A strange thing happened on the way to the meeting...

Do you ever feel like God is trying to tell you something.  All at once.  Loudly.

This afternoon has been like that for me.  Within the space of one hour we experienced a strange variety of things that has me going, "Hmmmm..."

On the way to our weekly staff meeting at the YWAM base we saw a jack-knifed semi truck trying to make an impossibly sharp turn from a highway (under construction) to a little side road where all the regular highway traffic is being routed through.  I felt so bad for the driver and felt a little bit of how frustrating it would be to try to manoeuvre through a centuries old, cobble-stoned, city to make deliveries in narrow, quaint little streets.  Antigua is charming until you are a truck driver I'll bet!

So we had to take the long way around through another little town to get to our meeting.  While on the road we were behind a police truck with 2 officers in it just minding our own business until a large can was thrown out the window of the police truck.  Right away I said to Mark, "Did you see that?  They just littered!"  Why that was so surprising I still don't know!  Then the second can was thrown out.  That's when I noticed that they weren't just any cans, they were the large 20 oz. Gallo beer cans!  So they were drinking and driving, on duty, and littering.  "Hmmmm..."

Right about then my phone went off that I have a text message.  Now, I usually don't check texts because, frankly, it's usually just ads for the company we have our phones with.  But, for some reason I checked this one. It said that I had a court date.  Tomorrow.  For the Q4,000 (about $500) debt I haven't paid.  The text was complete with case numbers and everything.  I said to Mark, "What debt?  We don't owe anyone that kind of money!  What do you think this is?"  When we got to the base we showed our director and he said not to answer it or even call the number because it's an extortion.  ????????  Yeah, an extortion text message.

Then, while we were in the meeting I heard a truck trying to get through the street and heard a crash.  Not good.  Mark went outside and saw that the driver had hit our car with his truck and put a decent dent in it.  For real.  Not even kidding.  I went out to look at what had happened and there was the driver trying to get away!  I stopped him and our director helped me out while Mark was moving our car to assess the damage more accurately.  The driver immediately started blaming US because we had parked on the street.  Now, there's nowhere else to park at the base.  There's only the street.  WE had parked on the street and that's why he hit us and it's our fault.  Our director made him get out of the truck and I said to him that it's not our fault it's his fault and he said that here in Guatemala it is the parked car that is blamed for these types of accidents!  Again--????????

Our director immediately got on the phone to the police, and miraculously, that changed his tune.  All of a sudden, he was all apologetic and wanted to know what he could do to make it right.  We took his information and left it at that for now.  The damage doesn't effect the performance of the car only the look--so it's not too bad.  But, we do feel he needs to take responsibility for his actions so we're thinking of how to do that without causing his family hardship by demanding money.  And in case you're wondering, the police never did show up. 

So what do you think God is trying to teach us?  Is He trying to tell us that justice is His and we can't look at man's idea of justice to work for us?  Is He trying to tell us that He is in control and we need to rely on Him?

I don't know.  But, I do know that God is good, and just, and He is in control.  So, I'm not going to worry too much about it all.  I'm going to continue to pray for our beautiful home country of Guatemala.  I'm going to pray that HIS justice reigns here and thank Him for his grace and mercy that keeps us working here.  I'm going to believe that He loves this country more than we do and that we can be instruments of His will here in Guatemala.  I'm thankful that we are able to do what He's asked us to do.  And tonight I'm going to bring soup to homeless people and addicts and be thankful for the things that keep MY life here normal for me.