Our Plans, His Provision!

Ever have one of those days when you plan to do certain things but they just don't happen. Those days happen a lot here in Cambodia for me! :-) It gives a whole new meaning to being flexible! I like Saturdays as its usually the day I get to sleep in barring any construction noises, dogs barking or other external noises. One of the things I managed to do was get my haircut...I love going to the hair salon here because one doesn't just get a shampoo but you receive an extended head, shoulder and back massage as well. Of course, if you keep complimenting the person that is giving you the massage, the person will continue to do it. :-) God has a wonderful way of providing even the little things for us:-)

After that I decided to head up to Svay Pak. Its been months since I have had time to go and visit Pastor Chantha and Bunthan and over the past two weeks, I had gotten a text message and phone call from both of them wondering if I had forgotten about them:-). The reality is that we are all so busy but yet in previous conversations we have had together, we all discovered that one of our main love languages is ''spending time with friends.'' So off I went on my drive to Svay Pak to catch up with them,  but about 15 minutes into the journey, the Ratanak car suddenly stopped, red lights flashing in the car and I could see a small puff of smoke coming from the front hood. Not a good sign.  Of course the car is now stopped dead in its tracks on National Highway Road Number 5 and the traffic is starting to back up despite the fact that I put my flash lights on ---that would be a signal for people to drive around me and keep on their journey. But Cambodians are very patient people. They just wait behind you! No one is even honking at me as I come out of the car, putting it in neutral and attempting to push it to the side of the road. Thankfully, God has a way of watching over us in such situations. People here are very observant but also can be very quick to help...perhaps its because they saw I was female and a foreigner at that. After all, its not exactly a common sight to see females pushing cars :-). Of course, it pays to have the Ratanak logo on the car and those blue NGO license plates. In a few minutes, several men came forward and started to push the car for me while motioning me to get in and steer the car. It turned out that the car died in front of the Cambodian National TV Network office and as I made a phone call to ask our Ratanak driver to come and help, one young man came over and told the security guards to open the gates of the TV station so I could park the car inside. He said ''its not safe for you and the car to be out here''----I can't help but see him as an angel that God sent to me at that time. Anyway, with the car safely in the parking lot, this young man gave me his business card and said ''call me if you need any further help.'' It turned out he was a TV Producer at the Network.

Sadly I called Chantha and Bunthan to say I would not be able to make it to Svay Pak and as typical of their heart and character, they both said, ''call us back if you need anything. We can come and bring our car and help you or take you home.''

Such experiences like this remind me that the Lord is always so near us. Watching over us, protecting us and caring for us as needs arise. He sends people who have kind and caring hearts---ordinary Cambodians who were quick and eager to help out and /or friends who are busy people, who will drop at a heart beat to help. So while I did not get to do what I planned, I saw God's plan in action, providing for me and making a way out. Its little things like this that remind me to be thankful in the midst of a frustrating situation. Our Ratanak driver arrived, called the mechanic who said he would come out to check out the car. In the mean time, I got to drive our new 4x4 pick up truck---yeah small me in that big car---no problems. I got home without a scratch. As for our little Ratanak Toyota RAV4, it is getting fixed for a broken fan belt and I should hopefully be able to use it tomorrow! God's mercies are new each day and so is His faithfulness! Today, I'm grateful for His timely provision!