No bad computers?

My computer support person said to me, "I have always refused to accept it when people tell me that a computer is bad... but, working on your computer this week, I have to admit there is at least one bad computer out there!"

So, I had a lovely week in Nampula. I'm on an "entity committee" for our mission so I get to travel about twice a year to business meetings. My trip takes me to Nampula where we have a training and conference center. I travel through Lichinga where I have a dear friend from days gone by in Portugal and Tete. It has been good to take care of business, be "on-the-road" and meet people I don't usually get to meet. I have relaxed, while Mikael has had a lot of extra work at home without me. It has been good. I have seen God's hand taking care of me when there has been trouble.

No bad computers... just mine!

While I was sitting in meetings, I had turned my machine over to the capable people in our computer department. I had a serious complaint that would require lots of time. I knew that and they knew that. They just didn't know how uncooperative my computer was. When I received my computer on Friday afternoon, everything was running much faster with a new operating system as planned. BUT I had no email addresses or old emails. I admit, I cried. Others comforted me and patted my back and of course, I did what I could and moved on. The files where there, but not accessible without a Vista computer. So, they weren't lost. Just out of reach for now.

I left Nampula on Saturday for the weekend in Lichinga. It was a welcome stopover, but not originally planned. My more direct flight connection to Tete was canceled by the airline. This way, I could still get home by Monday, I just had to leave on Saturday. Arriving in Lichinga I had a great lunch with Janice and her new short-term missionary, Claude. What is Claude doing in Lichinga? He's going to be running computer training course. He's young and Swiss and techie and newly arrived in Mozambique. He's here to serve and I gave him a job immediately!

Isn't God good to us? He knows our needs before they are there. He allows some things to happen so that other things can happen. I was rerouted on my flight to spend two days in out-of-the-way Lichinga where Claude was working with Janice. I had a computer crisis just in time for Claude to jump in and help his first missionary with a problem. He had the right kind of computer and enough experience to fix my problem. That's pretty cool.

It is nice to be reminded that our crisis is an opportunity for God to show us His mercy and power and love. What is your crisis today? Expect God to watch out for you... ask for help... and follow His path. I'll bet you get a nice surprise by the end of it. God is good.