Plans & Purposes

What do burnt legs & broken toilets have to do with God's plans and purposes?

The Pemba trip went well. I got my visa renewed for another year. However, I burned my legs so bad while walking on the beach on Sunday that I could barely walk the following two days because of the pain and swelling.

Sadly, because of this, I didn't get to visit everyone in Pemba that I wanted to. Yet, somehow, I knew God had a purpose in it. I may never understand why, but I know I can trust Him and His sovereign plans. And yes, I also learned my lesson to always apply sunscreen to my legs when walking along the beach in the hot sun.

The sunscreen I should have put on my legs and the aloe vera gel and burn cream I've been using all week because of not applying the sunscreen

Wednesday morning I received my visa and by midday Thursday I felt well enough to make the five-and-a-half-hour drive back to Nampula. One problem. I had to drink tons of water to stay hydrated because of the burns. I usually don't drink much when traveling here, where decent bathrooms are few and far between. Only two decent bathrooms exist on the Pemba/Nampula route. Both are roughly near the middle.

When Roseli and I stopped at the first one, they told us it was out of order. We climbed back into the car and continued down the road. As I pulled the car into the next spot a boy walked up to my window and said "Tia Raquel" (Aunt Rachel, a title of respect). I was taken aback. How would anyone in this tiny town know my name? Maybe he had mistaken me for another foreigner with the same name? He said his mom was at home. I asked him who his mom was. When he said her name it finally clicked. 

Mama *Rosa had lived in my neighborhood in Nampula for months. I enjoyed talking with her, teaching her to crochet, having a few spiritual conversations with her. She moved to this small town on the border between the two provinces during my trip to South Africa. I never got to say goodbye.

I asked Mama's *Rosa's boy how his mom was while doing a quick calculation in my head to figure out if I had time to go see her. Unfortunately, I didn't. Roseli and I had to be back in Nampula before dark. I told him to tell her I sent my greetings.

As we continued on our trip I told Roseli how great God is that the other gas station bathroom was out of order, forcing me to stop at the second one, and that Mama Rosa's son was walking past at the exact moment we pulled up. Lord willing, I will try to stop and spend some time with Mama Rosa on my next visit to Pemba.