Humidity hangs in the air of my hotel room as a palpable reminder of the steady afternoon rain that we received today. Although the weather cleared several hours ago, the clammy feel of fabrics, paper, even the keyboard of my laptop computer speak to the earlier downpours and the lingering summer heat. Weather is unpredictable in the Czech Republic this time of year. Temperatures tomorrow are expected to be in the mid eighties and sunny, but later in the week constant rain and highs in the sixties are expected. This is the weather that we have been given to work with. Our job is to continue relying on God and adapt our schedules to his plan as required.
The fact of the matter is that weather is just a visible sign of the spiritual reality we all face when we sign up to follow God. In reality, there are very few things that we have any control over in our lives. We might make plans, but God controls all of the circumstances. Our only real choice is whether or not we want to follow God when the weather, or plane flights, or any other number of details of life don’t go our way. We can sulk and pout, or get upset, but who are we to argue with the one who made the heavens and the earth? On the other hand, we can choose to remain flexible, trusting that God knows what he is doing.
Our trip has gone remarkably smoothly up until this point. We were blessed with great airline connections, no lost bags, and today, Pastor Andrew joined us with only a slight hiccup with his train from Prague to Ostrava. Today we started prepping our classrooms and supplies for the camp. This evening we were joined by several of the elders and the Pastor from Český Těšín. We have had time to pray together, in smaller groups, and individually. We are as ready as we can be for the arrival of the students tomorrow.
It’s doubtful that changing weather is the only surprise that we will have to deal with during this camp. Please pray for us that when we are forced to adapt to other changing circumstances of this trip, we will do so with faith and trust in Jesus, the true leader of this mission trip.