New Theme Song

Over break I heard a song that pretty much sums up what I think God is up to in my life: “Blessings” by Laura Story.  Here is the chorus:

“'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise”

I know God is working in my life, but everything over the past couple of years have been way more difficult than I could have ever anticipated, and this year especially has pushed me past my breaking point more times than I can count..  But after spending two relaxing and comfortable weeks in the comfort of my parents’ home, I was hopeful that returning to Mexico would be a bit easier…

Surprisingly, the actual traveling part was relatively good.  At 3:05 am my dad loaded my suitcase, guitar, and two carry-on bags into my Mazda and my parents and I drove down to SEATAC for my 7:06 am flight.  My parents said a quick prayer over me at the curb, my mom gave me some cash for food (gotta love moms!), and I went to check my bag and guitar.  I made my way to the gate by way of the underground train, and arrived in plenty of time to watch a few episodes of “The Middle” before take-off.  San Francisco airport was fine, although I learned the hard way to find food before walking down to the International Flights wing.  After a three hour layover and more of “The Middle” I found my seat for my flight to Mexico City.  After getting situated, a flight attendant asked me if I wouldn’t mind moving to the exit row so a family could sit together, so I got to enjoy extra leg room and empty seats all around me!  The flight part was great!

We landed in Mexico City around 7pm and I spent the next hour waiting in line to get through customs.  When it was my turned, I handed the agent my work visa, Passport, and new immigration slip, and I passed right through!  I thanked God and hurried off to find my checked luggage, which was waiting for when I got to the carousel.  I passed through the next security point without having to be searched, and found the bus ticketing counter after asking a security guard by 8:20 pm.  I purchased my bus ticket to Querétaro on the next available bus, which was at 9:10 pm.  After waiting for an hour, I finally boarded the bus.  During the next three hours, I slept for about 15 minutes.  We pulled into the bus station about 12:00 am, and I purchased my ticket for a taxi and waited in a line outside for another hour to get in the taxi (got to love Mexican efficiency).  At 1:15 am I finally made it to my apartment and discovered I had no electricity, and I couldn’t find an open internet signal to email my parents to let them know I made it safely, and I was out of minutes on my phone so I couldn’t text or call them either.

This morning I got up and checked my refrigerator to discover a terrible odor, just like the one I dealt with when I cleaned out my parents’ fridge over break—apparently my electricity had been off for a long time.  This of course made me burst into tears of frustration.  After getting a recharge on my phone, I was finally able to contact my parents and share my frustration of not being able to plan or grade (of which I had done none over break) and they prayed for me over the phone.  The rest of the afternoon I worked on putting together a 1000 piece puzzle (over half way done with it too), played guitar a bit (it is so nice to be able to play and sing again), finished watching the first season of “The Middle” including all of the special features, and started the pilot episode of “Alias” again—the battery life on my new laptop is pretty awesome!  I decided to make a cup of hot chocolate to warm up since I couldn’t use my heaters and I felt like I was camping with my headlamp and heating water in a frying pan over the gas burner.  After I climbed back into bed, I heard voices outside my window and then my bedside clock lit up—I had power!!!  This doesn’t solve the problem of my refrigerator being full of rotting food, but this does solve my issue of having no internet and no heat!

Do I know what God is up to?  Is He trying to determine at what point I break down and cry (which doesn’t take much here in Mexico)?   I have no idea, but I do know that His plans are for good and not disaster (no matter how much it feels the opposite), and plans to give me a hope and a future (no matter how hopeless things seem to get).  I am strapping myself to this verse in Jeremiah because I’m exhausted from clinging to it for so long.  At this point I do not want to be here in Mexico, but I still believe this is where God wants me, and I want to be obedient.  I desperately need your prayers and encouragements to continue.  Thank you for all of your support!