{Home Again}

It's a quiet Saturday afternoon at the castle, many are going home for Easter and others are napping in the emptiness of the rooms. I am sitting the coffee shop with friends eating oreos with peanut butter, top ramen, and sipping mint tea. Although I thrive on noise and people, I am enjoying the quiet and the peace.

Nine days ago I left the castle back to my childhood home of Romania, and I returned last night. The eight days were filled with adventures,blessings, and lots {lots} of children's ministry. We visited an orphanage,an abandoned baby hospital,a foster family,a gypsy village and four days of doing children's ministry for a leadership conference.

I was most definitely blessed and I had to step out of my comfort zone. But I have found that when you take that step you open up your heart to the incredible things that God has for you. But above all of the things that God spoke to me about there was one lesson in particular that He wanted me to learn.

His Overflowing Provision

During outreach the whole team was unexpectedly thrown an extra 80 dollars a person. WOW! Sure, I knew that God could do anything . But because I am a worrier and a doubter, my faith was not up to par.
But because God has a sense of humor and because He has good,good things for me. He provided abundantly.
A part of my team and myself was walking in the small town near our hotel, and then out of nowhere we found 400 leu on the ground. Somehow we managed to get passed the shock and gather up the money. 400 leu is 360 in American Dollars.

Wow God.

The hotel cut the extra cost to forty dollars, so we used that paid to pay our hotel expenses. So that extra money left money for the gas home,dinner that night, money for our trip to Budapest, and a little bit of spending money. And we will get money back from the original outreach cost.
After hearing this from our leader, we got down on our knees and thanked God. I was laughing during my prayer because I was so amazed at God and how even when we doubt, he enjoys proving us wrong.

I grew up a Calvary missionary kid, money was not flowing endlessly from our bank account. But God always provided, this was of course awesome, but God made himself real to me in this way. Who could ask for a better outreach?

Praise God

~ Autie

"...If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it."
~Malachi 3:10