Rain from a clear sky

It is a nice day here. Warm, blue sky, a few puffy clouds passing by, so how did it rain, you ask? Oh, clever me and my tricks.

The rain started when I went to get the boxes our pilot friend brought for us (this time uniforms for Sampedrana's school). I met up with her, then went down to customs as normal to get the boxes. This time however they were in the midst of grilling a group coming to do surgeries or something. After showing them the uniforms, explaining what they were for, etc.....I got the once over, and then I heard "well, he will have to pay something, even if a little bit." It is this sticking to the exact rule of law that customs is sometimes known for. I promptly informed them that I would not be, in fact, paying anything since they were not for me, but rather a donation for the mission. "oh...well, just a very small amount is all it would be, say, maybe $10" $10?! I don't have $10 with me! At this point it was noted that Soren was with me, and of course I would not venture outside our home without at least $10. Where this is written in the code of parents (why would I have dollars with me anyway?) to have at least $10 with you?

So, after I balked, and essentially called their bluff of wanting a quick...uh, I will be kind and call it a donation, then she says to me, she says, "well, you would need a letter of donation from your ministry"......Oooohhh, now the letter comes up. So, I will be going that route and returning later this week.

Then...with Soren running with me (behaving quite well in all this time) we get to the car and I see that in picking up the two 50 pound boxes, somehow my clicker for the Defender is no longer with me. I looked up and just sighed to God. He knew, and was already taking care of us. So, we went back in...and as God would have it, they had found my clicker and promptly brought it out to me. That was a miracle in many ways.

Add to that stresses at the clinic as of late (financial mostly) and another theft, this time at the new clinic construction (they took several of the towers we installed for columns), it is challenging, but....

I went...and came home with no uniforms, but a reminder who is in charge, and that must have been for what I really went there.

We were not promised a smooth ride, but that God might be glorified. It does not matter if I am ok with that or not...but as produced by the Holy Spirit in me, I can rejoice in that even if that is all I have to rejoice in at any one moment!