The mundane is so amazing...

I have a friend who is going to India as a missionary for a year-straight from high school. Since I spent some time in India (as a missionary) she asked me to help her. My idea was to set her up with the very same missionaries I worked with 17 years ago. I knew them, I trusted them. So I began working on contacting them. Every trail was a dead end! I could not get so much as a website connected to them. Even my own sending college had nothing. It sounds a bit silly, but I did worry. Here was a young (not even 18 year old) gal planning to live for a year and serve in a country she had no previous contact with. By human estimation it was sheer foolishness. But she was sure God was calling her. And God's ways are foolishness to man, but they are always right, and infinately better.

Months passed. We established new contacts in country. Granted, we did not know these people personally, but God is orchestrating this symphony. We just need to follow the music. And we have been. She continues to remain strong in her faith, that wherever God calls you, He will go before, preparing the way and leading.

I on the other hand, I believed I needed to be the responsible, adult voice of reason. After all, you don't just blindly go into a country that you are unfamiliar with! Especially a country somewhat hostile to the gospel. You need training and prepartation. You need experience and connections! But God was teaching me, through His Word, His Spirit, and especially through the faith and determination of this young lady. It is always scary to take a leap of faith. I want to look down and make sure there is a crash pad in place. I want to know that I have done all that is humanly possible to be prepared. That is what the world teaches. That's even what the Church teaches! Do all that you can to equip yourself. But then, is that really faith? Why would God possibly call someone with virtually no experience, to walk blindly into completely unfamiliar territory?

The answer is multi-facited, I'm sure. But that that is what He is in the business of doing, I am also sure. So many Scriptures come to mind:
"In our weakness, He is strong"
"He has chosen the simple, to confound the wise"
"God's ways are not our ways"
"Not by works of righteousness that we have done, but by His grace..."
"Hidden treasures in jars of clay"

So many scriptures remain untested in my life. I fear, this is not for lack of opportunity, but for lack of opportunity seized.

Well, the Lord, gently and graciously allowed me to put my money where my mouth is. To completely back my friend in this and jump on board with God's leading. Like Esther, her attitude was God has brought me to this place (for such a time as this) and if I perish, I perish. Like Ruth, whither thou goest, I will go.

As we continued to make plans and contacts, an amazing thing happened. I was on a friend's blog catching up on her life, and there in the comments was a familiar name. The name of my old Indian missionary contact! I had no idea these two people could possibly be connected. One in California, the other in India. We established contact and the rest is history in progress.

I just have to smile. God waited to bring this contact to us until AFTER He had brought me through a lesson in trusting Him completely. He's just like that! He had the connection planned all along. He just wanted me to learn another lesson in the drastic difference of God's economy vs. man's economy. Between relying on my strength vs. acknowledging my ineptness and His strength. Between faith vs. sight.