Yesterday some of the AVS volunteers were talking about a virus that's been going around. Mario assured Ingrid that she would at some point fall ill, if not this time, then some time in the future. She laughed and said she'd been eating street food and hadn't had any problems. I chimed in to say that I'd never gotten sick, other than the flu. I didn't know if it was because I had a strong immune system, ate a primarily vegan diet, or perhaps even had leftover antibodies from my previous stint overseas as a teenager, but regardless, I was happy that so far I'd been spared the horror stories I'd heard. One student had ended up in the emergency room, but that was because he'd gotten ill with a stomach virus and drank only one small bottle of water over 3 days so naturally he got dehydrated.
Then today my turn came. I woke up to stomach cramping and other unpleasant side effects that accompany it, though thankfully no vomiting or fever. I skipped breakfast, took a good dose of charcoal, and headed off to work. It was a busy morning and we had a committee meeting that lasted more than two hours. I am the recording secretary for that meeting so I prayed hard that God would keep my now-grumbling empty stomach at peace until I could go and rest.
After the meeting was over, I returned to my computer to finish up the e-newsletter that I publish weekly. It had been a busy last couple of days and I hadn't managed to sit down with my boss to get some ideas for the editorial until after the meeting. I jotted down his words, then sat down and started to type.
I don't remember praying specifically that God would help me write the editorial. As I began to type, the words came easily and within minutes a smooth 3-paragraph narrative had unfolded. I stared at my monitor and tears came to my eyes as I realized that my Father cared so much about me that He had helped me write the editorial clearly and logically in such a short amount of time so I could go and rest. There have been times when I've had writer's block or the sentences didn't connect and I've been frustrated because it seemed like a waste of time. Today, this was not the case. I scanned the newsletter quickly, made some minor edits, and then sent it off to my boss to review.
When you think of a missionary, it's easy to imagine them in a clinic in Africa or a school in the Amazon, healing and teaching the needy. It's not as glamorous to attribute writing an editorial as being mission work. Yet I am learning that mission work is not always the expected lines of service. It can also be supporting the church so its mission can go forward. A good friend told me today that while my position may seem thankless at times, the work is invaluable because it supports so many functions in the university.
Moments like these, when I clearly know that God is blessing my simple contributions to His work, is when I am reminded again that He has called me here for a purpose. I may never know it in its entirety but I'm thankful for this time to dedicate my time to service without distraction.
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