Monday, August 9, 2010

Ahh...Life in a foreign country!

Here's the summary of my past three days. I moved to a different house on Saturday and learned the quirks that come with living in a house in Mexico. This included climbing on the roof to check the gas and water tanks. Sunday, I unpacked/settled in, tried out the bus route for school and got some more groceries. I finished out the day by winning a fight against a huge cockroach. This morning, I turned the light on and the bulb blew, so I changed it and then promptly shattered another one on my tile floor. After cleaning that up, I got ready for school, walked to the bus stop and took the wrong bus yet again. Now, if that's all you read, you might think that things here are kind of crazy, but let me insert a few wonderful things that have also happened in the last three days.

On Saturday, I had the privilege of meeting the Kerry and Mauri. They are missionaries here who work with the surrounding indigenous peoples. They helped me move, but they did not just transport my belongings. Kerry checked all of the necessary things in the house, which included climbing on the roof and showing me how everything works. He got the water running, checked toilets and pipes, etc. Being a single girl, I cannot even express what a help and relief that was to me. Then, we went to Pizza Hut for lunch (their treat) and to Sam's club for a new mattress and some food supplies. They helped me figure out the ATM machine (everything seems to a challenge for me here) and took me home to help set up the new mattress and get the food inside. All while encouraging me, asking how I was doing and even giving me helpful tips about the area where I now live. And, what I didn't tell you, was that they had just finished working with a team for 2 weeks, were leading a Bible study shortly after they left me, and their daughter was flying in from the States that evening! They showed me Jesus' love in action.

This morning, I met a man working at the shop near my house. I needed to get change for the bus, so I planned to buy something on my way. When I showed him my 100 peso bill (a little less than $10.00), he explained that he didn't have change. I thanked him, but told him that I needed the change for the bus and that I didn't have anything smaller. He pulled out his wallet, asked what I needed for the bus and gave it to me, along with the drink I was going to buy. In my broken Spanish, I thanked him several times and explained that I lived nearby and would pay him back tomorrow. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what he said in response, but he seemed like he wasn't worried about getting the money back. What a kind and caring person.

Unplanned things happen wherever we live. We all have days when we wish things had gone differently, but I hope that through it all, we can see the hand of God at work in our lives. This weekend was busy and I had a couple unnerving moments, but God provided just what I needed in those moments. He brought people, His children and others, to help me. Boy--am I thankful for that! What a great God I serve!

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