On Divine Appointments and Ephesians 3:20

If God is in control of each day ... if He cares about all the details of our lives ... then which of each day's moments are divine appointments ...?  It occurs to me just now that surely they must all be, though I've never looked at them that way.  I'm in the habit of saying "divine appointment" when something apparently providential, and typically fun, takes place.  For the sake of this post, we'll call those moments the "divine appointments".

First, though, I'm committing to be a bit more diligent about writing this blog, and hopefully, thereby, making it a little more interesting!  I'll cut to the chase since if you're here you most likely been following our newsletter, and know that we are in Ecuador.

Divine appointments ~

• Our first Divine Appointment related to this trip took place in 1989, and it has only recently been realized as such!  That was when Matthew went to Ecuador as an Exchange Student to spend his Junior year with Cesar, who in turn spent his Senior year with us;
• this same Cesar is still our beloved "son" who met us at the airport in Guayaquil, took three days off of work, and got us settled in Salinas
• Our first full day in Salinas at Cesar's uncles home, a real estate broker shows the home; we connect with him to rent an apartment for a month!  But NO WI-FI

• He tells us about a little coffee shop run by ex-pats
• Said ex-pats are super friendly and super helpful, sharing many tips about buses, where to shop, etc.
• and, they are more than glad to let us use their WiFi anytime
• Two days later, groaning some under the strain of trying to function without internet in the apartment, another "oh, DUH!" moment prompts me to again utter a quick "Lord, would you work something out about internet!"
• Moments later as we are leaving the building we chat with the security man
• Surely prompted by the Holy Spirit I ask if there is ANYWHERE near by to connect to internet ... we got connected to internet, in our apartment!
• Late last week realizing we hadn't really asked God yet about a church, so a quick prayer during my busy scurrying to go on an errand
• a fair-haired/fair-skinned man on a bike rides by
• we both say hi; AMERICAN!  "Where 'ya from?!" I yell as he continues down the street.
• he whips a U-ee (how in the world does one spell 'made a U-turn' in vernacular?) and for the next 30-40 minutes we stand, literally in the middle of the street, visiting
• wife and two kids join us and they are delightful and eager to help the newcomers
• AND THEY TOLD US ABOUT THE ONLY ENGLISH-SPEAKING CHURCH IN SALINAS
• At that church, "Church on the Beach" the following Sunday, we were warmly welcomed into the wonderful fellowship
• one of the fellows there, an American, is a real estate agent ...
• clues us in on a good potential area
• we visit there via bus (50 cents for the two of us to go all the way to the end of the line!) and stepping off the bus, decide we are hungry
• two doors away the welcoming sign "Julia's Cafe"
• the owners are from Canada, and he drives us around the town, shows us a beautifully property for rent, and they commit to ask all their friends regarding properties!
  

The thought to "ask big" because we have a BIG GOD has also been much on my heart and mind.  We are in Ecuador with a dream ...  to start a Guest House for traveling missionaries and teams; to run a Respite House for Missionaries where they can be refreshed and ministered to; facilitate prayer retreats and conferences and train for and lead prayer journeys.  And this trip to Ecuador is for a purpose ~ to find a suitable property to accomplish said Dream.

Common sense, virtually no money and the nagging need to yet raise about 99% of our support, would seem to dictate that we dream appropriately small at this point.  But you know what?  My God is a BIG GOD!  "Ask of me ..." He says; and the Apostle reminds us in Eph. 3:20 that this BIG GOD is able "through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ASK OR THINK."

I've begun to pray accordingly!  Lord, if we should stay small at first, in the common-sense way of starting a business, then You 'betcha!  But, Lord - You are a BIG GOD Who apparently has inspired in us a BIG DREAM and I'm going to ASK BIG!  Accordingly, we shared the dream with the agent we met at church ...

... and today went an looked at a BIG DREAM.  A property with enough space to host a conference; to host prayer retreats; to bless missionary families.  A property with a pool, a pretty decent view and a very comfortable walk to the beach.  A property with so much potential it is going to take a BIG GOD to inspire DREAMS BIG ENOUGH TO FILL IT UP!

But I guess that's what serving a BIG GOD is all about.  Tomorrow we go look at more properties.  Tonight I'm going to consider "Him Who is able" and praise His Name!