The Waiting Game

Last week I expected to be in Moldova by now but surprise, surprise, I am still in Canada. In Toronto, to be exact. In Toronto where my doctor is and where medical stuff happens. Waiting for an appointment with a specialist. Sigh. Some things are just better tended to in one's home country, so I decided it was better to stay and see things through rather than head back and have problems later. So, that's why I'm here. When there are more details to be shared, I will share them.
The down side - aside from anything medical - is that there are things I am supposed to be doing in Moldova and work that is waiting for me there. I missed saying goodbye to Viorica, who is off to serve in Angola. I will miss the beginning of our 'Challenge into Missions' course and the responsibilities that I have for teaching in that. I'm missing a leaders' meeting tomorrow and a visit from some colleagues next weekend. But mostly I'm missing my dear friends there. If anyone from my team is reading this, be assured that I will come back as soon as I possibly can. Mie dor de tine! Fiecare!
The up side is that God has given me a gift of time. An unexpected, unscheduled month to serve and honour Him in a way different than I had expected. But His ways are not our ways, and when He drops these gifts in our laps, we just need to lift them back up to Him in gratitude and with a prayer for wisdom in using them. My desire is to redeem the time. So before I make a thousand appointments and schedule coffees and plans with friends, I intend to spend at least a few days just being. The Lord has once again provided for my needs, with a home to stay in for the month, while the owners are away. My Heavenly Father has always taken such good care of me - how can I help but thank and praise Him? Even in the face of my uncertainty. He knows the plans He has for me.
So - what have I been up to? Well, a week ago Friday I had lunch with my dear friend Karen and her mother, who is also a good friend. One of the great things about Toronto is the many, many different kinds of restaurants. We went to the Mongolian Grill where they cook things (I suppose) Mongolian style: on a big round grill. You go and choose what you want - meat, vegies, rice or noodles, sauce - and then they cook it in front of you. Very cool and very tasty.
So, other than that, what I haven't told you about was the great Missions Conference last weekend at Yorkminster Park. It really went well and it was a great opportunity to touch base with a lot of different friends and to hear some wonderful speakers. There was a pastor visiting from Kenya, who shared with us some of the situation there right now in the wake of all the election upheaval. Another highlight of the weekend was a gift that was given to me by a friend - one of the Sunday School teachers. When I visited the Sunday School the previous week I had shown a picture of how muddy it gets in Moldova at times. She asked me what I wear at such times and I said that I keep my winter boots in the car in case of mud. She brought me a lovely pair of rubber boots, modelled in this picture, which I will be sporting next time it rains! In this photo I am also wearing my Moldovan hand-embroidered blouse and standing in front of the display booth that I had prepared.