I have repeatedly been told The World Race is what you make of it. If you press in and give your all, God will do what He wills in you and through you during the journey. If you resist and stay within your comfort zone, doing what you have always done, you might not come out very changed in the end.
After reading several blogs on the subject and wanting to give God the opportunity to answer my prayer that began in my heart sometime last year, I decided to come with no spending money. I brought no credit card, no debit card and no cash of any kind. The funds raised for The World Race cover almost everything I actually need. I receive 3 meals a day, lodging, water, and some supplies like laundry detergent that our team shares. However, some things are not included, like doctors' visits and medicine.
I want to need God, so I can know Him. If I don't need God to provide for me, I will never truly know Him as a God who provides. I may never know the depth of God's love and how much He cares for me if I do not have the opportunity to see Him care for me and provide in all things, so this has been my prayer:
I have asked God to take everything I have so I can trust Him to provide and that is exactly what He has done.
It has been challenging watching my teammates and squadmates all go out for local treats like coffees and street food and sweets. I love to experience cultures and that includes trying foods that are unique to the area. It has been challenging watching them go get a snack whenever they want or go shopping for warmer clothes when the weather is colder than expected. It has not been easy, but God has been using these circumstances to change my heart and teach me to be content in Him at all times and in all things.
My biggest fear regarding God's provision, however, is that I would get sick and require a doctor's visit and/or medicine and not have the money to pay for it. Well, the inevitable happened. It was nearing the end of my time in Guatemala. I think almost everyone on my Squad ended up getting sick to some degree at some point throughout the month. I was trying to stay healthy, but I crashed. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but after talking to a few people, it seems allergies may have started this whole thing.
Thursday, July 25th, I started feeling rough. I drank extra water and got more rest thinking I could sleep this off and my body would heal itself, but July 30th, the morning we were to leave Guatemala, I noticed my phlem was increasing and it was very green. I knew enough to know that was an infection of some sort. I went to talk to a teammate, who is an EMT. She said I had a sinus infection and needed antibiotics. NO!!!! I asked her a few times if she was sure. I had no money, I did not want to ask and I most certainly did not want to take from our ministry contact who provides healthcare to the community.
Well, it was certain I was not getting better without antibiotics. I was not really sure what to do. The squad was all packing and cleaning and we were to leave by 9am for Antigua, which was the first leg of our trip to Honduras for month two.
Within about 2 minutes, I had antibiotics in my hand at no cost to me! What the heck just happened?! We were to pay for all the medication our ministry host provided and I just happened to run into a squadmate who intentionally paid over double for her medication. I did not know this when I mentioned I had just discovered I needed the antibiotics, but as soon as I told her she just said, "Well, that is God providing. He just provided for you." So we both went to our ministry contact, who was already in the storage room with the medication in her hands. As soon as I walked up to her, she handed me the medicine I needed before I could finish saying I just discovered I had a sinus infection.
WOW! I could not believe God worked this out so easily! I had no doubt He could, but I have never really seen Him do anything like this in my life before. I was so humbled and blessed by God's care and provision. I was going on day 5 of being sick. We were all preparing to leave, but God prompted me to talk to those 2 people so I would be aware of the need while we were where He wanted to provide for the need. His timing is perfect! His love is perfect! This was the first real test in which I have needed to trust the Lord to provide and He worked it out so beautifully. I am looking forward to seeing the Lord continue to provide as the journey continues.
