a bit of reflection

Maybe it's because we're nearing the end of our time in Aceh, or maybe it's because John is away and out of reach so I have more time to think, but I've been in a reflecting season.

First, a few weeks ago, I went through and read my entire journal since August 2005 and was really blown away by all the prayers that God has answered. I think my faith that God really answers our prayers and works things out for us has been increased tons this year- now I have such an easy time praying for something in confidence that God will sort it out and then it's easier for me to recognize that it was God (and not coincidence) that brought about the result. Like last week when we were in Malaysia, I was praying almost every day for some friends of ours (a couple with two small kids) who I had recommended vacation in Penang as well. When we were there, it was raining tons and tons and I kept praying that my recommendation hadn't brought them an awful vacation. Then at bible study the other day, the mom of the family was talking about how wonderful their vacation was and how she felt like God had worked out the weather thing for them- like it would be sprinkling when they got to a restaurant and as soon as they stepped inside, it would pour, and then when they were done eating, it was just sprinkling again. She said stuff like that happened every day and they had an amazing vacation. Some people might just chalk that up to coincidence but I am fully convinced it was an answer to prayer.
The other piece of reflection is about how much I've learned and grown this past year. I went to another NGO yesterday to ask some questions for a needs assessment I'm conducting for the pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS) in Aceh. I was amazed at how confident I now am at my job- having gotten the experience that I have over the past year. I knew the questions to ask and was able to share a lot of helpful information with the other NGO as well. My MPH prepared me academically, but when I got here I wasn't totally confident so when things weren't done well I thought maybe that's just the way it was. If I stepped into a similar situation in the future now, I'd know what should be done and would have confidence to speak up. Pretty amazing to see what 14 months of working in a field can teach.