The Potter's Clay

I've taken the last few days to settle in a bit more and adjust to this new life by spending time with new friends and making our tiny apartment feel a bit more like a home.  But alas, this has been to the detriment of my eager and worried blog followers, I do apologize.   


On Thursday I started feeling a little bit more settled as I was able to show the bits of the island that I know to my newest "Significant Other" (SO) friend, Emily, who flew in that day.  On Friday and Saturday Emily and I continued our traversing through the St. George's fish, spice and vegetable markets to stock up our kitchenettes for our frenzied med husbands, the Grande Anse beach, rain storms, and  the challenge of creating sour dough bread starters (which unfortunately did not go as planned!).  And on Saturday we took part in a day of fasting and praying with our "Christian Student Association" (CSA) Church.  Though there were other times during the weekend that were more fun, the time of fasting was more filling.  


Before Ryan and I moved from Connecticut, one of our greatest concerns and therefore most frequent prayer requests was for good fellowship and community in a new church home.  I rejoice in saying that God has been faithful to answer our prayers.  In one of the first days here we randomly happened upon two Christian couples, who we have become friends with and have been attending the CSA church with.  Ryan and I were not too sure what to expect from the on-campus student-led church that we had heard about, but needless to say we were more than impressed.  The church was full with more than 100 students, the service was organized, the worship was true, but more importantly the Lord was being sought out earnestly through fasting and prayer.  When they announced that this fasting and prayer was happening church-wide, we jumped on the band wagon. 


So on Saturday I cooked a nice curried okra before our fasting began, we prayed together and then began our day.  Four hours later I got a call from my husband, and during the phone call he non-chalantly said he was going to eat a banana, to which I replied, "why?!"..."Because I'm hungry"..."But you're fasting"..."O,yea".  But we did fast the entire way through, and attended the prayer service on Saturday night.  I like this school being so multi-racial.  Praying with people from different denominations is fun and renewing.  


During the prayer service one woman prayed a prayer for the healing of broken believers.  As her prayer went on I thought of the scripture I had read that day in Jeremiah 18.  I considered my feelings of restlessness in a new home and how I longed to have peace and vision during this time. The scripture in Jeremiah 18 is as follows:


¹ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ² “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” ³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. ⁴But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
 ⁵ Then the word of the LORD came to me. ⁶ He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. ⁷ If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, ⁸ and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.

Now, I am taking the scripture out of context slightly, as this scripture has everything to do with repentance and sin, and I am relating it more to times of transition.  Yet, the scripture spoke to me.  I thought of home and my family and my prayers and how they had everything to do with home and family and how I missed them.  Then I thought of how the Lord will be remolding my prayers, my purposes and my vision during this time.  This is a painful process, but I cannot complain.  I am the Lord's.  I need to allow the Holy Spirit to make me who and what He needs me to be in this time and place in my life.  


So, Sunday morning came and we broke our fast as a church with a wonderful beach barbecue. I have never ended a fast with a feast or with so many people!  It was very filling.  


And now it's Monday, and Emily and I will meet again.  Today, our quest for next semester's housing begins.