almost three weeks. It is wonderful. I love being here, I love that I am able
to get started on seeing this dream come to fruition. I love being in this
community. I love working with Mama C and Pappy. I love that I get to go back
to Vietnam.
It is however quite cold here. I have said to my friends that I feel as if I
did not so much move from Texas to Georgia
as I did from Summer to Winter. I have been very cold since I got here. I have
spent a good bit of time trying to figure out how to stay warm. I have come to
rather enjoy a nice cup of tea to warm up at night. One night I was in my
friend’s apartment I saw a tea kettle and thought it would be nice to have one
of my own in my apartment. I think it was more a matter of a sense of home than
hot water that is so appealing about a tea kettle. Whatever the reason though,
I wanted a tea kettle. With this months budget mostly spent on the cost of
moving in, I knew I would have to find one in a garage sale or wait until next
month to get it.
The next morning I
told God that I wanted one and asked Him to give me one. I went about my day. I
read books to learn about my job, set up meetings, sent emails to people who
might know someone in Vietnam
and worked on casting vision for our orphanage/village center. As the afternoon
ticked away I realized how long it had been since I had been away with the Lord
and decided to steal away for a while this evening to get some of that time. I
left out looking for a walking path that supposedly led down from the apartment
complex to the lake behind it. I looked for 10 minutes or so and then decided I
would make my own path. I had to push through lots of vines and junk to make my
way down. I had made the unfortunate mistake of wearing athletic shorts instead
of long pants so my legs got cut up by the thorns and branches swinging back on
me. I made it all the way down to the lake. Let me tell you pine needles do not
make for very good traction. I came pretty close to sliding my way down to the
lake on my backside several times.
During my time down
by the lake I got to sit with God and chat about my fears, excitement, and just
where my heart was. It was a time of revival in my heart, excitement about his
promises, and just sitting in his Love for me. As I was getting up from our
time together I decided to go up the shoreline a little ways and see if I could
find a different way up. I did. I found a tree-line that was not so infested by
vines. I started walking up back toward the apartments. As I was walking I
noticed a pink and green playschool picnic table. I thought this must be a
place that some kids had set up to come down and play in the woods. As I
approached I found that this was more a dumping place than anything. There were
several things around on the ground; the table, a brown jar, a Styrofoam cup.
As I looked around I noticed a white tea kettle sitting among the other things.
I picked it up. It did not have a lid so I went to put it back not really sure
what to do. As I set it down I heard a ding. I dug around in the pine needles
and leaves surrounding and found the lid for this tea kettle. I picked it up
and ran up to Daina’s apartment to show her what my Daddy gave me. I was so
excited. My Daddy had taken me on a date and bought me a tea kettle.
Later on I was
thinking. I was so excited about having gotten the tea kettle. I love that my
God is such a good Daddy and he loves to give me good things. If I had gone
down the beaten path- the way outlined for me by the apartment complex. I most
likely would have found the tea kettle and would have responded exactly as I
did in the end and ran back home to show off what my Daddy had gotten me. I
would have missed out on this wonderful time down at the lake that He had
planned for me. I would not have had the opportunity to sit in such amazement
at his love for me just because.
As I was reflecting
on this I realized that God sometimes calls us to do something that is not
easy. As I am gearing up to begin this project that is Vietnam Orphans Hope
Foundation I can look around and see that there is definitely an easier option.
I could call up some orphanage in Vietnam-
even the one I worked with in Saigon- and
figure out how to come work for them for a time and it would be great. I am
choosing however to take on this project that is so much bigger than I can even
imagine. I have been called to do something hard. To invest myself completely
in a project, a project I cannot
abandon or walk away from. He
knows exactly what I need and when I will need it. He will bring me through
vines, branches and thorns in order to meet with Him and see all the wonderful
things he has planned for us, things I cannot even imagine.
