I Left My Tent Poles in San José

I left my tent poles in San José. I am currently in Nicoya. I’m approximately six hours away from my tent poles. 

How did I find myself in this predicament? Great question! Let me elaborate…

My entire squad flew into Costa Rica together and we stayed in an adorable hostel in San José for one night for cultural orientation. When I opened my pack I learned that one of my hair products had leaked causing all of my belongings to be covered in a slimy clear liquid. Lucky for me, my team is the best and they helped me clean out my pack and spread out my belongings so they could dry. The contents of my pack were sprawled around the room. There was piles of clothing on my bed. Bottles of liquids on top of shelves. And, my tent poles were placed in one of the lockers of our hostel. 

The next day my team and I had to pack up because we were traveling to Nicoya to meet our ministry hosts. I did a quick skim of the room, but I was sure I packed everything so I didn’t look too hard. Little did I know that inside my locker was my tent poles. 

Fast forward a couple of days and we are finally settled into our home for the next month. I realized that my tent poles weren’t where I normally keep them— strapped to the side of my pack. In that moment I remembered my tent poles still standing up in my locker. 

Normally, in this situation I would freak out, but I felt calm and I was sure that it was going to work out. This was because I remembered Philippians 4:19, “God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Jesus Christ”. I knew that in this moment the Lord was testing me and my ability to trust that He will provide everything I need. 

The next couple of days were a blur of calling the hostel and problem solving. Initially, we were going to have my tent poles mailed to my ministry host, but the mail system isn’t the most reliable in Costa Rica. I knew that the hostel was a bit out of the way for leadership to pick it up, so I did not know what to do.

I felt like I hit a dead end, but then I remembered, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” (Proverbs 3:5). Even though it seemed that I would never get my tent poles again I remained hopeful because I trusted the Lord.

A few days later, when I was on the phone with my mum she mentioned that my dad has a co-worker in San José. She said that my dad could ask if his co-worker could go to the hostel to pick up my tent poles. We figured that if he got them he could at least find a way to send them to my parents. 

My dad reached out to his co-worker, my tent poles were going to be picked up by his co-worker and he was going to deliver them to my ministry host! I was over-joyed when I heard this news, and I am beyond thankful for my parents and my dad’s co-worker. On Wednesday when my team returned from ministry we saw my my tent poles sitting inside the Church! 

I am quick to forget that the Lord LOVES to provide for His children. And I was reminded that I need to trust in Him more and I need to be quick to ask for His help when I’m in a predicament. Christ has an infinite amount of resources and many disciples (like co-workers) who are eager to submit to His will. Sometimes we just need to take a step back, ask for help, and let Him love on us.

That leaves me with the question: how is the Lord asking you to trust Him right now? 

xoxo

claudzilla