When God "Sneaks Up" on You

The day began like any other. I got up and awakened my daughter to get ready for the day. She went to her school and I went to mine. After a long day working as secretary to one of the assistant principals at the local high school, I went home and did a little house cleaning.

At 7:00, Rachel and I were to meet with one of the family selection committee members for our local Habitat for Humanity. This woman had not been able to attend our earlier group interview back in September. She wanted to meet us and ask a few questions before she gave her input to the decision-making process.

Image found here

We arrived at the Habitat Re-Store right on time, and found the parking lot was full. I didn't think too much of it. My thought was that the Re-Store was really hopping on a Friday night. Little did I know that God was sneaking up on me with a wonderful surprise.

I was met at the office door and invited in. I was told that the lady we were to meet was shopping in the Re-Store, and we would go find her there. Rachel and I followed her into the Re-Store, where Habitat for Humanity sells good-condition used items.A lot of people were looking around the store, and my thought was that Friday night must be a good night for shopping. I still didn't realize God was sneaking up on me.

Then, I saw a gentleman who had been involved in our first interview. He was holding a camera. "That's John over there, isn't it?" I asked, wanting to confirm that I remembered his name. The fact that he was holding a camera didn't stir the slightest suspicion that God was sneaking up ever closer.

Someone came up to my escort and said something about making an announcement, I honestly thought she meant to get on the intercom system and call for the woman we were supposed to meet. But that wasn't what she meant.

Derrick the Oiler,
the University of Findlay mascot.

I heard something like this, "We are happy to welcome you as our newest Habitat for Humanity Homeowners". I looked around and realized everyone in the crowd of about 50 people, many of whom had fresh, young faces, were looking at us. Everyone...including Derrick, the tall and brawny mascot of the University of Findlay. It took a few seconds for the surprise to sink in. After well over a year and a half of not being certain where Rachel and I would live long term, God has finally given direction.

Of course, I obviously knew that they were considering us to become Habitat Homeowners, but I had been preparing myself for them to choose someone else. I had accepted the fact that whichever way the decision went, that was the way we were to go. I was certainly not at all expecting the answer to come tonight. God had snuck up on me so very quietly with this delightful surprise.

So, what comes next? I will have close contact and support from a committee that will walk us through the next several months. Construction of the walls will begin in the spring. The sections will then be stored over the summer. In September, after the students return to college, they will build the house. As I understand it, the basic framework goes up pretty much in one day - much like an Amish barn-raising. After that the whole process will be done in a couple of months. We should be in our new home by November.

I look forward to getting to know the students from the University of Findlay who will actually be building our house. These students are just a few years older than the teens I worked with in Indonesia. It will be good to spend time with them. I hope that in some way, I can touch their lives as much as they will certainly touch ours.

The Best-Laid Plans ...

A Shipment Gone Astray

So you think you have it all figured out. You are sure you have found the perfect solution for a problem you face. You are feeling pretty good about it all, and then ...

I'm sure you get the idea of where this is going.

Back in March, I picked out my daughter's home school curriculum, and had it in my online shopping cart ready to complete the purchase. The next thing to consider was how to get the materials to us here in Indonesia. Shipping a book-intensive curriculum overseas is a fairly expensive and problem-filled undertaking. Besides shipping, there is the likelihood of customs charges, and the general hassle to liberate the boxes from customs before we could even use it.

Then a flash of inspiration hit me. The perfect plan! Of course! Friends in South Carolina were already planning on sending a couple donated laptops for the children's home where I work via a library ship that travels the world doing various kinds of outreach. This ship was scheduled to dock in Bali in August. If they could put the curriculum on the ship along with the laptops, I could pick it up in Bali. No expensive shipping. No high customs charges. The idea was perfect.

So that is what we did. My friend saw to it that the boxes got on the ship.  They even decorated the boxes with colorful dots all over so they would be easy to see. The ship embarked on its voyage. It was only a matter of time.

And then ...

The ship had to go into dry dock in the Philippines. The needed repairs took much longer than expected, and Bali was canceled from the itinerary.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

My perfect plan was shot to pieces. I think God must sometimes smile and shake His head when He sees us come up with our supposedly foolproof, perfect plans. We can plan, of course, but in the end, God has the last word.

We were already into the first week of September. School should have already started. If I asked the people on the ship to mail the boxes to me, I would have to delay the start of school for yet another month or so. I really didn't want to do that.

It became clear that the best option was to fly to the Philippines and bring the shipment back. Phyllis, a dear friend from Virginia wrote me to say, "Obviously, God wants you in Manila, so 'stay alert, look around you, and see where God is working.' " She was quoting Henry T. Blackaby's "Experiencing God".

She was right. Of course, I assumed that I had to be alert for some way to minister to someone else while there. I truly hope I did minister to someone along the way. What I know for sure, though, is that by sending me to the Philippines, God put me right in the path of a beautiful South Korean family who ministered to me.

A Welcoming Family

Over the last nineteen years, I have often traveled to new places. Sometimes the journey was made alone, and more recently with a small child in tow. I am no stranger to travel. Even so, I did not look forward to this trip. I only knew one person in the Philippines, but his family lived too far away to help me.

I pictured arriving at Clark Airport late Thursday night, having to find a hotel, find transport to the harbor and back in the morning, and then getting back to the airport early Saturday morning. I did not enjoy the prospect of making that kind of whirlwind trip on my own.

Then I remembered that several kids from my international church went to a school in Manila. It was a long shot, but I looked the school up online and gave them a call.

The family of God is truly amazing! I explained my situation as best I could over a poor phone connection. Apparently, Person A talked to Person B. Person B talked to Person C. As Person B was talking, a young woman named Boram overheard their conversation and offered to host me in her parents' home. She would meet me at the airport, take me to the harbor, and return me to the airport when it was time to leave.

Boram knew nothing about me. As a matter of fact, neither Person A nor Person B knew anything about me either. I could have been anyone. Even so, Boram and her family believed that they should just trust God because "this was God's work".

A Little Extra Blessing

On Friday, Boram, her mother, and I traveled to the harbor. We were given a brief tour of the ship. Even though it was rather chaotic with all the renovation and repairs going on, we got an idea of the scope of the ministry done by those who travel on it.

We got the boxes in the car, had lunch, took in a museum, and ate dinner. Back at Boram's house, I still had to repack the shipment into my suitcases so I'd at least have the books on wheels. I also wanted to put Rachel's name in each book in order to reassure customs officials that I really was not intending to resell them, and so shouldn't have to pay an import tax.

Boram gave me a bit of extra blessing. She helped me sort through all the books, label them, divide up the instructor's guides into the various weeks, and pack everything away. What would have been a huge job to do alone, we completed together in about an hour. Thanks to Boram, Rachel and I were ready to start school on Monday instead of later in the week.

As Phyllis said, obviously, God wanted me in the Philippines. I just didn't realize that He wanted me there to bless me. He may have had more reasons than that for the trip, but He certainly did pour on His blessings through my hosts.

Boram and her family taught me an important lesson about hospitality. Their openness, their generosity, and their delight in serving God by serving others challenges me to do the same. Maybe one day, I can bless someone else in a similar way as I realize that "this is God's work".

After all, God is the one who REALLY has the "best-laid plans".

(Photo from  http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=person+reading+map&ex=1 )