We went to New Market today, the one part of the city I
half-way know. When I came three years
ago, we stayed down in this area of town.
New Market was where I did all of
my shopping. I had been looking forward
to this day and seeing all the places I had been before. It was this trip that really changed the
direction of my life. I always knew the
Father had a heart to see others come to know Him and that I had been called to
work alongside Him doing this. However,
it wasn’t until I came here three years ago that I really encountered how dire
the situation was. I remember the first
night I left the hotel and went into New Market. The things I saw brought me to tears: the lostness, the desperation, the
hopelessness. The Father really opened
my eyes to how much these people need Him.
That trip three years ago was probably the hardest 10 days of my life,
but after those 10 days, I’ve never been the same or looked at things the same
way. It’s kind of funny, I didn’t really
enjoy being here then, but as soon as I got on the plane and went back home, I
wanted to come back. It is such a
blessing to be back here working with the Father to bring people to Him.
As we were walking, all the memories came flooding back to
me. I wasn’t exactly sure where we were,
but then I saw a shoe shop and could see my friend sitting there on our first
night in the city trying on shoes. We
walked a little farther and there was the Fairlawn Hotel, the place that had
been our refuge in the midst of chaos.
Right next to it was the chia stand where we would get the best tea
before going to Mother Theresa’s Mother House.
I turned the corner and the familiar “Blue Sky Café” sign greeted
me. We went in and it looked just the
same—same weird wallpaper and pictures.
I think they had updated the menu though. I visited with the waiter and told him I
remembered coming to his restaurant three years ago and was very happy to be
back.
It was a good day to look back and remember and also to
recognize how the Father used all of those experiences to wake me up and bring
me back here. How Great is the Father’s
Plan!
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