An Angel

This past year I had the privilege of teaching English abroad at a private institution in Surabaya, Indonesia.  It was one of the most incredible and fantastic, yet most challenging and growing experiences of my life. Needless to say, living abroad in a new culture, while being away from those we love, can be a very draining experience.

After living in Indonesia for about three months, it seemed as though every frustration, insecurity and discomfort that I had continued to bury imploded through a series of events.  I awoke that morning with a fever and a sore throat. So, of course, I had already anticipated an exhaustive day ahead.  When I showed up to work in the morning, I found that my computer would no longer turn on. My lesson plans, communication device and research capability were all lost in an instant.  It happened to be on this day that I was supposed to contact my mother in the morning, so that I would be able to get the information I needed to transfer money to the states. Needless to say, this wasn’t going to happen. Nevertheless, I pushed through the rest of the work day, sore attitude and all, moving from classroom to classroom. 

When I thought that the struggles of the day had begun to settle with the ending of the school day, I arrived home to find that the charger for my Iphone had decided to stop working.  In my frustration, I chucked the charger across the room at the couch. Soft landing right?  No, it went right through the pillows of the couch and shattered on the wall.  In one day, I had lost all ability to communicate with those I love. On this day God, really?  I have never felt so alone. All I wanted was the comfort of my father’s voice, or the warm embrace of my mother’s arms. I was alone, and with no one to express my sorrows to.  With the intent to distract myself from my lonesomeness, I decided to ride to the mall, so that I could be surrounded by people. It didn’t work.  In being surrounded by so many people, unable to communicate, the awareness of being alone grew ever worse. As I distressingly carried myself into the grocery store, I heard a quiet voice from ahead, “Hey, Mr. David!”  I slowly gathered myself to see who it was that had greeted me. It was one of my students.  Her name was Angel. And with the biggest grin on her face, she was waving at me from the child’s play place.  I assure you, before that moment, I had never witnessed such sheer joy.  Suddenly, it was as if all my worries and frustrations had simply vanished. God had used this little 2^nd grader, to teach me of knowing joy in the simplicity of life.  I was reminded that day that God is always at work. Even in the smallest of things, God is with Us.