Here’s a FUN story for you! I’ll call it…
“THE TRUST BUS”
My team and I were on our way to Panama to meet our contact. We had to get a bus from San Jose, Costa Rica to Sixaola in order to cross the boarder into Panama to meet our contact. I had been in brief communication with our primary contact Elaine who would then be contacting Pastor Jose, who we were going to be living with. Well through many disconnected phone calls and no internet my team had to walk by faith.
We purchased our bus tickets only to find out that Elaine was never able to contact Pastor Jose so we had no idea if he was even in the country. We either had to get on the bus knowing that God would provide communication with our contact or figure something else out. God gave me a peace the entire time we were traveling though. I was fully secure in the fact that God was going to lead us to wherever He wanted us to be, even if that meant not with our contact. Maybe God would lead us to a random Jungle, or beach, or busy city, or directly to Pastor Jose etc. Regardless of where it was we had to walk dependent on Him. It was fun!
So after a time of deep intentional prayer and still feeling that God was calling us to get on the bus we bought our tickets and then we hit the road towards where we needed to go without ever being able to contact Pastor Jose. Our team was spread out in different seats. Emily sat down next to a guy named Lenny who happened to be heading to a “retreat center.” She talked with him some more and then was invited to come with our team to stay there until we figured things out. After talking with him more, and having Michael discern specifically that we weren’t supposed to go, we told him “no thanks,” because we still felt called to get to Panama. After we made that decision Lenny let me use his phone to call our contact.
Pastor Jose answered, “Hello?”
Those words were never more reassuring than in that moment. It’s almost as if God was challenging our team to continue to walk by faith, and not be distracted by the bells and whistles of life (namely this retreat center) and once we made that final decision the details fell into place. We came to find out that Pastor Jose was praying for our team because the power lines had been damaged and we had no way of communicating with him. He told me that right after the power lines were fixed I was the first call to him. Praise God! GOD IS GOOD! He was walking with us the whole time as we talked with Him a lot that bus ride.
What a joy it is to walk by faith knowing that the God of the Universe has a plan bigger than anyone else’s. He is FOR US!
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
– Prov. 3:5-6
Can’t wait to tell you more! God bless you guys!
