A Change of Plans...

I tend to think of changes to my plans as being my decision most of the time.

Sometimes I think I want to do something or go somewhere, and along the way my desire changes. Sometimes I discover that it costs too much or I don't have enough time, or the people I'm with have different ideas/plans. But I can't forget that God is sovereign over every area of my life and it is likely that He has a plan - which I may not be able to see - that encompasses every decision I make.

This happened to me yesterday.

I had seen advertisements for an opportunity to swim with dolphins at the aquatic center near Yalta...and I wanted to do that!! I made an appointment and on the way back from my morning excursion, I was dropped off at the Акватория. I was SO excited because it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime experience...until I found out that it cost 500 UAH, which is the equivalent of $64 for a 5-minute swim! I couldn't pay that.

So I left and got on a bus back to the city, feeling a little disappointed. I was quite tired from the exertion of the morning's excursion, and so I decided simply to return to the hotel for some rest. But the trip would not be simple. The hotel where I am staying is not in a common location - there's one bus that comes by, but you have get on at a certain location - and I still wasn't exactly sure where that was. (For those of you who don't know, I am directionally-challenged.)

So the first bus drops me off at a place I was familiar with, and I know I have to get on another one to go to the market where I can catch the bus back to the hotel. So that's what I did. Usually on public transportation like buses, trains and planes, the people I sit next to are not interested in conversing with me. And I usually don't initiate it. But God had an appointment for me on the bus yesterday!

The man next to me asked me something in Russian and I wasn't sure what he asked, so I told him "Извините, я не понимаю." (I'm sorry, I don't understand.) He then asked me if I speak English. I told him yes and here's how the rest of our conversation went:

Him: "I want to ask you where are you from."
Me:  "Я из Канады." (Translation: I'm from Canada.)
Him: "Canada, hm. I was in America for awhile. I lived in New York, travelled to Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Do you like it here?"
Me:  "Да, мне нравится." (Yes, I like it.)
Him: "I think, in Canada it's too cold, yes?"
Me:  "Летом, нет." (In summer, no.)
Him: "But in winter..."
Me:  "I'm used to it - не проблема для меня." (it's not a problem for me.)
Him: "Used to it, hm. So why are you here?"
Me:  "Я на каникулах. Я уже была в Симферополе, в Судаке и сейчас в Ялте." (I'm on vacation. I was already in Simferopol, in Sudak and now I'm in Yalta.)
* He then corrected my pronunciation of several words.
Me:  "Я живу в Украине, в Кривом Роге." (I live in Ukraine, in Krivoy Rog.)
Him: "Krivoy Rog - why do you live there? It's not a nice city."
Me:  "Я знаю, много людей сказали мне это. Но я работаю там с командой миссионеров." (I know, many people have told me that. But I work there with a missionary team.)
Him: "Ah, a missionary from Canada, interesting. What do you do there?"
Me:  "Мы работаем с детьми, которые живут в детских домах." (We work with children who live in orphanages.)
Him: "How many on the team?"
Me:  "From Canada, only three. The others are Ukrainian."
Him: "Really? So what is your goal in helping them? Do you get some reward or points for doing that?"
Me:  "I'm here because God gave me a desire to help these children."
Him: "But how do you do it? I mean, to live usually you work and get paid."
Me:  "There are churches and people in Canada who support me financially."
Him: "Aha. Are you Adventist?"
Me:  "No."
Him: "What church are you with?"
Me:  "It's a Protestant church. There are many different Protestant churches in Canada."
Him: "Is it like the Protestant church in Germany?"
Me:  "I don't know - никогда я не была в Германий." (I have never been in Germany.)
Him: "So how did you prepare for this - did you go to a special school or something?"
Me:  "I did go to Bible college for 2 years."
Him: "Bible college?"
Me:  "Yes, the main goal there is to study the Bible."
Him: "That's interesting. So how long will you be doing this missionary work?"
Me:  "My first term is 2 years."
Him: "When did it start?"
Me:  "В августе в прошлом году." (In August of last year.)
Him: "So in August next year..."
Me:  "I will return to Canada for a few months and then I hope to return to Ukraine."
Him: "To do what?"
Me:  "Продолжать работу." (To continue working.)
Him: "Aha."
Me:  "Most of my life I have been involved in Christian service, but 3 years ago, God called me to this ministry full-time."
Him: "God called you? That's nice, he hasn't called me yet." (chuckles)
Me:  "He put the desire in my heart to do this. Without Him, I could not do it. All the plans I could not have accomplished without His help. Really, I'm serving Him."
Him: "Um-hm, that's nice."
Me:  "It's the only reason for me to do this work."
Him: "Where are you getting off?"
Me:  "Is this Вещевой рынок?"
Him: "Yes."
Me:  "I need to get off here. До свидания - Good bye."

Considering that I usually don't converse with people on public transit, this was unexpected. I wasn't surprised that he asked me about what I was doing -- it's probably not normal for someone from Canada to be in Ukraine, even on a holiday, let alone living here. I don't know what kind of relationship he has with God, but hopefully something I said gave him reason to think about what he's doing and why.

So, although the bus ride started out because my afternoon plans didn't come to fruition, I quickly realized (literally, as soon as I got off the bus) that God had put me there because I was supposed to talk with that man. I don't know exactly why and I may never see him again, but I was able to share a little of my faith with him in the few minutes that we conversed.

Thank you, God, for helping me to change my plans and giving me the opportunity to testify of You.

From Him, Through Him, and To Him

How great are God's riches! How deep are His wisdom and knowledge!

О бездна Божего богатства, мудрости и всеведения!

Who can explain His decisions? Who can understand His ways?

Не объяснить Его решений! Не понять Его путей!

As the Scripture says, "Who knows the mind of the Lord?

Who is able to give Him advice?

Кто познял разум Господа и кто был Его советчиком?

Who has ever given Him anything, so that He had to pay it back?"

И кто дал Ему хоть что-нибудь, что Он обязнал вернуть?

For all things were created by Him, and all things exist through Him and for Him.

To God be the glory forever! Amen.

Ибо всё от Него, через Него и для Него! Ему слава вовеки! Аминь.

Romans 11:33-36  ~  Римлянам 11:33-36

These verses lead into chapter 12, which talks about offering our bodies as living sacrifices to God as worship and also about how God has designed each of us to be part of His body in a unique way ... something I'm still continuing to discover. And it's jaw-dropping amazing when God gives us glimpses of how He is bringing it all together, because He truly is beyond our comprehension!

But what I want to highlight from these verses is the concluding concept -- that everything is from God, of God and for God. Like many truths about God, I know this in my head, but I am continuing to learn how to transfer that knowledge into God-honoring living.

It is easy when you go to a job and get paid for the work you do, to think about it as something you deserve or that belongs to you because you worked for it. That's a natural human inclination, but it would be far better to recognize that even your pay comes from God and is a gift to be used as He desires you to use it - not as an entitlement.

For me, being an overseas missionary and having my financial support come from believers in the body of Christ reminds me that it actually is a provision from God. They are giving to support what I am doing because God has stirred in them to do so and has provided the means for it. So as much as I must thank them and share my appreciation for their service, I also must give the glory to God for His provision.

This then leads into the next step -- the practical demonstration of my understanding that everything I have is from God, provided through Him and intended for Him to do His work and be glorified. My comprehension of this has been greatly enlarged especially over the past month, but I can see how God has been teaching me all along...

Let me go back to the beginning -- my desire for full-time ministry came from God. I know that because I wasn't actively looking for it, but it came upon me suddenly like a flower opening to the sun. And although I knew that God was calling me to this, I didn't know what or when or how or where. And so, from the beginning, I have had to give it back to the Lord and ask Him to do with it what He will, to lead me where He desires me to go, to teach me what He wants me to learn, etc. Every time I receive a blessing I must turn that back into praise to God because this is from Him and through Him and to Him.

The apartment I live in now is a beautiful place that meets all my needs and more. It was exactly what I wanted, but I can't say that I deserved it. It is a blessing from God and so therefore, it must be offered back to Him to be used as He determines best. Because it isn't mine, and neither is anything else that I "own."

Please don't misunderstand me -- I do NOT have a perfect understanding of this! I still forget often and think of things in this life as "mine" and forget to give God the glory for some of the simplest things. But I am learning to offer back to Him every blessing that I receive and to use them to bless others, and the joy that fills my heart when I do MORE than satisfies my longing heart!!

Just As He Wants It To Be...

A little more than a week ago, as I prepared for ministering alongside a short-term missions team, these words from Joni Eareckson Tada were EXACTLY what I needed to hear:

"But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be."  ~ 1 Corinthians 12:18

"Just" means exactly or specifically. God has a unique role for me -- and for you, too. You're living where you are, doing what you're doing, and surrounded by the people with whom you live and work because you are the only one who can fit that niche. God has carved it out just for you. In fact, 1 Cor. 12:18 is like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. When it comes to your place in the kingdom, things aren't too hot or too cold, too soft or hard, too big or small. God's got it "just right." You can't miss God's will for you (unless you're off on some sinful path). You are smack in the middle of it. So open your eyes. This is where and how you fit. Now, how are you going to let that piece of information infiltrate your actions and thoughts today? What does that mean regarding the "mundane" aspects of your life?

I knew in my head that God had a particular reason for bringing me to this place and that as long as I fully trusted Him that He would accomplish what He desired in and through me, but getting that realization to be rooted in my heart so that it affected my thoughts and actions ... that was a little more challenging.

You see, I still struggle with expectations (and probably will for the remainder of the time I live on planet earth) of myself and of how things should be in certain situations, and although I really do have a heart for people, when I think about ministry, I often think about what I should be "doing."

The team from North Carolina was comprised of 18 people, and when Adam informed us of this, my first thought was, "Well, is there anything I will actually be able to do?" I envisioned myself tagging along and feeling a little like a fifth-wheel as the team had a great missions experience and interacted with the kids and the Rays of Love team.

I should NOT have worried AT ALL! Although I am still in the process of getting to know the Ukrainian missionary team, God has brought us together and He has a plan for every single one of us, with our unique strengths and weaknesses. It was not long before I realized that everything was working out JUST EXACTLY the way God planned and wanted it to be!!

Not only did I have a wonderful time interacting with and getting to know the team from N.C., but I also felt very much a part of the Ukrainian team, which was important for me as I transition into working with them full-time. And it became VERY obvious to me that God had specific people for me to interact with and minister to during that time -- NOT so that I could feel important or competent, but so that I would get a glimpse of how He is at work here and would be able to share that with others!