God’s Challenge:
Only use the food money provided for the month. Nothing more. $5/day
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Day 3:
I wake up hungry (as usual), but haven’t gotten my food money for the day. I’m frustrated. I’m hungry. I don’t have a lot of water. I don’t know how I am going to afford food AND water for the month on this budget.
I drink some water and eat a few small spoons of peanut butter from the small jar given to me as a gift last month. (Now there is only a spoonful left for another day). I go to orientation. I drink more water. After orientation, people go to eat. I don’t. I don’t have the money. I started getting more frustrated.
God: “Christel, do you trust me to give you water?”
I brush off the question because deep down I don’t believe it. I go upstairs and pack. I bring my stuff down and say good bye to the other teams. Guess what? Some people left their half-drinken water bottles behind. God gave me water. Cici and I split what we found. As we get on our tuk tuk to go to our new house for the week, someone else left a water bottle. God gave me more water.
We get to the mission house where we are staying in the city of Phnom Penh and we get our food money. People go to Mike’s burger place where the cheapest thing is $2.99 and you need at least $2 round trip for transportation to get there. I can’t afford it if I want dinner. I don’t go.
January walks with me down the street to the market. I am not pleased with my options. I can’t believe I am the only one doing this. I settle on an apple, a pear-like apple and an onion/meat mixture that has been sitting out. TOTAL COST: $1.20. Cheap, but I am not happy. I go back to my room, peal my apple and start talking to God.
“I am mad. I don’t want to eat that meat stuff. There are bones everywhere and I might get sick”
I eat my apple and then start eating the onions. Like a little kid, I refuse to eat the meat. I find a hair in the food that is not mine. I get more angry.
“God, people are eating burgers and fries while I am here. Don’t you care about me?”
“Christel, do you trust me to provide you with what you need? Not what you want, but what you need? Do you trust me to not make you sick?
I quickly change my attitude and apologize to God. I ask Him for His help because I know I can’t do this alone. I don’t know how. I praise Him. I thank Him some more. I eat a few pieces of meat. I don’t get sick.
Team time comes around and my team leader gives us more information on where we are staying for the week. FREE laundry. FREE water. Lunch $1 and dinner $2 if wanted. That night I went out to KFC with my team and got a meal for $2.99. I spent an extra $1.50 of the few American dollars I brought with me (they use dollars here) to pay our tuk tuk driver who drove us through the flooded city (more about that later). I got a chicken sandwich, fries and a soda.
God provided me with water, vegetables, fruit, protein, bread and a sweet treat (soda) in one day when I didn’t think He would provide me with water.
We serve a big God who wants to supply all of our needs. The question is, are we willing to let him? This month I am choosing to believe that He will be my ultimate supplier of ALL my needs. Will you?
ddd
