Stay the Course

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”  ~Psalm 91:14-17

   Whoa.

I should just stop with that and leave you wondering, but that is just about the best explanation of my day. After I kissed both my bed and my bicycle goodbye, (do NOT judge me! I have my priorities in line… I said goodbye to my family too!) I left the house around 8:52 a.m. OR maybe it was exactly at 8:52 a.m. (I am uncanny with numbers).  I started my journey by hand-delivering my signed lease for a townhouse to be rented beginning in August. I am overwhelmed, but incredibly grateful for the challenges I will face and the lessons I will learn this entire summer. After stopping for coffee, I was turn-pike bound.  Although the caffeine did wonders for my attention span, it also did wonders to “other” things. ;0) I was disappointed in myself when pit-stop number one came only 2 hours after my departure. It was suggested that I save some time and invest in Depends, but it wasn’t until that first creepy rest stop that I finally agreed with the recommendation- too late. 

After the turn-pike, came I-90. (And for those of you who know me well, at this point, you are impressed that I remember what interstates were traveled, just don’t ask me if I went north, south, east, or west, because I still couldn’t’ answer that one). My GPS said something that she has never said before… she said, “Continue on this road for 99 miles.” I would have to circle the circumference of the island 15 times to reach 99 miles.  

Thankfully, the trip was mostly uneventful. I spent much of the time thinking about the previous week, anticipating the next 6 weeks, and occasionally wondering if I was completely out of my mind and looking for the next U-turn to take me home.  It was the open road, my worship music, my GPS, and the Lord keeping me company. However, notice that I said the trip was MOSTLY uneventful.

Here is what I learned:

            Even if you miss the last rest stop on I-90, you should, under NO circumstances, EVER stop in the ghetto of Buffalo. Did I realize before exiting the highway that Buffalo has overly persistent and aggressive homeless people, NO. Do I know that now, unfortunately, I do. At first, Buffalo appeared much like the western edge of Greene County, no big deal, I was used to that. But, in Buffalo, they want to make friends with the girl who still has all of her original teeth and does not have bullet holes in the sides of her car. I quickly realized that straying from the path is a terrible idea.

            I also learned that one who is traveling to Toronto (and beyond) should have some basic knowledge of how to convert mph to kmph. I had NO idea what the speed limit was when I crossed the border, but I knew I didn’t want to meet a Mounty. (And yes, I know most cars have both options, but my car is apparently technologically advanced. Technologically advanced simply means extra frustration. After many attempts pushing all of the setting buttons, I found the right combination to turn my car over to metric.)  

            Furthermore, I’ve learned that in Toronto, they can do just about anything on a bicycle (and here I thought my skills were impressive). On a bicycle, you carry many groceries, you wear dresses and skirts, and you breast-feed your infant.

After 7 hours of travel, I arrived at my destination, or so I thought. A very nice girl answers the door and I said, “I am looking for Alaina, I was told to meet her here.” She replied with “Alaina was here earlier, but she is not coming back.” I felt it was necessary to ask several more questions, hoping that she did not have the same ‘MAKE A U-TURN’ thoughts that I did. As it turns out, I was informed there was a new location, but it was after I turned off the Internet on my phone.  At last, after 8 hours of travel, I arrived to a lovely little house in suburban Toronto. The hosts were generous, kind, friendly, and an absolute blessing after a long day.

I wonder if at any point, I will find ‘normalcy’ in all of this. I am pretty sure, that even after day #1 of my adventure, it has not yet sunk in. I am living in the moment and taking life as it comes, no expectations, no personal agenda, just living in the midst of His will. I have been going about ordinary things, such as helping with the dishes after dinner, and all of a sudden it hits… I am not going home for a while. I am going to live in Moose Factory for the next 6 weeks. I certainly never expected this 4 years ago when I signed up for my first MCC mission trip. God is SO good!!!!

Prayer Requests: 

• Please pray for the ghetto in Buffalo. I feel like I do not even have to go into detail, the area needs prayer. 
• Please pray for our diligence. Pray that we would use our time wisely and stay focused, even amongst getting to know one another.  
• Please pray for continued peace as the closer we get to ministry, the more adversity we will face.