Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Always be ready...change is on the way


Greetings,

This has been a full month as usual.  I was explaining something to a good friend of the ministry this past week.  I was telling her how my plans were changed all day long, and she said, "And, so what is new?".  True statement. 

 I had bought tickets in March to go to the United States in July to be there for the birth of a first baby of one of my girls, who was raised here at PTC.  I had everything planned with great airline tickets.  Babies are funny little creatures.  They don't care about your plans, or your deals, or your tickets.  They do their own thing.  I found out this week that I need to change my plans to go earlier.  

To plan to go earlier, I had to get busy.  I needed to get a menu together.  Hire a few other workers. Get the girls up to speed about me leaving.   I had already planned a driver to pick up our interns that are planning to come on the 7th, so I decided to change my tickets and leave at the same time the driver left to get the interns. It would work out perfectly.  However, the tickets available on the 7th with the airline I was dealing with was to travel 2 1/2 days and 4 airports later to get to my destination, that normally would take less than 3 hours direct. So I could get a direct ticket on the 6th, but the driver would have change his plans and stay overnight to get the team the next day.  So I called my daughter, who is a whiz-bang with the computer, and she said my password to that airline had changed.  I had to walk back to the kitchen in the dark from my house to get on wifi to change my password.  But my daughter got my ticket changed.  After all that exercise over the internet, I planned to be headed home to go to bed and get rid of this crazy day.

On my way back from the kitchen however, I heard our new little one crying like crazy.  While I was in town yesterday, Rosa took our little 14 year old, who has a 6 week old baby to get her first shot.  It wasn't one shot but 3 shots, and baby was miserable, the mom was frustrated non verbal and miserable, and Jessica, our 17 year old, was helping the little mama and she had done everything she knew.  I wanted keep on walking, but I stopped and told Jessica to get the baby's bath ready and told the mom to get a shower.  We got the baby bathed and changed and the little mama did the same. I rocked the baby until she went to sleep.  Change is a good thing sometimes. 

I planned to go to the States for our 4th annual Sister's Week, in September.  Again, things changed and I am going even in a different Month!  I needed to change my residency card.  So that meant that I had to go into the Capitol, so that it would be valid date when I came back into the country.  

I planned this week to get my license.  I had gone to take the Spanish driving test last week.  Through the mercies of God, I passed the written test and the driving test, but again plans changed because the machine that printed the  driver's license was not working. They said to come back on Tuesday.  It is an 1 1/2 hours away. But when we called, on Tuesday their machine was still broken.  We called yesterday and the machine was not working.  I went to La Esperanza to hopefully talk to an official who could help us, and found out that his plans had changed because he had been on duty for the annual Wild Mushroom Festival and took time off until Monday.  In his defense, if I was an official that was in charge of the Mushroom Festival, I would have taken time off too.  

I planned to get some other paperwork done for the ministry early this week and my good friend/ our lawyer/ board member, was not feeling well, because of all the trips she had made trying to help some other missionary friends with their paperwork.  Her plans had also failed to come together because of technicalities and the trip to Tegucigalpa is strenuous, and we were both not sleeping well, so our plans changed. 

I planned to go to the bank on Friday, but my plans changed when I had to go yesterday.   I went ahead and did all of my errands on Thursday, while I was waiting not to get my license.  I thought, "I might as well be productive".  I went to the bank, and to the grocery store, and paid my bills.  However, I was supposed to carry one of our girls to visit her dad on my way to the bank today (Friday).  I had to tell the dad that my plans had changed and that I needed him to come and pick her up.  So because of me changing my plans, I have changed his plans have changed 

My missionary friends reminded me of a commitment to visit them at their facility with all my girls with their team.  Something that my girls and I have done before with this missionary couple and I knew that we all would have a great time.  I have to go to Tegucigalpa this week on that day, because we couldn't go last week.  Plans changed.  Nobody's fault, they just changed.  So I am having my small bus checked, so I can call the driver to hopefully drive my girls there next week.  I also have to call the mechanic to get it checked out because I haven't driven it in forever. 

Those changes in plans, were just the highlights.  There seemed to be an onslaught of changes.  During this week, with lack of sleep and all these changes, I was contemplating having a nice little melt down.  It seemed a right thing to do.  However, God reminded me that He was in control and He never changes.  I was wondering why I was getting so upset, (outside of having a frozen coffee that the barista laced with chocolate, the stress was lasting longer than the effects of the caffeine that was in my frozen beverage).   As a child of God, I was supposed to put my trust in God.  I am supposed to know that He works everything together for my good.  The deal is  that I had to ask myself, "Do I really believe that or not"?  Sometimes, God allows you to get to a point to review in your own heart about what you really believe. 

I have had some girls that left the ministry last year, return to the ministry this week.  Things have changed for them.  Things didn't work out like they had planned. Life wasn't so kind to them as they had hoped. So now I am praying that God will send a mentor to these older girls.  I have made a special plan for them while I am away and when I return.  They have changed. Life may not have been kind to them, but God continues to be the essence of kindness to all.  

 On a brighter note, some of my little girls have changed for the good this week.  As I was praying for them to change, God asked me if I wanted them to change or did I want to change?  I thought, "I am ok, why do I need to change?  It is the kids who need to get a grip and obey.  If they would change, and listen to what I say, my world would be so much better."  So today, I started thinking about all the things that have been changing around here. I realized that I don't always listen to what God tells me to do.  I need to give grace and I will receive grace in my time of need.  So I changed the way I was praying for my little girls and my girls who are returning.  God grace, mercy and love is there for all.  He doesn't change.  He desires us to be more like Him.  Our plans may change, life always has another idea.  But, if we really have our face set like flint, seeking HIM above all else, nothing else really is higher to consider.  

Thanks from all of us to all of you who have been praying for us this month.  I appreciate every prayer and everything you do for this ministry.  We have a new girl and her baby.  We have a lot of new situations and we have needed every prayer.  Please pray for my staff when I leave to go to the United States, that God will continue to encourage them in every way.  Blessings, from the Harried, Hurried, Plan Changing, Prayer Changing, Grace Changing, Face Changing, Honduran MOM