*yes it's new*
"i do not do something again today because it seemed to me to be good yesterday, but because the will of God points out this way to me today." ~ dietrich bonhoeffer from no rusty swords
sometimes, what we once thought was what we wanted is not at all. i read in my devotional today that the past, even what we have experienced as good, cannot sustain the present. for the present we need new grace, new inspiration, new direction. that's the beauty of following the risen Messiah. every new day is exactly that: new. it is different than the day before and it brings new blessings, new mercies, new hope. i love it. i love that we have a God who is alive, and who interacts with us and gives us surprises. i learnt this lesson again today.
at the end of last year i felt that i was being led to volunteer at mother's choice. i contacted them about 5 weeks ago, and it took this long to finally meet, despite the fact that both parties were trying everything we can to meet. i guess God had other plans eh? i was getting so frustrated with not being able to meet with them asap - lunar new year and holidays got in the way. in my mind, if i was to work at the orphanage, the sooner things got settled the better, becuase i was getting down to the last of my savings and couldn't afford another month's rent. the orphanage would provide free housing. but things kept getting delayed, and i couldn't understand it.
then, out of the blue, i was offered a tutoring job which sounded like a great deal. $250/hour is not anything to brag about for a tutoring rate, but when you get to work 4-6 hours a day, five days a week... you do the math. i thought i could do this for a few weeks just to get by another month... but the kid turns out to be great, the job is great, and they want me to stay on until june. but what about mother's choice God??
i finally met with them today to discuss the possibility of me volunteering there. by now my excitement about the whole prospect had waned and i wasn't even sure if they needed anyone. but as it turns out they think i'm an answer to prayer! gretchen, the managing director, was so lovely. i had met her about 3 years ago, when i was first looking for a job here. we had talked for a long time and she was a great encouragement to me. we would run into each other at times and she would just smile and be so encouraging. anyway, God totally blessed the meeting. they are very flexible, and i will most likely start doing some part-time volunteering for now, until the tutoring is over in june, and then start full-time there. they are in the process of expanding their services and launching the third phase of their public awareness campaign (which has been a huge controversy in hong kong. go to their website and follow the link to the media center to get a taste).
so, not everything turns out the way we think. thank God for that, for His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts my thoughts. during the most confusing times of the past month, my Provider provided, unexpectedly. i'm feeling so incredibly blessed with a job that will help ease my financial burden, and with an opportunity which excites me so much.
grace grace indeed.
zechariah 4:7
"i do not do something again today because it seemed to me to be good yesterday, but because the will of God points out this way to me today." ~ dietrich bonhoeffer from no rusty swords
sometimes, what we once thought was what we wanted is not at all. i read in my devotional today that the past, even what we have experienced as good, cannot sustain the present. for the present we need new grace, new inspiration, new direction. that's the beauty of following the risen Messiah. every new day is exactly that: new. it is different than the day before and it brings new blessings, new mercies, new hope. i love it. i love that we have a God who is alive, and who interacts with us and gives us surprises. i learnt this lesson again today.
at the end of last year i felt that i was being led to volunteer at mother's choice. i contacted them about 5 weeks ago, and it took this long to finally meet, despite the fact that both parties were trying everything we can to meet. i guess God had other plans eh? i was getting so frustrated with not being able to meet with them asap - lunar new year and holidays got in the way. in my mind, if i was to work at the orphanage, the sooner things got settled the better, becuase i was getting down to the last of my savings and couldn't afford another month's rent. the orphanage would provide free housing. but things kept getting delayed, and i couldn't understand it.
then, out of the blue, i was offered a tutoring job which sounded like a great deal. $250/hour is not anything to brag about for a tutoring rate, but when you get to work 4-6 hours a day, five days a week... you do the math. i thought i could do this for a few weeks just to get by another month... but the kid turns out to be great, the job is great, and they want me to stay on until june. but what about mother's choice God??
i finally met with them today to discuss the possibility of me volunteering there. by now my excitement about the whole prospect had waned and i wasn't even sure if they needed anyone. but as it turns out they think i'm an answer to prayer! gretchen, the managing director, was so lovely. i had met her about 3 years ago, when i was first looking for a job here. we had talked for a long time and she was a great encouragement to me. we would run into each other at times and she would just smile and be so encouraging. anyway, God totally blessed the meeting. they are very flexible, and i will most likely start doing some part-time volunteering for now, until the tutoring is over in june, and then start full-time there. they are in the process of expanding their services and launching the third phase of their public awareness campaign (which has been a huge controversy in hong kong. go to their website and follow the link to the media center to get a taste).
so, not everything turns out the way we think. thank God for that, for His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts my thoughts. during the most confusing times of the past month, my Provider provided, unexpectedly. i'm feeling so incredibly blessed with a job that will help ease my financial burden, and with an opportunity which excites me so much.
grace grace indeed.
zechariah 4:7
posted by jana* at 4:27 PM
