A Rough Road

As of this last month I (Brian) have traveled a couple different times to the coast.  There is only one road that goes to the coast and all of the supplies travel this road.  It is called a highway.....but I would label it more as a minimum maintenance road.  It is only about 180 miles but takes at least 6 hours to travel.  It will either grow your prayer life or make you sick to your stomach with all the dodging potholes (some you don’t drive away from) and twist and turns.  My favorite part were the road signs...they are few but some will say (one lane closed) but as you get close you see one lane is not closed it’s gone....it got washed down the mountain.  There are maybe 6 or 7 bridges that are all one lane and every one is compromised in some fashion.  This road is a very difficult drive and adding to that, since it is the only road to the coast, there is a high probability of robbery and other criminal activity that takes place.  To God be the glory I didn’t have any trouble but there was plenty of opportunity where things could have gone horribly wrong. 
As I think about this drive it really parallels with our lives.  If we desire to follow Christ there is only one road and it is not any easy one!  It is filled with unknowns throughout the whole journey and there is ample opportunity for things to go really wrong.  However regardless what happens on this journey Jesus never leaves us and is there every step of the way.  Even when we arrive or think we have arrived at our destination, we still need Jesus just as much. 
An example of this from my journey was when I got to the coast the second time we arrived where we were going to stay and decided to drive down the block to get some food. There were massive crowds as there had just been an event that finished.  Just as we began to drive the sound of gun shot rang out front a close distance and we began to see people all around us start to duck there heads and run.  Me and the other guy I was with decided we would go somewhere else to eat.....quickly.  Later we found out it was only police shooting to try to clear people out....I guess a little more comforting.....?  While I had only planned a quick trip it took almost a week to be able to get what we needed and come back home.  In this time I had plenty of opportunity to trust that God has a plan.  I repeated in my head many times the saying...patience is not given, it is grown.  It’s hard for all of us while in moments of frustration or when everything begins to fall apart to doubt Gods plan in our lives.  However He continues to remain steadfast and looking back at this time I can see God’s provisions all along the way....just keep looking off the circumstance and up to Him and you may as well!!

I stopped at a church on the way to the coast who had asked if me and some of they guys I traveled with would preach.

They had prepared a meal as they said I was the first missionary in their church.  The staple food in this particular area was bananas.  Not the bananas we think of they were boiled and had more of a potato taste. 

A short walk from the church I saw this fruit tree that hung off the bank.  It was a stark 

reminder to me how important our roots in Christ are because when high water comes and strips our foundation away will we fall down or continue to produce fruit like this tree.

I also spent a couple days on the ship yard waiting for our cargo to arrive.

Thankfully I had a great crew cheering me on and awaiting my arrive back home!