The race is all about the unexpected. You typically don’t find out where you will be serving in your next country until a couple days out from leaving your current country. This means you know the country, but not the city or ministry you will be working in till days before you get there. Sometimes I love this, other times I hate it. There are other things on the race that you never know. What your living situation will look like? What kind of food you will be eating? How things with your team will go? What your contacts will be like? What God is going to do? All of it is unexpected and unknown.
My health has been something unexpected on the race. Before I left for the race, I dealt with seasonal allergies and I’ve had a few things that have popped up here and there but chiropractic care and diet really helped with those things. I wrote about getting sick in Honduras/Nicaragua a while back. I ate some bad food drank some bad water and got very sick. It affected my liver pretty badly. Every month since Nicaragua I’ve had to go and have my liver checked to see where it was at. I’ve also been on a fairly strict diet. Last month, Thailand, I was cleared to return to eating normal food (YAY! Spicy Food!!). After Christmas, I started having lower abdominal pain and pain in my liver again. I thought it was one thing and went back to the doctor. While doing blood work it was discovered that I was anemic and my liver problems have returned. Which means I’m back on a restricted diet and back to monthly check-ups. They aren’t quite sure why this is reoccurring. For the time being I am trusting the Lord.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose trust is in the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:7
This is not always an easy tasks. Not knowing what is going on or why the problem persists is frustrating and overwhelming. It’s also difficult because all these doctor visits have gotten expensive. They are much cheaper than what I would pay at home but continually having blood work and ultrasounds adds up. God is my provider and I am trusting in His provision. I also know He can heal me at any time. At the moment He has chosen not to do this. I know this is creating a deeper trust for Him in my heart. I have to rely on Him in new ways. The difficulty in not seeing why can be daunting but I know my God has plans for me.
“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13
He has plans for me. This will not defeat me. It is drawing me closer to Him. Dealing with this has increased my prayers to Him. I am seeking Him. He will not fail me. Even though all this is unexpected to me, it’s not unexpected to Him. He knew from day one that I would go through this. That I would walk through this storm. My prayer on the race is that I will not go home the same woman I came. I know that means going through the unexpected, seeking after Him, choosing Him even when it’s hard, and trusting Him. God is good with everything I have faced, seen, experienced I have seen that over and over again. I will embrace the unexpected and trust that my Heavenly Father has my back.
*That being said if you’d like to help me with some of the cost incurred because of unexpected medical bills you can donate to my PayPal, [email protected] or send a check to my parents at 2626 Red Bud Way, New Braunfels, TX 78132. Thank you for all who have supported me. It’s been a huge blessing and just another way I have seen God provide over and over again!
