be flexible
You often hear it said that the first rule of missions is “be flexible.” Flexible is defined as “capable of being bent, usually without breaking; susceptible of modification; adaptable; willing or disposable to yield; pliable; not stiff or brittle”. We’ve had lots of those moments this week! We praise God for His abundant grace in each of these situations we’ve found ourselves in, and continue to look to Him for wisdom, revelation, and provision in all things. We’re learning more and more to view every situation as a blessing from God, knowing that He works all things together for our good!
• Root canal – Paul’s filling fell out, necessitating an adjustment of our plan to have all dental work done in the U.S. The blessing is that God provided Paul with a wonderful dental clinic across town with excellent hygiene and care, at a small fraction of what it would have cost in Atlanta.
• Bus routes – Sunday was Nizhny Novgorod’s 787th birthday, so amidst the many celebrations, all of our normal bus routes were changed. Being flexible included getting lost in a new part of the city. The blessing is that it was a beautiful day to do some unplanned exploring.
• Apartment rent – Today’s news includes a piece about the Moscow stock exchange closing partway through the day for the 3rd day in a row due to a significant market plummet – the Russian economy is at its lowest point in 3 years. This might possibly be the reason our rent increases next month by 20%, so we have modified our budget. The blessing is that our exchange rate is very favorable, and we thank God for His provision, although our hearts go out to the many people for whom the rapid inflation is causing significant financial difficulties.
• Translation – In Paul’s regular monthly meeting with our landlady, a translator is needed (it takes 2 to 3 hours to pay the rent because everything has to be discussed in great detail!). Through various circumstances, all of our regular translators were unavailable. The blessing is that our dear Korean friend Mark offered to help, strengthening our relationships, and displaying the love and unity of the body of Christ to our inquisitive landlady and her mother.
• Delayed schedules – Yesterday we took longer than expected to get to our weekly P.E. destination (ice skating). The blessing is that we wound up bumping into Yulia, the twins’ Sunday school translator, and the girls each made new friends on the rink because the later session included more school-aged children than we usually encounter.
• Church service – I’m thankful that at the end of last Sunday’s service, someone translated an announcement made earlier in the service (that we had only partially understood) that this weekend’s service is on Saturday, not Sunday! I was glad to know this, and moved my sermon prep time to earlier in the week. The blessing is that we will now have a whole family day together on Sunday!
