blessed. We decided to start giving at a radical level, standing on the promises found in Luke 6:38--Give and I’ll give it back to you, good measure, shaken together and running over. The proverbial windows were opened and the blessings started to pour. The funny thing is that I do not have the contracts signed that will pay for some of my obligations, but if you could see the details of my lease agreement or some of the project negotiations in process, then you’ll agree that it’s a good bet we can continue to tithe at this level. In the meantime, I can hold fast to Psalm 23:1—The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want!!! We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

This journey of Latrobe is not about our family’s financial stability. We have more than we need. I asked God to use me and He gave me a vision that utilizes my passion for manufacturing to create jobs. We are blessed, so I asked God to enlarge our territory, like He did for Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9-10), so that we may be a blessing to others. Stay tuned for more updates on those jobs.

In the meantime, I leave you with these lyrics: You can’t beat God’s giving, no matter how you try. The more you give, the more He gives to you. Just keep on giving because it’s really true. You can’t beat God’s giving, no matter how you try.