Would You Like Fries With That?

A friend who's been following my blog wrote the other day saying they hoped my food situation had been resolved. Whoops! I realize I'd forgotten to post an update! Here's another exciting example of how God works in my life.

After deciding not to eat in the cafeteria and to cook my own food last month, I realized that I had not budgeted food expenses in my original budget other than an occasional meal out with friends. I tried to rework my budget but it wasn't looking very promising. Then my brother said, why don't you ask for raw ingredients from the caf? I decided to ask. A special decision was made allowing me permission to get the raw ingredients so I could cook my own food.

When I spoke to the cafeteria manager, however, I learned that it wouldn't be possible to do so. At first I was disappointed and frustrated. I thought God had answered my prayer by working things out and then it seemed like it wasn't working out after all. However, the manager told me that they were used to providing special meals for those with specific dietary needs and they would be happy to set aside foods before they were deep fried, covered in cream/butter/cheese, or heavily seasoned.

I'm very thankful that God knew how to solve the problem better than I did. I'm disappointed that I didn't go and speak to the manager in the beginning because I think I could have saved myself a lot of hassle and worry. It was an excellent learning experience though.

Now I don't have to worry about shopping for groceries, which can take an entire afternoon because I don't have a car so I have to walk to the stores and back up a rather steep hill. I don't have to worry about cooking meals in a communal kitchen where the burners don't always work because they're clogged with fat from other guests who deep fry their foods. I don't have to worry about making multiple trips up and down from my room to the communal kitchen because I don't want to store things in the cupboards as they will soon smell of mold. I don't have to worry that someone else will eat my food that I spent 2 hours cooking (because everything takes longer in an unfamiliar country). Labeling everything vegan had deterred people so far, though!

Now I can go to the caf and there is always a hot meal ready for me which I'm most grateful for. I can enjoy eating lunch with my friends. I can be more effective with my time since I don't have to worry about preparing food anymore. Sabbath breakfasts are no longer a problem either since I find myself with too much food now during the week so I save some for the weekends! Life has gone from struggling with finding healthy foods to eat to having more than enough. Isn't God amazing?