Today was a day to remember. We received news the other day that our Christmas packages
arrived in the capital. This was a
much-anticipated event for us, as well as those who sent them. We have all been watching the tracking
updates to see if and when they would arrive. Once we knew they were here, Stephanie, Veta and I made
plans to take a 3-hour bus ride into the capital. From the bus station we would jump on another bus and take
it to the metro and a couple of stops later we would be near the post
office. The trip home would be
much of the same, but would include a taxi ride (Mario Andretti style).
For the second day in a row, the power was off for more than
8 hours. This time the power went
out at 6:00pm and didn’t come back on until 9:30 the next morning. Our computers were dead and our cell
phones were right behind them. We
decided that going to the big city and attempting all the various forms of
transportation without any way to communicate with teammates was not a good
idea. So our plans changed…
Our disappointment did not last long. Shortly after 9:30 AM we received a
call from a teammate that lives in the capital. She said that she wanted to deliver the packages to us and
make a day trip out of it. She
wanted to take a trip to the mountains.
In retrospect, we can now see our plans changed to His plans.
After she arrived with our Christmas gifts, we enjoyed a tasty
bowl of potato soup and left for the mountains. This was our first trip to the snow covered mountains. It was nice to get outside of our little
town and into the country; it was so peaceful and simple out there. It was rejuvenating to see the beauty His creation.
After we left the mountains, we decided to take a 20-minute
drive to the coast of the Caspian Sea.
We drove out onto the beach and rolled down the windows. Hearing the sound of the waves crash on
the beach and the smell of the water was calming. Being far away from family during Christmas is hard, but
something as simple as spending time witnessing His creation helped. He knew that changing our plans was just what we needed. For a moment in time, we allowed
everything to slow down…way down.
We praised his name in prayer and remembered those around us that did
not know Him. It reminded me of
the beginning of Psalm 19:1-4:
“The heavens declare
the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they
pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no
words; no sound
is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the
earth, their
words to the ends of the world.”
Our Creator has left evidence of Himself. I don’t think anyone can witness the beauty around us and
not recognize there is a creator.
But it’s not simply about recognition. His word tells us where salvation is found. It is found through His Son, Jesus
Christ. And it is through the
witness of all believers that His glory and story of forgiveness and redemption
might be shared.
I’m glad that our plans changed...to His plans!
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