So, take a moment to remember my last post, #4, the part about which we made all these changes to put us at the Orphanage more frequently, even specifically on a week with a Holiday so that we got to spend all day with the kids.
So, there was really more to this story. (Isn't there always!) You see the timing for this trip was ALL OFF. Nothing was done the way "I" wanted it to be done.
Let me rewind to the trip in May 2011. My first mission trip to Ethiopia. On this trip we finished finals week at the University, our college students got to go home (all except Nicole since it was too far for her) for a week, then we left on Friday, the week after, for Ethiopia. This was also good timing because it was after my kids finished their schooling for the year, albeit they finished only the day before I left. But, this worked pretty well and, as you'll remember we were attempting to recreate the trip of that year, so the plan was for us to leave May 17, which would have put us at the Orphanage May 20-23.
At this point every time I think about the "plan" it makes me smile. I think God smiles too when we make plans. Don't get me wrong, plans are good and the reality is I will always be a planner, its in my DNA! But once again God had OTHER plans. And I am SO thankful that he did.
What happened next was a shock! The trip took an entirely different form. You see the summer before, I traveled with the team to Ethiopia, and then I left mid-trip and they continued on with another mission team to encourage churches - I mentioned this before. But this trip, as it took form got all turned around. Instead of me leaving with the team, they left without me! As this change was planned I was a bit panicked (and for the record I would imagine the parents of the 5 college freshmen going were also panicked!). They left without an "adult"! Then I was to meet them in Ethiopia after the portion of their trip with the (mostly the same) other mission team from last time.
I will be honest, this made me extremely nervous! I did not like this plan. Not. One. Bit. Not only that but it changed when I would go. Instead of us going to the Orphanage May 20-23, we would now be going May 27-30.
Are. You. Getting. This!?!
Because plans changed we were there a week later. A WEEK LATER! On the surface this seemed good, because we managed to hit a Holiday, which allowed us to spend more time with the kids. But there's more to it than that!
You see Our Girl arrived at the Orphanage on May 24. Are you connecting the dots? Did you look carefully at those dates?! If "our plans" had happened SHE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE! I would never have met Our Girl! She did not arrive until after we had planned to have left!
I just sit here and shake my head. ME and MY PLANS! And God so inconveniently interrupted me. I balked and got frustrated. I might or might not have even been a little ticked at the changes. But WOW when God plans something He doesn't care what I had planned. He will work in whatever way He needs to, to get His point across.
It was also so necessary that we had the full day, the Holiday, at the Orphanage. It was because of that long day that I was able to piece together enough of what God was doing to ask the right questions, and to start understanding what He was asking of me...
But THAT is another story... and yes :) I will tell it next time! Stay tuned God's not yet done telling this story through me! There is more, so much more!
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