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.