Sometimes God Works In Weird Ways

So tonight was one of my few nights that I had free to myself. So what better way then to try to go to a place with a ton of books and do my Russian assignment. Anyways my Russian assignment was to buy something from Barnes and Noble and then start memorizing certain sections of the vocabulary. Sounds fun... right.... well it REALLY is! Anyways I also decided to wait until the time that one of my friends that works there is usually working. They're from Belarus. Anyways I figured hey they know Russian... maybe they could help me find my book that I needed so I could get going on my homework. Hmmmmm... maybe I could sneak up and surprise them... well maybe... just maybe... MAYBE NOT! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They weren't there. That was my reaction after wondering around the store just looking of them on the Super Secret Russian Mission. Da... Da... DaDa! Since they weren't there and all I figured that I would text them and see where they were. No answer!!!! What was I to do?!?!?!?!? I know... I'll stall and hope that they come. Come on... lots of cool books lurking around every corner and a nice comfy pair of sandals (curdosy of my grandpa and his triple A foot). What more could anyone want (well besides that tempting Starbucks Coffee that never ceases to tempt me when I walk into that store, or the fact that I really wanted to talk to somebody in person about Russia)? So naturally with those comfy chairs that they have and the books luring me in I decided that it was best to grab a Russian book and pray. You may think that it's strange but the first Russian book that I saw was one about how to convert to Eastern Orthodoxy (maybe I should of prayed for the author too well I was at it) and I decided to pick it up. So as I was sitting there I prayed that God would please let me talk to somebody about Russia, Russian, Ukraine, or even Ukrainian. I'd take anything. Come on gas isn't cheap these days, I was just in the talking mood, and hey I loveeeee books!!!!) So as I wondered some more around the store looking for cool books about Russia and Eastern Orthodoxy I came up with an idea... Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... Maybe Just maybe my friend worked at the Starbucks in the Barnes and Noble. So I started to walk towards there and I saw a person that looked like that could be them when I got there and as I started to go over there I got distracted when somebody started to talk to me and ask me if they could help me. I turned back and responded to them and told them that I did need help. I was looking for some certain books on Eastern Orthodoxy. So she looked them up and I found out that they didn't have them. Then I asked about another Russian language book and they didn't have that either. By this time I decided that I would check the Starbucks one more time (also refrain from buying that o so yummy coffee since I was trying to save money for Russian books and do missions there by the fall of 2010) and see if my friend was there. I ended up just seeing a girl with short hair. So that would be a no. So I decided to go back to the Russian section one last time and get my Russian things that my teacher told me to buy. When I arrived there I saw someone in my way and as I waited something caught my eye. No... it wasn't the fact that they were a girl. It was the fact that they had Christian pins about Jesus in Russian on their bag. Hmmm... Christian pins about Jesus... RUSSSSSSIIIIIIIIAAAAANNNNN..... OOOOOOOOOoooooooo... This intriguied me. I must know! So I decided to ask them about what they were looking for in the Russian section... as if I worked there. Eventually she told me... Well... I went to Ukraine and ever since I left there God has always put a burden on my heart to work with orphans in Ukraine. Orphans, Russian, Ukraine... ok this touched my heart. I LOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVEEEEE THOSE SUBJECTS!!!! Soon I found out that she decided today that she was tired of slacking off and that she was going to teach herslef Russian (been there... done that ... I thought to myself). That was why she was looking in the Russian section. Eventaully I tried naming people who could help her in Cedar Rapids. She proceded to tell me that she wasn't from Cedar Rapids and that she was on spring break trying to help out with people who had flooding problems in Cedar Rapids. Anyways to make a long blog much shorter... I found out that she was from Michigan and I offered to get her information about anybody who could help her. So she took my email and I sure hope that she emails me back so I can connect her to people! One more orphan into a caring home, to one more personing spreading the gospel message... God never ceases to AMAZE me! Please pray for this girl that she can be helped and that she does find help in Michigan even though she is a complete stranger to me. Also remember... WHEN WE PRAY GOD WORKS!!!!!

Total Randomness Ahh.. Ahh... Ahhhhhhhhhhh...

Due to being so much of a slacker on my part and just being so busy I haven't posted FOOOOOORRRRRRRREEEEEVVVVER! Though lately I haven't really been home all that much. I've been trying to do more things with a kid that I have been mentoring named Jordan, hanging out with college kids for a free coffee/tea and theological debate night! Oh ya just in case you didn't see that.. FREE COFFEE AND TEA! They are both very close to my heart and every college students heart. Ya college student... Actually, I decided to go back to school part time so ya I'm a 50th year college student and so on. I'm taking Russian and in my free time I've been helping multiple Russians and a few Ukrainians learn English. It's kind of crazy, but yet so fun! I know that I can't touch as many people's lives as 10 or more people can! So the more Russian and English both of us know then the more it will benefit everybody. Also for my Russian class in college I think that it must be some type of Russian system because I have to pass 90% or above on each test, or I don't get to move on and I have to start over. Ohhhhhh man, oh man, oh man.... I guess that means more practice. Besides Russian my week has also been been busy playing basketball with some of the guys from a local church and getting to know them better as I invest in their lives. It's great! If there was one thing that I could change I would love to get on of the foster care reps that I have been talking to from a local place in town to get a lot of those kids to come. I feel that it is really important to involve them in something like that. Besides that I love working with foster kids and just in the whole adoption system! It never ceases to amaze me and little by little... rather they realize it or not... they are making a huge difference in my life too. SERIOUSLY MENTOR A KID! BE THE FATHERLY OR MOTHERLY FIGURE IN THEIR LIFE! EVERY KID NEEEDS THAT! I could repeat this all day but I won't just think about it, pray about it, and possiblky be about it. Hopefully someday I would love to adopt but not now. Well since I am on the whole foster kid thing I applied over there again and I might be using my degree as a crisis conselor. Ya you might say that it is kinda of crazy, but to a point chaos facinates me and just to help somebody I would drop everything. Besides that I would love to do something like that, some type of adoption/foster kid ministry, and/or church ministry in Russia! However, due to the shortage of time and my need to get ready for work I must leave the blog entry as is and I will talk more about my Russian interviews coming up, meeting Norm Geisler last night and talking to him 1 on 1, my Sunday night Bible study, the fact that God has been showing me so many weird things lately, or even the fact that I tried to convince everyone in my family that my mom was truly a rebel by using Russian. So have a great day and seriously CONSIDER MENTORING A KID!!!!!!!!!