My Life, a Miniseries

I think that God loves to surprise me when I least expect Him to! I like to think that it's kinda like He's sitting on a couch in Heaven watching the miniseries of my life and at a moment like today, He'll lean over to an angel and say, "Hey, Gabriel, watch this! She's gonna love what I did for her! Watch for the expression that going to be on her face!" And then He leans back and smiles as He watches me enjoy the surprise that He's had in store for me since before the creation of the world.

Today had one of those moments!

So, I was writing an email to my mobilizer from Global Partners this morning. My mobilizer is the guy who makes sure that all of the long list of stuff to be done before going to Haiti gets done. I'm so thankful for him!! It's great to have someone know you, know your paperwork, and know how to get you to where God wants you to go! So, I was writing about my checklist of stuff (which is shrinking rapidly!!!) and mentioning fundraising. If my budget gets officially approved for $27,000 (that's the number i've been working with, but I need some i's dotted and t's crossed to make it proper), then I only need another $5,500! Woohoo! But the funny thing is... I have no idea where that money is going to come from!! The mobilizer wanted to know my plan for raising funds this month, and as I sat there pondering what to write had this feeling of "duh, uh, I dunno..." I don't really have a whole lot more contacts than the ones I've already contacted. It was a bleak feeling, and oddly, I felt so bleak I didn't even feel like I could pray about it.

So, on to the next email that I needed to respond to... and I realized that I needed to write back to a dear friend of mine who wrote me last week and asked about how to support me! Hooray! The Lord already has one more supporter lined up!

As I was writing her, I got a phone call from my mom. One of her friends had just stopped by to see her and share some exciting news from her (the friend's) recent doctor's visit. This doctor is a wonderful, nice doctor that I met as a student, and he had expressed interest in offering me a job 3 years ago. I had something else lined up by then, but he's still one of my favorite doctors. Well, this doctor asked my mom's friend if I was still moonlighting at the internist's office. When she said that I wasn't, he inquired about my current job status. The friend went on to explain that I'm preparing for Haiti and that I have a LOT of money to raise. {this is the part where God leans over and smiles big} The doc wants to support me!!! He told her to tell me to send him a letter and that he would love to be a part of my support team! Wow!!!

It's so neat when I think that I'm absolutely at the end of all that I can do trying to follow God's leading, and then He steps in to provide in ways that I never even imagined (and i have a really good imagination!). And He works even when I have zero faith that He's doing it!

Thanks for your prayers and I hope that today you're enjoying the next installment of adventures that God has planned for the miniseries of your life!
~diane
P.S.~ My target departure date is early November! Soooo excited!

Sweet Thoughts of September

Happy Fall! It certainly feels like fall today!! It's wonderful to run in the afternoon (since it's no longer blisteringly hot at that time), drink Pumpkin Spice lattes from Starbucks, and watch God paint the leaves!
I hope that you're having a wonderful week! My September has started well with some hikes in parents' mountainous neighborhood, easing back into running (after a 4 month hiatus after running a marathon and then having shoulder surgery), and definitely enjoying a few lattes! Below is a fun recipe that I found for a homemade Pumpin Spice Latte-- let me know if you think it tastes like the real thing!

2 shots Espresso

3 oz milk combined w/ 3oz 1/2 & 1/2 steamed & frothed-- or As much as you like

2 Tsp Pumpkin Spice- Grocery store Spice Isle.

1 tblsp white mocha Tollhouse chips to sweeten.

Then mix it all up to taste. Top with whipped cream and a sprinke of pumpkin spice.

As much as I'm enjoying fall right now, I kind of miss summer. Usually, summer is so hot that I long for fall by the time it gets here. This year, I have a little bit of nostaglia for summer, like I wasn't quite ready for it to be done yet... I was hoping for a few more days of soaking up sun on the deck, wearing skirts, and eating watermelon. I think that perhaps God is getting even my internal thermometer ready for Haiti! I'm looking forward to living in perpetual summer, where the coldest it gets is 80 degrees at night in the winter!

Speaking of Haiti, it looks like a November departure just might happen!! I'm so close with the fund raising-- praise the Lord!!! I only need another $5,600 out of the $27,000! It's fun and wonderful and scary and exhilarating to be so close!! Thanks for your prayers!!

May you have a wonderul, blessed, pumpkin-spice-filled fall week!