following a Guide

saturday was supposed to look like this:
scenario #1
8:30 ~ wake up and eat oatmeal with a cup of coffee
9:30 ~ pack to move upstairs
10:30 ~ shower and move our stuff
11:30 ~ help the haitian family move in
12:15 ~ eat lunch at mimosa (delicious little lunch specials)
1:30 ~ check on the haitian family and go grocery shopping
3:00 ~ bring food back to the haitians, one last check-up
3:30 ~ work on projects and read books
6:00 ~ think about and talk about dinner
6:30 ~ eat dinner
7:30 ~ work on more projects & read more books
9:00 ~ think about and talk about sleeping
10: 00 ~ sleep

saturday looked like this:
scenario #2
8:30 ~ wake up and eat oatmeal with a cup of coffee
9:00 ~ receive email that the room for haitians is not available
9:02 ~ get frustrated with lack of availability
9:05 ~ call around to different people looking for an available room
9:07 ~ get more frustrated
9:15 ~ call around some more and get some direction
9:30 ~ check on a hotel around the corner, get rejected
9:50 ~ call sabina a second time with a plea for availability and get the sweetest response we’ve heard in an hour. a place is available. she will be ready to accept our patient and her mother as tenants.
10:30 ~ get ready to shower only to find that our towels are in the laundry
10:35 ~ receive a call, the patient and her mother are on their way over to sabina’s
10:55 ~ receive a call, the patient and her mother arrive at sabina’s so we walk out the door
10:56 ~ rain begins to fall from the sky
11:00 ~ arrive at sabina’s and see the taxi arrive with patient and mother, rain begins to pour
11:02 ~ taxi has circled the block and stops with a small traffic jam forming behind them
11:03 ~ with umbrellas attempt to remove patient and things from the taxi
11:04 ~ patient (orthopedic apparatus and all) is out, cars now honking, rain still pouring
11:07 ~ carry patient up stairs with mother while a door repair man tries to leave
11:10 ~ patient now successfully on couch and go back down stairs to carry luggage
11:20 ~ sit down with mother to get a shopping list and breathe for a moment
12:00 ~ leave house with a grocery list and a request for bed sheets from sabina
12:35 ~ arrive at la sirena (the siren, mermaid) — the dominican walmart
1:52 ~ finish shopping and begin walking back to sabina’s
1:58 ~ realize we missed a call from the nelsons (dr. scott and marni)
2:07 ~ receive another call, scott says, “turn around”
2:08 ~ we turn around to see scott behind us, tell him we are thinking about lunch at mimosa after we drop of food at sabina’s
2:09 ~ scott says, “just got spoke with ________ [another cure patient]. do you want to go with us on a home visit?”
2:11-2:20 ~ sure! give groceries to scott, go to lunch at mimosa, courtney orders and runs home to change
2:22 ~ while i wait for food, rain begins to pour
2:30 ~ courtney slips on sidewalk while trying to be quick with rain still pouring
2:31 ~ food arrives and i begin eating still waiting for courtney
3:00 ~ courtney arrives, finish eating together, pay, and walk over to the nelson’s
3:15 ~ house specials [fantastic homemade lattes] and a little conversation with the nelson’s

3:45 ~ over to sabina’s to deliver groceries and prepare beds with newly purchased sheets
4:00 ~ leave for sabana perdida to visit with patient, good vegetarian conversation, one fender-bender
4:30 ~ traffic jam for a political rally on the main road
4:50 ~ meet up with patient’s father who guides us to their home
5:00 ~ arrive at patient’s home — here are some pictures to help understand the story

7:11 ~ leave after coffee, conversation, and a short side trip to see a man about a goiter; second fender bender
7:45 ~ arrive at home and eat dinner = pb&j
8:30 ~ showers (finally)
8:40 ~ courtney loses a contact in the bathroom
8:46 ~ find the contact after a quick prayer
9:00 ~ start writing this post and conversation about blessings from God
9:47 ~ finished

~ where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? do you think they just happen? think again. they come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. you lust for what you don’t have and are wiling to kill to get it. you want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. you wouldn’t think of asking God for it, would you? and why not? because you know you would be asking for what you have no right to. you’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way. james chapter 4 ~

courtney and i wanted scenario #1 and God gifted us with scenario #2. we are spoiled, and lusted for our ‘vacation’ and simply needed to stop and ask what God wanted. marni told us a story on our way back to santo domingo today about a situation which required a lot of her and the nelson family. her youngest son simply stated, “i imagine Jesus would drive…” so they drove, to confront their situation.

i imagine God had this day planned a long time ago and we wanted to drive, but Jesus said, ‘let me drive today’. so we went for the ride. and what a ride it was.