He Knows Our Needs

 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches
in glory by Christ Jesus." Phillippians 4:19

Had I written this blog post this morning, it would have had a much different title and a much different content.  One day, I will write what I had on my heart this morning, but not today!  :)  I am sorry to say that there will not be any new pictures of Vika today.  Sadly, we were not able to see her today.  Her building was locked, and we were not able to get anyone to come to the door to let us in.  We were disappointed and sad for Vika, and wondered how she may handle us not coming today.  And then, we remembered that this is life as she knows it.  She has been living this life for the past almost five years, and this is her "normal."  We are about to change her life forever, but it will at first be a HUGE adjustment for her. 

So, after leaving the orphanage, we stopped at a big Wal-Mart type store and picked up a couple of little things, enjoyed the sights a little, and then rode the bus home.  Soon after we got home, our friends who are here with us called to take us down to the market.  So, Ruthann, Mark, Jay, Trina, Abe, and I left for the market.  It was not at all what we had pictured for the day, but it was just what we needed.  The Lord knew how much we would need to have these two couples here for such a time as this, and that is why He brought them here. 

We walked down to the market, and experienced life as people know it in Vika's country.  There was pretty much anything imaginable there that one could buy-all mixed up together.  It was very interesting. 

This city we are in has many children, many playgrounds, many families, who were out enjoying the weekend today.  In many ways, this culture is similar to Germany and maybe most European countries.  At the first appearance, people do not appear very friendly.  They are busy with their own lives, and are very suspicious of strangers, but when you observe their lives from a distance, the communities are closely knit together.  You can see people and families getting together to play and talk and eat.  Neighbors helping each other make the most of the places where they live. 

Our apartment is on the 9th Floor

The people work very hard to make life as beautiful and as comfortable as it can be.  Yes, the buildings are very old and the roads need to be repaved and redone, and yet, people do the very best they can to keep it clean.  And although people appear to be less friendly, everyone has been so kind to us.  After all, we come to their country without speaking hardly any of their language or understanding their culture, much less reading their words.  In contrast, within our own culture in America, people are outwardly generally very friendly even to strangers, and yet when it comes to our personal lives, we often choose to keep to ourselves, to live our lives without interference from other people.  We live in organized neighborhoods, and yet how many of us can say that we actually really know our neighbors?  We greet each other in passing, and yet, we spend little time getting involved in one another's lives. 



View from our apartment

After we got back from the market, we got to Skype with the girls!  What would we do without this lifeline?  We are so blessed!!!  My sister, Becky, had just arrived, so they were in Aunt Becky heaven!  :)  Hopefully, Ms. Wanda will get a chance to recover from a very busy week and Becky will survive the next six days!  :)  We are so thankful for their friendship and for their willingness to sacrifice so much so that our girls could stay at home in their own beds with their own things! 

How much we miss you, girls!!!

Ruthann brought over this beautiful cake

After we skyped, we rested a little and then we fixed pizza and dessert to have with our friends.  There was a big festival in town today that was supposed to be broadcasted on TV, and everyone came over to our apartment to watch the festival.  Too bad, we did not get the local channel on our TV that was broadcasting the festival!  We had to settle for Father of the Bride, Part 2 instead.  :)  We got some good laughs together and enjoyed homemade pizza (yes, you can have pizza in every country!), a beautiful cake from this country and some kind of chocolate oatmeal bars that I made with whatever ingredients I could find on our kitchen table.  :)  It was a fun time, and again just what we needed.  We are so thankful for the fellowship!  Tomorrow, we will not get to see Vika, but we will try to make the most of our Sunday, and I will be sure to fill you in on the details!  :)  Hope you all are having a happy and blessed weekend! 

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. (Psalm 126:2)