Saturday’s Journey

I write this Thursday morning. 48 hours ago: 1. Not enough funds to secure a ferry passage to Vancouver Island. 2. It didn’t look like there were any campsites to reserve, all the ones I looked at were full for quite some time.

It is at this point in time that I re-surrender all the plans around a ministry time. I’ve been on 18 overseas ministry trips in the last years and every single time (at some point) I bump up against what seems nearly impossible to overcome.

The state of things on Tuesday looked a bit bleak. But, I simply took it all to the Lord, “God, I submit all these ideas and the timing back to you. This is your thing. Make it be what you want it to be. If I’ve been wrong about any of it, that’s okay. We can switch course or shift plans at any time. Thanks Lord for your leading. I look to you in all things. My gaze remains on you God.”

Funds came in later that day. I looked again for ferry passage and possible camping area. Somehow what I was perusing looked like impossibility. I tried using BCFerries app and all that showed me was ferries completely booked through August! (Don’t use that app.)

Wednesday arrived. I was full-on in the garden, weeding the big flower bed, that morning (the mornings good work which God created for me from before the beginning of time). Afternoon came and with it a solid sense to ‘reserve a ferry passage’ and to ‘find a campsite’. I couldn’t not take care of this.

It is this kind of compelling that settles us at Capturing Courage deep into the timing of the Lord where all things fall into place. I’ve learned to never rush at a problem and I do not push harder or try more to make something work. Just the opposite.

When something is not coming together I step back, come quiet before the Lord, enter into deeper trusting, surrender it all (God has everything for us but nothing need happen), and enter into a pause until directed further.

Long story short, late Wednesday afternoon it all came together. A ferry booking reserved and a campsite too. Just like that. With only a few days to go this is a bit of a miracle in itself these days. I’m giving all glory to the Lord!

In the midst of this process I had to remind myself of a few things: 1. God has made a way many times before and he can do so again if he wants. 2. We only need one camping spot in one campsite. The nearly-full campsites do not mean anything as we only need one spot. 3. To recall the explicit instruction of the Lord.

I had been looking in Nanaimo for a campsite but then recalled and said to myself, “Cyndy, the Lord said to begin in Parksville. Why are you looking in Nanaimo??!”

Then too, I had to ‘get thee behind me satan’ to the few comments from friends in the weeks prior, about the difficulty of finding campsites. I had to shut out that noise and turn my face to God. My heart and mind solely resting on the Lord.

I am thankful for the gap between plans and actuality. This process, again, is the same every single ministry trip. Every single one. And what it does is it tests my heart. It establishes me in sync with the Lord. I surrender all the ideas (and commitments, plans, ideas shared, ego, perceived outcomes) to God. It doesn’t have to come together.

And then, it comes together. My personal aide and I are leaving early Saturday morning for the island and will be setting up camp by the early afternoon. I’ve already a strong sense of where to go after that initial spot. But again, I’ll not rush at putting that into place until there is a compelling of the Lord to make it happen. Each day we check in with God and each day our steps are established.

Day by day we journey. Step by step gets us to where we want to be.