Tears streamed down my face and I shared my compassion for the poor. Sarah said "let me tell you about Word Made Flesh."
I submitted my appication to Jara who knows Sarah from college. I was accepted several weeks later to serve in El Alto, Bolivia for 4 months. Crazy!
Hallie attends church in Seattle. She glanced at the church's missionary board and noticed a familiar name from the WMF website: Cara. Cara is my Servant Team Coordinator in Bolivia whom I haven't met yet, but is supported by Hallie's church. Unbelieveable!
Stephanie, my coworker at Tilikum, attended Bible School at Capernwray. Her roommate from Capernwray, Dani, is Bolivian and currently lives in El Alto. Stephanie told Dani about my committment with WMF. Dani wrote back that she volunteers with Word Made Flesh and will definitely meet me when I'm there! You've got to be kidding!
I'm limited in my Spanish speaking abilities - my good friends Audrey, Violet, Rachel, and Emily are all either studying or teaching Spanish. Unreal!
Today, at Dutch Bros. Coffee House, I spent time reading "Traveling Mercies"& the gospel of Luke, journaling, and listening to my ipod. As I was packing up my things, the woman at the next table told me she couldn't help but notice I was reading her two favorite books. We chatted for 45 minutes - she's been a missionary in Ukraine for 8 years and is home in Grants Pass for the holidays. I asked her about her experiences, and she encouraged me on my upcoming adventure. She told me I had really blessed her - she was feeling discouraged by reverse culture shock. She had prayed earlier that God would bring her someone she could talk to who would understand the tension she's experiencing between poverty and the wealth in the US. We are going to meet up for coffee in the next couple weeks. Seriously?!
It's a small world, after all...
Coincidences? I think not.
