"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. " Isaiah 55: 8-9
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I am so glad God's ways are higher than my ways, because often times mine are complicated and would end up with me in a hole somewhere. BUT. On days like today I really wish God would tell me before I leave the house, "Ok Bethany, this is going to be one of those times when my ways far exceed your expectations of how today is going to go. Ready?" I don't regret praying that God would give me opportunities to show his love and practice my Spanish, but 1.5 hours would have been good, not 4 hours. And definitely not the detour on public transportation in the rain.
Rewind to before I knew all of this was going to happen. Yes I knew it was raining, but I only had a simple task. Ride the subway, walk 4 blocks, pay some money and hopefully pick up some medicine at DHL. I told my roommate I'd be back in 2 hours tops, and as I was leaving I put my headphones in to be like the Argentines who all walk around listening to music. This should be easy.
Well, at the Subte (underground subway) there was a sign saying something I wasn't quite sure about a stop well before I needed but I went through anyway (like a naive American) and that's where I met my God-send. We'll call her Vi. She asked me about the work on the metro and I told her I had no clue because I too needed one stop past hers. We asked some workers and they told us how to essentially get to where we needed. Over the next 2 hours, we.... got on a crowded subway, exited at the end of the line, got on a overflowing bus (where the driver didn't even make us pay--he was just ushering in the masses from the rain), rode what seemed like hours to go probably 10 blocks, got off the bus to run/walk 8 blocks to the next subway, and then rode together before parting ways. Vi and I talked about our lives, exchanged numbers, and are going to meet in the coming weeks to practice Spanish, which should be interesting with her minimal English and my limited vocab in Spanish.
So, despite the 2 buses, 4 subte lines, NO medicine (because it's at customs at the airport--another story, another time) I would do it all again. Except maybe bring my water bottle this time. Because it reminded my of my dependency on others, and God. I can't do this on my own, ever. I'm a very independent person. I think I can plan ahead but especially in this city, you never know what you're going to get. I have to rely on the kindness of others. Trust in God, that He will put people around me to get me where I need to go, and today He did.
Please join with me in praying for my new friend Vi. I don't know all of her story; I just know that she has two sons and is married. I told her that I am working here with the Baptist churches and I was even able to point out to her to the one I'm working with this week in the midst of our crazy morning. Pray that we will get the chance to meet up in the coming weeks and build a relationship, and in turn I can share the gospel with her.
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