Even in the Little Things

Can I just start off by saying this last week sucked and get it over with? 

Now that that's established, can I just interject that God is really, really, really faithful? 

This was a hard week for a lot of reasons: a painful death of a dream combined with a lesson learned the hard way; the Boston bombing plus the explosion in Texas; a bout of homesickness mixed in with some bodily sickness and a fair bit of lonesomeness all made for a serious case of the blues. Yes, my friends, this was an all around down and out week. 

But thankfully, down and out weeks don't have to end as down and out weeks. I have said before that God always surprises me about how He meets my needs. Just when I feel like I'm at my rope's end, He gives me a brief respite. These have come in the forms of a last minute prayer and worship session with two friends, a Thanksgiving dinner with a group of Americans, a trip to Albania with Nesha, coffee with Linda or Soni, an unexpected note from a friend, and a Skype call with someone from home. 

Last night--after I spent the day moping around in a sinus-pressured cloud--He surprised me again. Saturday nights we have our weekly Real Change youth group meeting and this Saturday we had a group from Pristina, a nearby city, coming to join us. Mixed in with this group of Albanians were two American guys. Now, this may seem super insignificant to those of you in the States as you are surrounded by English speaking Americans 24-7, but to me this was gargantuan. Currently, whenever I encounter an unknown American I feel kind of like I'm encountering a celebrity. Pathetic, I know, but honest. 

After youth group was over, their group and a portion of ours went out for coffee. And it was just fun. Really, there was absolutely nothing significant about it except that it was exactly what my heart was needing: social interaction with like-minded people who speak my language--literally, culturally, and spiritually. 

So today I'm thankful for a God who knows me and loves me and cares for me, even in the little things.