Provision

This is the first blogpost in a while.  We are in the middle of language learning and after several hours of studying, my brain doesn't usually have the ability to sit down and write.  I've also realized that time moves differently overseas.  Sometimes you look up and realize that two months have passed since your last blogpost and you didn't even realize you've lived overseas that long.  My goal is to have at least two blog updates from here each month.  Once again, sorry for the delay in posting.

The past couple of months here have been crazy.  The overwhelmingness of moving overseas, being thrown into a different culture, and trying to figure out how to survive and make it all work has been in full effect.  There have been lots of challenges but also the adventure that comes with discovering a new place and learning new things.

Since moving here the thing that I've seen over and over again is God's provision.

We have seen His provision in small things, like finding that dining room table that I was talking about in the last post.

We have seen His provision in in bigger small things, like going to the capital city to look at a vehicle, then realizing it is a piece of junk, and then finding one that is 10x better than anything else we've seen here for the same price.

We have seen His provision in things that required planning and hard work.  After two months of work we've made our house feel a little more like home.  Finding a rug (in another country), coffee table (had to be hand made), lamp (in another country), bed sheets (from America) and picture frames (also found in another country unless we wanted big, gold, gaudy ones), has been a huge provision.

And we've also seen His provision in things that can only be explained by saying "God is providing."  One of our biggest challenges here has been trying to figure out how we are going to be able to stay.  In our country, there are only two ways to be here: a 30-day tourist visa, or a work visa.  With the tourist visa, we are required to leave once a month and are not supposed to live in a house or own a car.  Obviously we knew we needed to get on a business visa.  We explored a few options right after we got here but upon closer inspection, realized they weren't going to work.

We also had a friend come to our town with a different organization at the end of June.  We live in a small city in the middle of nowhere, so it was pretty amazing they were taking a trip here.  While here, they taught English to kids at a small night school.  Our friend also introduced us to the headmaster of the school.  After a few conversations, the headmaster offered us a job teaching conversational English, 1 hour per night, 4 nights a week.  He also offered us work visas and to pay us a small salary.  This allows us to stay here legally with minimal time commitment so we can continue to focus on learning language and getting out to villages.

The headmaster has also been incredibly punctual on getting our visa paperwork done.  I can't stress how unusual that is for someone out here.  A few weeks ago, I was about to head to language class when eight policemen showed up at our door.  They were polite but all business.  They asked to see our passports and asked us if we lived in the house.  The day before, the headmaster gave me our completed business visa paperwork.  When I showed them the paperwork, their tone completely changed.  "Oh, business visa!  No problem.  Just a security check."  And then they all thanked me, shook my hand (yes, all eight of them) and left.

It could just be a coincidence that we met the headmaster and that he offered us a visa.  And it could just be a coincidence that we obtained our visa paperwork the day before the police showed up to check if we should be here.  And it could just be a coincidence that it took eight policemen to do a security check.  Or it could just be another example of God's provision.

Moving and Getting Settled

So I'm behind on blog posts.  I'll try to be a little bit better about that going forward.  Over the past month we've said our goodbyes, flown about 22 hours, been on three different continents, spent two weeks in hotels, and moved into a house.  It has been a little crazy.

The great thing is that we're starting to get settled here in South East Asia and things are starting to feel (more) normal.  There's still tons to do, ranging from learning how to navigate the market, find our way around town, learn the language and figure out how we are able to do sustainable ministry here.  Even things like finding a kitchen table have been a big task (which if you've ever had a 9 month old, you understand the benefit of a table and highchair).  People have asked me how things are going with the coffee here, and honestly, we've been so much in getting settled mode over the last two weeks that I haven't had time to look at it.  It'll be a task Luv-Luv and I will start to tackle in the coming weeks.

In many ways being here is overwhelming.  Realizing how much there is to do and figure out feels like trying to drink from a firehose.  It is easy to lose focus with so much going on around me that I don't understand or know how to do.

This morning I was reading in Matthew 14.  There's a story of the disciples out on a boat in a storm.  In the middle of the night Jesus walks out to them on the water.  Peter (being Peter) decides he wants to be bold and go out to Jesus on the water.  It was a great thing to do, but he probably didn't think it all the way through.  Once he gets out there he takes his eyes off Jesus, sees the storm around him, realizes his situation and decides maybe it wasn't the best idea.  Jesus then saves him and tells him that he had no reason to doubt.

The story hits home out here.  Although there's no storm (yet) there's so much swirling around us that it can seem like we're sinking.  The key has been keeping focus on what has brought us this far.  When the focus is on Christ, all the chaos around us no longer seems like a storm but instead it allows us to see the power, creativity and diversity of God.

Enough

I know it has been well over a month since the last blog post (somehow the "every two weeks" plan has gone out the window in this season of life).  Needless to say, things have been a little busy around here and with Underground Coffee International.

In sixteen days, the family and I are getting on an airplane and moving to South East Asia.  There's been lots of planning, packing, selling, and travel over the past month.  And it has been great to be able to connect with so many of you during the last couple of weeks.

This last month, the word that I've probably heard the most often is "enough".  As in, "Do you have enough time?  Do you have enough money?  Do you have enough luggage space?"  I heard a phrase in a sermon a while back that has stuck with me and comes to mind every time I hear "enough".

"When enough is truly enough, you don't want more than enough."

I've been chewing on it for a good month now and I still think I'm just on the tip of the iceberg.

It is a phrase that is definitely countercultural to consumer America.  If we actually followed it our economy would probably grind to a halt.  This phrase is, however, incredibly freeing.  If Christ is truly enough, none of the other stuff matters.  Situations can change.  Locations can change.  Finances can change.  But if we truly believe that Christ is enough, we don't need anything that we pile on top of that.

In Philippians 3, Paul gives a little bit of his religious resume.  In verses 7-8, he points out that he has given all of that up because all he needed was Christ.  Christ was enough and he didn't want more.  He was completely satisfied with Christ.  At the dinner table of life, he was full (like after a Mexican buffet full) and had no desire for more.

And as we take off and head overseas, my desire is to be more like Paul and realize that Christ is truly enough.  And I don't need more than that.  I don't want more than that.  I hope that that he is enough for you as well.