A Man Plans His Course

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). Or in this case, a girl plans her course. 

You may recall that I was planning a trip to visit a potential ministry location over Christmas. Ever since last spring my friend Vanny and I had been talking about the possibility of going to check out this one particular tribal work on a nearby island. As it turned out, there were several others who, for various reasons, wanted to go there too, so we talked with the family currently serving there and made a plan to visit over the Christmas holidays. We would fly in by mission plane and return by public ship. The plane was booked, I bought travel-sized packs of shampoo and laundry detergent, Vanny bought socks in preparation for the cool mountain nights, and we were ready to go.

A week before we were fly into the tribe, I got sick. And stayed sick all week. The day before we were scheduled to leave, I regretfully admitted that it would not be wise for me to go interior in that condition. I mean, if you’re in the middle of nowhere and you get sick, that’s one thing, but it’s quite another to go in knowing that you’re sick. Mission leadership agreed. Vanny, although she was disappointed, agreed too, and assured me that she was glad I had chosen wisely, and that it would be ok.

The others left the following morning as planned, and I struggled with doubts, wondering if I’d really made the right decision. I cried over it three times.

I stayed sick for the next 4 ½ days, and looking back, I think I did make the right decision, even though it wasn’t easy.

I don’t know why I got sick just when I did, so that we weren’t able to go on this trip that we’d planned for so long. People kept telling me that it was not yet God’s timing, and I guess they were right, but I didn’t really feel comforted. Now that a little more time has passed, I find it easier to trust in God’s plan, whatever it is. I know that when His plan is different than mine, His is better. But sometimes I forget.

There’s been a little talk that Vanny & I might get to reschedule our trip, possibly this month sometime. No firm plan has been made; it’s just sort of a vague hope at this point, but it’s a possibility. Please pray with us that God is willing, He would open the way for us to go. And that He would keep training me to trust Him more, always.