Life Unplanned

                There have been a lot of interesting moments lately. There was that moment when I realized I had caught lice from little girls I work with again and then looked at the heads of our interns to find all of them had it as well. There was that time Ryan almost got his foot run over by a car in traffic and that day when none of the ATMs for our bank here in Cambodia worked. There was that call the day before “inviting us” (aka you must go) to a very fancy dinner event the next evening with many important people in education and then that moment at the dinner when the minister of education gave a toast and made his way over to Ryan and I to tap his glass of wine to our glasses of water. There was that day when another child told me one of the little girls I work with was hit by a car (she is okay, but has a very nasty broken leg). There was a day that I didn’t go out of the house because of a sudden illness and was weak, achy and running a fever that in turn dropped my white blood cells and platelets very low. There was that day our landlord started doing deafening construction above our bedroom and pouring wet cement right outside our door. Then there was that e-mail, that phone call, that meeting…you get the idea.

                At any given moment life can become unplanned. None of us know what each day is going to hold nor can we prepare for it all. Sometimes stuff just takes us completely by surprise.  In recent years the likelihood of unplanned events in my life has increased, but quite honestly it has been a blessing. It is a constant reminder that life is out of my control. When things get crazy I’m always drawn back to the things that I know are true, my anchors, the things that keep me where I need to be despite the craziest of circumstances. Things like knowing the reason I am here? Things like knowing who is in control, and what have I been called to. I know with assurance the answers to these questions, so they guide me through the craziest of times. I know my purpose. I have been given a vison and a mission. The plans for the day ahead may change, but I know the core reasons of why I am here and what I am supposed to be doing.  And don’t worry, all of the craziness I listed has already worked itself out and for all the moments of unwanted craziness there are plenty of unplanned joyous moments as well. Moments filled with hugs from the kids I work with and conversations of eternal value with students and local friends. Sometimes the best and worst of things come unplanned, but the way we react to them makes all the difference—and knowing why I am where I am and who is leading me to be who I am called to be is what will always determine that reaction.

Melissa