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Frankie: Just amazing!

By on February 4, 2012 in Random Encounters, Stories

You might remember how I met Frankie back in 2009.

Anyway, I bumped in to him again earlier this week, and it’s been so cool to see him. He’s completely transformed from the first time I’ve met him. When I first met him, he a mess; intoxicated, and flipping in and out of two different personalities… and today I see a physically transformed person.

I was coming out of Starbucks, (with my Venti Extra Hot Soy Caramel Macchiato) when I saw Frank. I haven’t sat down to chat with him for ages, so it must have been the first time I spoke to him for a couple of months. He was pretty glad to see me, and he was totally diffent! Frankie was so much more solid and grounded when I spoke to him, not so anxious and still honest about his feelings.  He was telling me about how he got his disability now, and has a home and new teeth! :)

Frankie was reflecting with my the days since he first met me. He was telling me about how convicted he was the there really was a God, how he came from believing in anything to really believing that God is for real! He was telling me about the number of people that he met over the course of that time. all the Christians that ministered to him and came around him who helped solidify his faith. He was super thankful for all the people that had sat with him to talk to him and pray with him and speak truth to him.

I love how God pursues His lost!

Anyway, I’m really stoked about how God uses His body: the church. God pursued Frank by sending seemingly “random” people, who don’t necessarily know one another to minister to this one guy.. So awesome how God pursues people through orchestrating His people to meet with and minister to His one lost sheep!

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To-To-Tofino Trip Journal

By on January 6, 2012 in Random Encounters, Stories

Back last September, my cousin and I went camping for the first time with some friends! First vacation in too long. Jesus was awesome to show us some cool stuff, and he also saved all of us from near death. No exaggeration – the lot of us could have easily died with severe food poisoning on Day 4.

Day 1 Saturday

Tim Horton's at 4:45am

Woke up at 4am for the ferry to Nanaimo, but not without a quick stop to Timmy Ho’s. Got an early ferry over to the island, was pretty rainy on the way there. Some of us caught a couple of winks on the way over. The gluten free bakery was closed for breakfast when we arrived and the other gluten free place the town over wasn’t open yet either.

We  decided to drive to Port Alberni and try our luck there. It was a beautiful drive.

Driving through Cathedral Grove - monumental cedars blowing my mind!!

Drive to Port Alberni

We ended up finding a fancy greasy spoon type breakfast and checked out their public market.

Port Alberni

Honda CRVs have horribly over cautious owners. We discovered this after trailing behind them through windy roads at a turtle’s pace. In spite of this, the drive was beautiful. We drove through old cedar forests and past wide open crystal lakes. Gorgeous, gorgeous creation.

Jess enjoying some fresh island air

Me taking a pic of Jess enjoying some fresh island air

Heading up towards that Pacific Rim

Arrived in Tofino and checked out the market. Tofino had some quirky little corners and fun little signs. Here are some of my favourites.

Deaf Child Playing

All from one house

 

More signboards from Tofino

I love it when a plan comes together

Checked in and set up camp. We were so thankful that God managed to keep it pretty nice and dry throughout, so we didn’t have to set up in the rain. Got out my brand shiny new tent, pitched it with an ocean view.

Our first camp set up, ever!!

Checked out the beach. Our neighbors next to us had just cooked up some fresh mussels they harvested off the rocks on our beach, so we thought it would be neat to have hunt for some ourselves for dinner.

Mussel hunting on some rocks near our beach

The tide was way too hide, but we had fun beach combing on some super soft sandy beachiness. Instead, for supper we went in to town, bought chicken and had dinner and campfire back at camp.

First Camp dinner: grilled chicken rice!

Had a camp fire that only took about 2 hours to get started. We probably had the soggiest bunch of logs to use. Threw some salt in there and had a super multi colorful campfire which we eventually abandoned due to rain.

Campfire Day 1

 

Day 2 Sunday

My first camp breakfast ever!!

Woke up and made pancakes with grapefruit. Checked out Tofino town.

Cox Beach

Checked out Cox beach and stayed there until the tide came in. Saw big waves. Had fried rice for lunch. Campfire and dogs for dinner.

Day 3 Monday

The most glorious morning, little did we know this was the last blue sky morning for the rest of the trip.

Quick breakfast with toast. Woke up to the most glorious morning – little did we know that it would be our only glorious morning.

We prayed here and asked Jesus to show us some cool stuff!

Went on the hot springs tour. Prayed and asked Jesus that we might see some whales. Set off on a boat for about 2 hours. Views were glorious!

Views from the boat

We had fun!

On the boat

My quick cameo

On the way there, God blessed us families of sea otters and seals. No whales sadly, but we still prayed. I also saw this little yellow guy as we landed on the island.

Island Slug

Walked through a super old rainforest where grew cedars who were probably just saplings when Jesus walked the earth. The board walk Was cool. Loads of the boards were engraved by a whole bunch of different tribes, nations, groups, people.

Coastal Rainforest - just saplings when Jesus walked the earth!

Boardwalk

Just by the Hot Springs

Hot Springs smelt like sulphur at first. Was cool. Really close to the ocean. We sat in a cleft where the hot springs ran our from under us and cool ocean waves washed over us until we got nailed by a large wave. Jess got impaled on to a bunch of barnacles, she got a rad flesh wound. :)

Hanging out by some rocks

Group photo time

Hit the big ocean on the way back, got to see seal lions!! Whoa!! A whole bunch on them on a small rocky island. Waves were huge on the way back, so awesome. Finally! God showed us some whales!! We saw an orca, two two humpbacks and grey whale on the way back.

Two Humpbacks and a Grey Whale :)

Huge sea swells on open ocean. Ate out at Sobo. Oysters, wild salmon and cloudless chocolate cake. Delicious!! Went back to camp and played Apples to Apples.

True story: This was the toughest hand of Apples to Apples - hilarious!

Day 4 Tuesday

Scrambled eggs, sausage, banana and apples for breakfast. Jess and I soon went beach combing. Was low tide and there were a ton of mussels. Ran back to camp with a knife and a giant pot and harvested mussels a whole bunch of them. We wanted to cook them all fancy, so we sent my cousin to get some wine, lemons, and garlic. FAIL! We had a flat battery, so biked he in to town while cleaning them up! Us girls sat around our picnic table hacking barnacles off our lunch and cleaned them up pretty well. We destroyed our knives!

Little did we know that these were deadly Mussels

Finally my cousin got back, we cooked them, they smelt divine!!

Smelt Delish

So before we ate them, our friend called randomly! We told him about lunch, and then gave us a heads up about red tide. Red tide, after a couple of phone calls and googleling, we discovered that all the mussels and shellfish in the area were affected by red tide, and we would have got super sick, even to the point of death if we ate them. Jesus totally had our backs on that one!! THANK YOU JESUS!! We discarded mussels, went in to town and got some greasyfish and chips and ice cream.

Hi little fella!

Beach combed in the afternoon. Found a starfish. Had potatoes and tuna for dinner. Ran out of propane. Could not find our spare bottle. We also ate weird camp  pie. Rain

Day 5 Wednesday

Tofino Rain

Rain. Rain. Rain.

Made scrambled eggs with cheese. Went and dug some trenches around the tent.

Went for our surf lesson. Surf lesson cancelled.  Epic rainfall warning. Had tea. Went back to camp. Went beach combing and found some sand dollars. Went back to camp. Rain. Dug more trenches. Read. Got a text from our logger friend from our home town. Say what?!

Matty P, our logger friend from Squamish came and visit us. Sat in his truck and listened to his stories. Checked on our trenches and went back to camp. Rain. Thought about fasting for the night. Went to the dockside pub for wings. Went to Sobo for dessert. Bed.

Day 6 Thursday

Rain.
Made better pancakes. Cleaned up. Went combing and found some sand dollars. bits of them. Then went to Tofino tea shop. Still closed.
Went to TuffBeans and had a chai latte.

Hmmm... tea lattes

Went to surfsisters and got in to wetsuits and boots.

Surf Sisters

Went to south chesterman beach, managed to stand up and catch some whitewash waves. Saw Matty P again. Went to the co-op and made steaks and potatoes back at camp. In bed by 6.30pm. Feels good.

Day 7 Friday

Pancakes for breakfast. Super early start. Woke up at around 6.30am. Went to get wetsuits an boards first thing. Caught some white wash waves.

Lunch time we ate macaroni with tinned tuna and sweetcorn in the rain with our make shift long board table. Felt like true surf bums.

Classy cold surf bum lunch in wetsuits in the rain... that's how we roll.

Saw Matty P again. Went for our 1.30pm surf lesson and this time could catch and ride 80% of waves. Surfed until 5pm ish and decided to skip dinner due to rain. All I wanna be is dry again. Jess did our laundry. She’s an angel.

Day 8 Saturday

Woke up. The first night that I had a reasonably good sleep. Rain. Made a group decision to skip breakfast. We eventually packed down our camp. Hit the road around 9.30am. Everyone is looking forward to ring home. Driving to qualicum beach for breakfast.
Saw my first bit of blue sky in days exciting.

Journey home - back to blue skies and dryness.

The gluten free place in Qualicum beach was closed down, so we drove to Nanaimo and had lunch at a gluten free cafe near the ferry. The blue jewel cafe. It was super new age and in need of Jesus. Unfortunately due to close at the end of tr month.  Got on the ferry an went home.

Dry :)

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Articles

Praying with Frankie

By on February 3, 2011 in Random Encounters

I had just finished my meeting with an immigration lawyer, I left the other way to avoid an awkward moment of leaving together, and exited out of the other door. It was at that moment that I saw a familiar face: Frankie.

Frankie is the homeless guy who lives in the area I work. I feel like he’s come a long way since my first encounter with him. I really love the guy and he’s come such a long way since I’ve first saw him.

The first few times I met him he was highly intoxicated and I’m not entirely sure that he was speaking  from himself or a spirit that possessed him. He seemed to be in good thinking and mental order when I spoke to him.

I greeted Frankie with a hug. We had a quick chat about stuff… and he told me he had just been thinking about me from a business card I have to him a couple of months ago…. I told him my prayer requests. I asked for wisdom to simply know what to do now, whether to go ahead and get legal representation of alternatively try  and do it myself on my own and have a n extended stay or whatever.

So I told Ffranke to pray for my wisdom and God’s guidance.

Frankie said some really cool things and words of wisdom that I did not expect from him. I was expecting that the kids woudl be there for a while. He also joked that he would marry me so I could become a citizen. I should give Frankie the benefit of the doubt, he knows a lot more than one would expect.

Frankie and I held hands and we both spoke to our Heavenly Father together. It was totally cool. Frankie told me that unlike those prayers where people want more money and stuff, asking God for something on your heart, like staying in a certain country, is the kind of prayer that God answers. Frankie’s come a long way since I first met him.

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Articles

A Driving Ticket, a Room Upgrade, Coincidental Encounters and a Long Walk

By on January 30, 2011 in Musings, Random Encounters, Stories

A Driving Ticket

My two night getaway started well. I was no more than 50 meters from the hotel when I got pulled over and issued a driving ticket. That’s right, not speeding but driving ticket. I’m not used to city driving… and frankly, my driving isn’t that great anyway. I’ve always had an issue with road sense… Small town driving and highways, I have a vague handle, but big city intersections and lane discipline give me anxiety disorders. I think the officer kinda knew I was a new small town driver, so instead of giving me a $500 fine and penalty points off my license for “driving without due care of attention“, I got a fine for trying to change lanes at an intersection and nearly causing a road accident. Thank you Jesus! a) for it not being in a collision and b) reduced fine.

A Room Upgrade

For some reason I found it really hard to shake off being pulled over. I checked in to the hotel and the front desk agent did most of the talking, which was nice. He upgraded me to a Junior Suite with a fantastic view of the back alley. :) The decor and soft furnishings all deserve to remain in the 80s where they belong, but I suppose it’s pretty clean and quiet.

I played a bit of guitar when I got in, put the heaters on, read my Bible reading for the day, had a nap on the couch with a hot water bottle, and journaled before heading out.

Coincidental Encounters?

Funnily enough, as I was about to leave the hotel I saw two familiar faces; the german journalist and her friend who stayed with us in the ski resort were waiting in the lobby for their ride. I recognised them and waved, we chatted for a fair bit, exchanged business cards, she took a photo and wished each other well. Out of all the hotels in the city we happened to be staying at the same one.

There are no coincidences, I know God orchestrates these meetings. I’m not sure why He allowed that to happen, and I’m not sure I will ever find out why in this life time.

A Long Walk

I kinda realise how much of a small town girl I’ve become. The big cities I felt like I once owned now own me. I don’t feel as streetwise as I once did. Buzzing crowds are overwhelming, shopping is more bothersome rather than a leisurely thing, and clothing is more about practicality than looking good.

I took a 2 or 3 hour stroll over to a little island nearby, I didn’t want to pay for the water taxi, so taking a 30/40 minute detour was my only option. It’s an arty little island, with lots of studios and boutique stores, and a amazing food market. I grabbed a chai tea from a stall, which unfortunately more of a powdered chai flavored milk thing.

I didn’t really pursue time with Jesus as I hoped, but had a bit of a conversation with Him on the walk home.I prayed about some of my anxieties, and idols in my life that I need to put to death. I later ended up on a thought tangent about Paul. When Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh, I wonder whether it was the desire to be married, to be able to enjoy the tender embrace of a woman that he could call his wife.

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What’s in your wallet? Two thoughts on Jesus and my Credit Card

By on January 18, 2011 in Random Encounters, Stories

So… I while ago… I decided to print “Jesus’ Money” on to my credit card. It was a suggestion made by a pastor, so I took it.

I did it because:

a) Better Stewardship

I used to have spending problem and I wanted a reminder that the money I have is God’s money; that everything I have is given to me for His purpose and His Kingdom.

b) Making His Name Known

Whenever I buy stuff with it, usually food, and I pay Visa. I have cashiers look at it and say nothing, but sometimes, and when I say sometimes I mean today, I had a server ask me about it.

I went to pay my bill when the server asked me about my money being Jesus’ money.

“So Jesus’ is paying for your lunch?”

“Yeah…. it’s Jesus’ money” I replied, paid and then added, “Jesus’ tipped you as well…”

The conversation went around our table to whether Jesus was gonna pay for his lunch to. So the general consensus from the table was that Jesus all paid for our lunch.

So anyway, I told her that she should get to know Jesus… and she replied that she has Jesus in her heart, whatever that meant. Thought it was cool.

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Frankie and the Dreamcatcher turned Cross

By on August 13, 2010 in Random Encounters, Stories

Frankie came in to work last week to use our washroom. I said “hi!” and he came over.

Frankie has always been very generous with me, in spite of his poverty. Previous times he had given me a caught and gutted fish, drawings, oatmeal bars, and has offered to give me his vitamins when I was ill.

I had some fruit in the office fridge so I thought I’d pass it to him. In turn he offered to give me a necklace he made out of some twigs, string, and fishing line. He even made a kinda catch release with the bend in the twig. it was pretty neat. The pendant he made in to a kind of dream catcher and explained its meaning.

I was, as usual, flattered by his offer, and a little hesitant over the dreamcatcher (they’re just the kind of spiritual that doesn’t align with Scripture) but I really appreciated the thought. I thanked Frankie. He said it needed some more work on, so he took it away and told me that he’d bring it back.

Sure enough, later in the day, Frankie returned with the necklace. When I returned he made the dreamcatcher in to a cross!

Frankie's Dreamcatcher Turned Cross

I’m so blown away by how he converted it to a cross. I honestly don’t know where Frankie stands before God. I don’t know what God is up to in Frankie’s life, but I’m up for holding on tight for the ride!

I pray that God would reveal more truth about Him to Frankie, that he might understand the Cross. In the same way that Frankie transformed the dreamcatcher to a Cross, I pray the Holy Spirit would transform Frankie’s heart too.

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The Blessings of Being a Single Female Christian Missionary

By on August 6, 2010 in Musings, Random Encounters

boy girl

So… In a previous post I have described my struggles, specifically pertaining to being single as a female missionary, or a single female Christian in general. This week, however, the Holy Spirit has really been working at me again, reluctantly He is moulding me, or chiseling me in to shape… the antagonism with wanting to be wedded and the desire to be in God’s will right now and be patient with His timing.

The War Waging Inside of me

I was really convicted by a sermon I had listened to. The pastor was joking, pointing that many Christians have a genuine desire to see Christ return again, but only after they have met their spouse. Hearing that really grabbed me. Am I putting the desire of marriage and marital intimacy ahead of Jesus who surpasses any physical or spiritual pleasure of marriage?! Argh…!! The thought of it tears me and I grapple with that conviction, that’s a real battle of spirit and flesh right there. I know it to be true, and yet every aching of my being wants to justify it and argue against it.

I even go the opposite extreme and contemplate a life of singleness and try to come to an acceptance of its possibility, and again I feel my flesh fighting it. This discomfort and war I feel raging in me I know is my flesh and spirit trying to battle it out. That discomfort and frustration, and I know I have to put one of the two to death and submit my will back to the hands of God, for I know Jesus has a way better plan for me than I do. His gift of Himself far surpasses and delight or pleasure or joy I can find here on earth, and I need to strive for that eternal treasure and not for worldly treasure that will inevitably rot, rust or be stolen away.

I Battle With Tears

God has dealt with me ruthlessly with so many of my wants and needs and has used some great and godly women in my life to reveal it to me. To discern for me from want and need can be hard in this affluent part of the world. Moreover, when I’ve had so many prayers answered, it’s hard for me to discern what desires of mine are wants and which ones are needs. Jesus has answered so many prayers concerning church planting, leading, and full time ministry, and those same prayers were entangled with desires to be partnered with someone who desires those similar things. When I see part of my prayers answered and not the other, I wonder why.

I’ve battled with tears with the conflict of my desire for something and when I have not received it. At the moment I feel Him really tackling my heart regarding my singleness, and I have been resistant to His hand at my expense. When I resist God, I feel unsettled and discomfort, I feel a restlessness inside me that keeps me from sleeping.  When I resist God and try to fight with Him over what I want, I always lose and go through heart ache, and my behavior towards him reverts back to a teen angst against Him, stubborn, rebellious, and obstinate, crying out “why not?” When I resist him, I suffer.

What the Lord is showing me through my singleness

With much resistance I’m slowly realizing what a blessing my singleness is. Here I can devote all my time to His work and ministry, I have no obligations to a spouse or family. Here in my singleness I need only to be concerned over my relationship with the Lord of which all my other relationships are affected. I am able to devote so much more of myself and focus so much more of myself to his work. I am free from needing to devote any time to relationships, other than that of the Lord and grounding my foundations firmly in him.

There is a joy that comes with that freedom and that singleness that the Lord has been showing me this past week that the married cannot have.

God’s sense of humour… urgh… :)

It was only when He showed me this and that I had grudgingly accepted, that He decided to show me something else…

It was a Tuesday morning when I had literally rolled out of bed at 6:45am, went downstairs to start work at 7am, grabbed a cup of tea from Starbucks, when I saw in a corner someone reading a two columned book, that’s right, a bible. So… feeling curious, I went around the other side of the store to see who was reading it, and behold, through that Starbucks window I beheld briefly the sight of a very chiseled and beautiful young male.

2 Things:-

  1. There’s nothing more attractive than seeing a young man reading the Bible at the crack of dawn in a coffee shop
  2. I was deeply encouraged that God creates such men and that they exist!

Thank you Jesus!

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Frankie and some Vitamins

By on June 30, 2010 in Ministry, Random Encounters

I’m all drowsy on cough syrup right now, feeling a little bunged up and groggy. Currently struggling to differentiate between being ill or being highly medicated, and trying to induce a minor temperature to help me fight off all the bugs in my system.

I saw Frankie again today… on my way getting a Starbucks breakfast. I see him a lot there now. I saw Frankie and he noticed how much more subdued and hoarse I was. Frankie was making himself some breakfast on a bench and was busy rolling cigarettes out of left over butts that he collected into a bunch of BC liquor bags.

Frankie seemed genuinely saddened to hear I was ill and remarked on how there was a bug going around. He then reached in to his coat pocket and offered to give me his vitamin C tablets with a multi b vitamin complex, or something.

What never ceases to amaze me is that Frankie gives out of his poverty whilst many in our society simply give in our abundance.

What is charity?

Giving is no longer sacrificial in our society and culture. I often get guilt tripped in to giving only after being smothered with photos and videos of emaciated children in a 3rd world country. Other times when we’re prompted by the annoyance of someone in a bunny suit passing a bucket in a bar or club. There are those than give money to a cause, a charity, and then consider themselves righteous in their society because of their generous contributions. There are the celebrities who give because they just had an extra marital affair and their PR agency suggested that a donation to a children’s cancer organization would be sufficient to redeem them in the eyes of the public and now acceptable to regain the lost sponsorship from their previous misdemeanors.

Even Christians can give out of guilt or self righteousness. I know I have been guilty of both. But then there are those who have nothing and give out of their nothing. I love how the early Macedonian church gave similarly our of their extreme poverty, (2 Cor 8:1-5) and similarly gave huge glory to God. A similar echo is heard in the story of the poor widow, who again gave from her poverty. (Mark 12:41-44)

Love and Sacrifice

As usual, I guess it always comes down to the heart. Giving from a stingy or righteous heart means nothing no matter how much you give. A man could give tens of thousands in total towards charitable causes a year, but it’s barely a pinch in his pocket if he is earning in the millions. True giving is out of cheerfulness, and true giving is sacrificial, and even more so… true love requires sacrifice. But where there is sacrifice there is death.

Sacrifice means that you have to give up something of yourself, and usually meaning you need to put something to death. With sacrifice there is a cost or price to be paid.

Basic acts of love require similar acts of sacrifice. We sacrifice and put to death our own time, that we may give it in love to our friends and family. We sacrifice and put to death our own abundant wealth that in love others might live a life more comfortable than poverty.

In the past I have tried sacrificing my health, in favour love for a slimmer body. Some sacrifice their health to the point of death in favor and love for a slimmer body. I even remember sacrificing grocery and rent money in favour for make-up and clothes. I have in the past and still struggle as I refuse to reconcile old friendships and even relationships with my relatives to save the love of my pride. In those circumstances I put to death the friendship and relationship and live embittered that I might save face.

When I do evil, I sacrifice and put to death my relationship with our God and Creator, and similarly I put myself to death in favor for my desire to do what I want, when I want it, how I want it.

The Greatest Love

I think everyone would agree, the biggest sacrifice anyone could give for a friend is their life. There is no bigger sacrifice. Every day I fail to remember that I have a friend that gave his life that I might live.

I love that Jesus sacrificed and allowed himself to be put to death that for His love of me I would live. And similarly, I now live in pursuit of putting to death my sin that for the love of the reconciled relationship I have with my God and creator.

I love that Frankie, in his poverty, insisted and offered to sacrifice his vitamins for me that I might be healthy.That’s a real sacrifice right there.

John 15:13

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (ESV)

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Frankie and a Picture

By on June 28, 2010 in Ministry, Random Encounters

That's me with yellow hair, walking on water, with a peace sign around my neck. :)

I love it when kids take the time to make you a card or to draw you a picture, somehow even more touching when a grown man would express himself in such a way. Today Frankie came to my work, and gave me a picture he drew. I thought it was really sweet. Frankie is a guy I met sometime earlier this year outside of Starbucks and the same guy who gave me a trout. Frankie’s had a hard life, but I’ll try to remember him in my prayer the best I can that the Lord would continue to work in him.

He drew me walking on water with a hippy peace sign around my neck, and a hearts on my belt. I’m very moved that he would spend the time to do that for me. He left a little note on the back thanking me for the inspiration.

Frankie is classed by this society to be poor and homeless as well as an alcoholic. It amazes me to see his generous heart though, even though he has nothing, he blesses me with simple things like this.

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Another Random Path

By on June 12, 2010 in Random Encounters

I’ve been slacking a lot on my daily readings… There was a time when I could consistently wake up at 5:30am, the crack of dawn to read and pray… and have an hour to get ready for work. Nowadays, even with all this sunshine, I can wake up half an hour before I have to leave, put on some clothes, stall at the mirror to maybe wash my face and get in to work at a reasonably professional state. Nonetheless, it has pushed my devotional times to the long commute to work, and in the last couple of days, my journalling to lunch hours.

Wanting a change of scenery and a variation from my Starbucks diet, I decided to check out this new cafe around the corner from me. I snuck in on Wednesday for a cup of tea to finish journalling. The same girl served me again yesterday for a light grilled salmon crepe lunch and a san pellegrino.

Anyway, she noticed I had a bible with me and somehow it made a conversation starter. She asked me whether I was living here, and asked about the local churches in the area for a adult community group. She was pretty new to the town, and just finishing bible college commuting nearly two hours every weekend for Sunday service.. Anyway, it was an encouragement for her to see other Christians, who are in to the Word, living or working in a resort town like this.

Thinking about it now, I’m pretty encouraged to see God working and moving in that town. I’ve often been covetous that many of my friends live and work in the same town and needn’t commute. Often I wish that I could be more immersed in a single community but I guess I lose focus of the bigger picture. I know God has a plan for these things… and reasons why he has scattered us in the way that he has.

I love how God arranges these chance encounters. I’m completely humbled how he used me to help her out, and it’s something that I completely did not arrange, think of, did out of any intentionality. Completely all Him!

When you’ve been adopted as a son in Christ, I love that you truly have an extended family that stretches beyond the span of this world. From all the places I have visited and been in my Christian walk, I have never been without a brother, a sister, a friend, a father or mother, not yet anyway. I’m sure there will be times when I will be on my own, perhaps even in times of tribulation. I guess in those times, I’m never without Jesus.

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