Respiratory Machines and Divine Appointments

The other girls and I on the trip have been making time to do a devotional/Bible Study/prayer time every evening.  Last night, we read from the devotional book Jesus Calling and discussed the events of the day in light of what the Lord has been teaching us all.

If community living looks a lot like this, sign me up. It would be hard for me to come up with something that I love more than spending time in prayer and discussion with fellow beleivers. I think there is something so incredibly beautiful about the way that God works through small groups of His followers. What He says in His word about when two or more gather in His name is so true. It is completely evident in my life that the He speaks through other people in order to reach my heart.
Our small group of women prayed for a few things in particular last night-- (you can also be praying for us in this way)

1) for the Lord to give us eyes that see the world as He does, specifically, His children. We want to have eyes that see the beauty of God in all that He has created. We are asking him to show us His image in every single person on this Earth. Afterall, He has breathed life into each one that has breath.
2) to keep our minds, hearts, and eyes focused on searching for "divine appointments". We want to be ready, prepared, and willing to serve the Lord in every situation. We want to serve Him in all that we do. We want to be fully present in each situation that he puts us in.
3) to always make time for the things that God is asking us to do each day. Our desire and hunger needs to be for the nearness of Christ. When we constantly desire and hunger for His closeness, we begin to live our lives in a way that welcomes, invites, and treasures that closeness. We want our lives to look that way.

About 5 hours after our prayers ended for the night, Tricia and I woke up to start our first appointment that the Lord had provided for the day. We got to help some young professionals practice speaking English. It was a huge blessing for all of us that went! The people we worked with this morning were so eager to learn about our lives. They kept asking questions about what we are doing here and why we wanted to come. It was so exciting to be able to share that with them!

I am so thankful that God gives us what we ask for when we ask according to His will. It reminds me of Luke 11 when Jesus is telling His followers that God delights in giving good gifts to His children. His word also says that every good and perfect gift froms the Lord. I am so thankful that He gives graciously without finding fault to those who ask for truly good gifts. There is no gift greater than something that brings us closer to God.
I truly feel like our expereince with the employees from the factory that makes respiratory machines brought us closer to the Lord.
I am so thankful for the divine appointments that He has provided so far today and am praying that He will continue to provide me with the sight to see Him through all that I do.

Thank you all for your support. I really could not have gotten here with out the providence of the Lord through many different people. I am truly blessed. May all my thanks and praise go to the only one who is worthy to receive it.