Driving on

Last Wednesday I went to Dakar for the day to check in with some of the newer missionaries to our field in Joel’s absence.   The car had been fixed by our mechanic just the day before which meant that I was starting on a very empty tank (part of the price of mechanical work here).  I drove to the first station I could, only to be told they were out of gas.  Not completely unusual here, but still annoying.  I drive to the next and they are also out of gas.  I drive to the third and then forth only to hear the same response.  By now I was dangerously low on gas and there was one station left in our town.  As I drove there I start wondering what I would do next if there was no gas there.  Do I leave town and continue searching, knowing that the further I get from town the further I get from help?  However as I asked this question, I knew right away the answer.  If there was not gas at this station, it would be at the next, or somehow God would see me through as he always does.

By this time, I should be used to Joel being gone and should be a pro at surviving on my own.  However the truth is that each time Joel leaves it is never easy.  I often feel like I am running on low fuel and that I could run out at anytime.  This trip has been the easiest as I no longer have french sessions everyday on top of managing the house, but there is still our relationships and ministry here which ends up on my shoulders and often takes a lot of emotional energy.  Joel is the adventurous and stable one in our family, so without him the bumps in the road seem more like mountains.  It leaves me each time in a place of complete dependence on God to get me through each day.  And each time he proves himself faithful and we always make it, never ending up on empty.  So it is with that faith that we press on, through each bump and adventure.  No matter how uncomfortable we are, we trust that God will give us just what we need to get through.