God has been spoiling me rotten lately. You know those days when you are able to really, truly sit back and relax because you know that He has everything under control? Ideally that's what we strive for every day, right? But many days I still try to manage things myself. Why? Because obviously I don't trust enough. Sometimes I think that God doesn't see the smaller things in my life. He's so busy, I believe he only has time for the really important stuff. Sometimes I lack faith. And I'm also a little bit of a control freak.
Today three of my friends from work came over. They called last night to say they were coming for lunch. I almost called the cleaning lady and asked if she could come early. I wanted everything to be perfect because they are all my bosses. One is the head of my community, another is the head of all of the communities, and the third is the assistant to our big boss. I didn't even invite them. They just said they were coming.
I didn't call the cleaning lady. She came an hour late, so I wished I had. But God had it covered. My friends called to say they were coming for dinner instead of lunch. We had lots of time to prepare. My house was sparkling clean when they got here.
First they made liquados - milkshakes with fruit and ice instead of ice cream. They brought eggs, hotdogs, plantains and beans for dinner. Honduran people deep fry their eggs in oil. It's not my favorite thing. Sometime I'll have to show them how I do it with a touch of butter and see what they say. The plantains were also fried. My tummy may take a while to recover. But it was so much fun!!!! We just laughed and laughed. They think I'm funny even when I don't think I'm funny at all. They discovered an app where you dance holding your telephone and the computer grades everyone. I couldn't dance, but at least I was out of my bed, sitting at the kitchen table for the first time since December 26th. I am grateful for their visit and their friendship.
In my last blog entry I wrote about my friend Ana who is always so thankful. A good friend (and blog reader) was moved to buy Ana a flat iron. She is one of the few visitors from the US who the kids and adults actually remember. Everyone likes to believe that the people here remember them. But the sad truth is, they don't. Sorry. They say we all look the same to them. Really, that's what they say. However, they do remember my friend's husband, which helps them remember her too. He sings beautifully. When he sings, the Holy Spirit takes ahold of the moment. It's unforgettable.
My coworkers told me exactly where I should go to get the best quality straightening iron for the best price. I have been doing some research online, and I know what she should get, but I'm going to tell Ana she needs to do some research herself before we go to the store. If she wants to cut and style hair, she needs to know when tools she is using. Ana is thrilled out of her mind that she will get a new flat iron once I am off bedrest. I am really excited too. Lately a lot of my friends/supporters have been blessing the people I serve. When I see the people around me blessed, I can't help but feel blessed too!
On Friday I started Spanish classes. The first one was free. When I tried to buy more online it wouldn't accept my credit card. It was frustrating! I was eager to get started and squeeze in as many classes as possible before I go back to work again. I called the office in California and left a message Friday. I also sent an IM. On Saturday I called and sent an email. On Monday their phone was disconnected, but I sent another email. I was ready to give up. I researched other online Spanish classes. But something told me to wait. Tuesday morning I got an email. The person remembered me from when I took classes in 2011. She said she would figure out payment later, but in the meantime I could schedule a class. Yesterday she sent me another email. She looked up my file. I have five classes already paid for from 2011! The price of the classes went up significantly since then, but my credits are still good!
As I thought back I realized that if my credit card had gone through on Friday as it should have, I never would have known. If I had switched to a different program, I would have missed out. Instead, God told me to wait it out and not to worry about time constraints. And now I get five "free" Spanish classes! I took one today. It was easy but the internet was messed up. My teacher is in Guatemala. We are both suffering through a horrible cold front with high winds that affect our internet connection. She ended up giving me another credit for our next class because we couldn't hear each other toward the end. But we did get to the point where I was finally learning something new. So now we are at a good place to start.
Yesterday was my Mom's birthday. I ordered flowers for her. (I had points on my credit card, so they were free to me, which was a bonus.) I thought she didn't have a very busy day on Wednesdays. Turned out I was mistaken. She volunteers all morning in the library and had to take a friend to run an errand in the afternoon. I almost asked if she could postpone her plans with her friend because I wanted her to be home when the flowers were delivered. In the end I decided not to ruin the surprise. I figured she'd enjoy the flowers more if she didn't know they were coming. If need be, she could get the flowers a day late. Then I prayed a lot. It's a silly thing to pray about - that your mom is home to get her birthday flowers. But I really did pray. And guess what? She did all of the things she had planned PLUS went out for a surprise birthday dinner AND she was at home to receive her flowers. God cares Mom being home to receive (free) flowers on her birthday.
I'm keeping a gratitude journal this year. I'm trying to limit each day to one topic only. Today I will be thankful for coworkers who are also friends. And who like to laugh. That's still one topic, right?
