Surprises

I tell people that I don't like surprises, but I really do. Let me explain. No. There is too much. Let me sum up. 

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I don't like when company shows up unexpectedly.











I don't like these kinds of surprises either.







I don't like having to make big decisions on the spur of the moment. Actually I don't like making decisions at all. 

Beth Moore said in one of her Bible study videos that she regularly asks God to delight her and He regularly answers in ways that only God can. Those are the kind of surprises I like. 

Ways God has recently surprised me:

Visitors who did not know I had been missing treats from home brought us m&m's candy. God knew!

While walking a friend's dog on the American school campus I found this fascinating critter. I thought he was a wasp at first but it turns out he is a "wasp moth" and his disguise is his defense. I'm weird, and easily entertained, but I really thought it was cool to see an insect with so many colors. Made me wonder what the caterpillar looks like.


You might not think this is a nice surprise or a good thing to give someone, but when our MAF friend David Francis brought this to us I was delighted. This was a part we needed to repair our water reservoir system. Without it, we had to keep city water turned off most of the time to keep the tank from overflowing and flooding the yard. When you live here, shutting off water supply just feels WRONG, because you never know when it will be available again. Now our tanks are full and our yard is dry.

Today we went to the orphanage in Kimbondo with armloads of soft knit hats and blankets for the babies and toddlers. Many of these kids are malnourished when they arrive and have little to no body fat or energy for keeping warm during the cool dry season. Several friends donated items and money to make this possible. 

Traffic is heavier than it used to be on the road there and construction projects add to the congestion, so it took about 90 minutes now to go 25 kilometers (about 16 miles) to the orphanage. By the time we got there I was tired and thinking about all the stuff I still had to do today so I decided I would just find Father Hugo, give him the stuff, and excuse myself to go home. After I talked to him and showed him the gifts from friends in the states, he excitedly told a nurse about it and next thing I knew she and another person had taken it all and told me to follow them. Turns out they wanted to distribute the hats and blankets right away and they were ordering inviting me to be a part of it. My five minute visit turned quickly into 45. Even though we had not been there in a year because of furlough and car issues, many of the kids and staff remembered us and greeted us warmly. Leaving the orphanage is always wrenching because the kids cry when we leave, but it was a real treat to see them again and give them hugs and hold them for a bit.