Wanting God's Plan

Wherever I go I cannot help but observe my surroundings and see the great need that is there. When I have visited a teacher who welcomed me into her home, I sat on her bedsheets with many holes from it being older. If I go out to the village I cannot help seeing the many children with just a shirt on and nothing else and the shirt itself is filthy and torn. My immediate response is to want to fix this. I am blessed with so many children's clothes and have so many bedsheets. I also love giving. But I first need to ask God- is this His plan for me to do so. It may seem like a shock that His plan may be for me to NOT give but that is sometimes not his answer. This holds true with prayer too. As I go to the Lord with my requests and ask for healing and restoration for people- sometimes the Lord chooses not to. There is a reason for this. It might be for spiritual growth to happen. It could not be the right timing. Is the Lord able to fix every problem right away- absolutely. 

I have encountered 3 different types of people that are on the recieving end of giving. There are those that are so gracious when you give clothing for their family and continuously say thank you. Those are the times when it is most rewarding and the times you really feel your doing good works. Then there are people that come and ask you for something. You can give but then they will ask for something else. When you give it is never enough and they very rarely say thank you. The third type of person is the one that will be very offended if you offer to help out or invest into them. They will wonder if I think I am better than them and view them as a charity case. As I have searched my heart when I encounter these people I can honestly say I do not see them that way. I am blessed with so much here and if I have two of something I am compelled to want to give to someone who has none. What I have learned is I am suppose to do what the Lord wants. His purposes and plans can be so much different than what is expected. His ways are always the best. 

I have pictures below of us getting our kitchen ceiling redone from termites that had eaten through. Thought it was very interesting. ;)