Provisions

Yesterday was just one of those days.  It wasn't because of the pouring rain, in fact I don't mind walking in the rain and with my rain boots and umbrella I was good to go.  Instead it was a combination of many things. Small little things that all seemed to happen at once.  The frustration of not being able to communicate or the look people give you when they can't understand what you said, the frustration of recognizing the words people say but not being able to understand the translation or remember what the word means, getting splashed by cars and buses as you wait to cross the street (and are standing a good five feet from the curb), your credit card not working in a store, the post office being closed when the hours on the door say it should be open and finally the ticket lady on the bus kicking everyone off the bus three stops from your house.  It was just one of those days where frustration seemed to out number the success.

One of the good things that happened that afternoon was that I did find a cafe where you can get a good cup of coffee for only 40 rubles (a little over $1) compared to the 145 rubles (about $5) that has a nice area to sit and get work done.  I have passed this cafe multiple times as I have walked up and down this street in the weeks past but never went in.  Well yesterday I went in to escape the massive downpour and was pleasantly surprised.  Needless to say I will be visiting this cafe again in the future.

After a frustrating afternoon I came back home to decompress.  As I was lying in bed that night I was thinking that if I were to do this full time as a career (I have no idea if that is Gods plan) I couldn't do it alone.  As I was thinking that God reminded that He is all that I need.  He is my provision.  It was as if God was saying "Am I not enough".  BAM! There it was, the smack in the face that I needed, the punch to the gut.  How could I forget that? It is only by God's grace that I am even here.  At the end of the day He is all that I need and I forgot that.  It is through His strength and power that I will make it through these next two years and it is Him that works in the lives of the people we meet here.  I am just his tool that he uses to plant the seed or harvest the fields.  He is the one that makes things grow.

1 Corinthians 3:6
"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow"

It is through Christ that all things are possible.  So even when the days are frustrating and challenging God is providing me with all that I need.  He is in control and will forever be.