God Winks

I love stories.

Mysteries. Comedies. Quests. Rebirths. Triumphs. Tragedies. Homecomings. Romances.

The ones that enthrall their audiences. It's as if the words on the page breathe life into your mundane. That you yourself become the protagonist. And in this process you manage to figure it all out. You know what's coming next and undoubtedly know how it ends. Making this transformation you unknowingly step into the palm of an author. An author so gifted they have you right where they want you. Then without warning, the story changes. I don't like that place. You think you are in control, even though the story was never yours to begin with. Maybe it's frustration because you no longer see the big picture. In this place you realize you saw everything from one perspective. Then in a blink. The scales drop from your eyes and you see, although you may not understand, other perspectives...

I have come to know God as an Author. An Amazing Author. The Greatest. Perfect and True.He is writing my story and yours too:) And regardless of my expectations, He holds it all together. He provides the answers to the mysteries. He humbles you with a laugh. He is a navigator if you choose to follow. He is life. He designed joy. He weeps with us. He runs to us with open arms. He is love. He is so much more than a story and He will continue to inspire stories.

This week I surrendered my idea of my story. I haven't seen the big picture in a while, but then again when have I ever really truly seen the big picture? Usually I see glimpses but I haven't seen a glimmer of hope in Australia. I have been nothing short of discouraged on a daily basis. As if everything that was written in pencil did in fact erase at every chance it could. Nothing has felt consistent. Nothing has felt right. Nothing has been close to what was told it would be. I have been lied to. I have been betrayed. I have never felt more lonely in all of my 22 years. This journey has been a tragedy. One mishap after the next. A time where my thoughts float between "I want to go home", "This would happen", "I'm not surprised" and "Seriously?". Yet I never thought I would be saying "Thank goodness for visa issues!!"My story to New Zealand and my time here thus far can be summed up in a series of God winks. Those things that are so small world and so ironic that you know that they can only be God ordained. Our Author is beyond creative EVEN in the tiniest of tiny details. As I previously mentioned I met a Pastor from Hillsong Sydney on my flight from Adelaide to Sydney. How amazing that God ordains seats on an airplanes [just a reiteration of His creative genius]!! I was so nervous on the flight because I tend to talk up my anxiety ESPECIALLY when it comes to planes. Well here I am sitting next to a REAL perfect stranger and of course I'm going to start a conversation because I need to be distracted so I choose him. It went like this:

Me: So are you from Adelaide?
Sanga: No.
Me: Cool. Does that mean you are from Sydney?
Sanga: Yes.
[FYI this is at 6am and he is just matter of fact]
Me: Cool. How long have you lived there?
Sanga: [I forgot how long he said but pretty much a long time]
Me: Awesome. Hey can I ask you a really random question?
Sanga: Sure.
Me: Have you been to Hillsong Sydney cause I reallllllllly, really would like to go there!!
Sanga: [Smiles] Actually I am a Pastor there!
Me: [Pastor-struck] Are you serious? This is so cool!!!
Sanga: Why are you headed to Syd?
Me: [Typical long drawn out Alisha story complete with backstory and random facts but in my defense in the case of Australia it has every right to be that way]
45 minutes later...flight now descending...
Sanga: Well if you get caught in a bind this is my good friend's email address. He is Pastor of a church out in Auckland. Feel free to contact him! I pray everything works out for you Alisha.
Me: Thanks!! I shouldn't be there more than two days but if by chance I am...I will! Thanks so much!!
[end conversation...exit flight and truly leap into the unknown]

Turns out he has a HUGE network in Auckland. Thank goodness for the body of Christ. I don't mean to bash on my club, but they are awful!! Especially my coach and his many failed promises. "I will take care of you" being the main one. For the first time in 30 days I have finally felt taken care of and looked after. Quite pathetic that it is happening in NZ. My new friends are major blessings. They all work for LIFE here in Auckland and have literally taken me in as their own. My club booked a flight and hotel for me. My hotel being in the ghetto of Auckland, without a car or a bus stop in close proximity. Cab rides costing more than $50 one way and a budget that wouldn't allow for that. Yet they expected me to figure it all out on my own, fully aware that this was my first time alone in a foreign country. "Just go and get it done" mentality with an added "hurry up and get back in time so we can win some games". Like I have any control over the situation! Frustrating to say the least. In New Zealand I actually feel like a person again and not a commodity. It's funny, even though I am dubbed "The Import" I really am treated like a good. Just exported out to New Zealand to figure it all out. I know at the end of the day it is a business deal, but it's an ugly business.

Luckily for me, when my story was starting to look like a tragedy, God turned New Zealand into a triumph. After spending two miserable days alone in my hotel room, I mustered up the courage to email Pastor Craig [Sanga's contact]. He set me up with a beautiful new friend named Abbie. She is English. I adore her accent. She is the freshest thing since sliced bread. Not only is she so incredibly encouraging. She too has endured visa trials and makes me feel so welcome. I spent Sunday with her and a few other new girl friends and got to experience 3 different church services at LIFE. Talk about rejuvenating and just plain lovely. I am keen on LIFE. In the process I made more friends and have been blessed by their love, support and encouragement. I have gone to a "Monday Night Dinner" and a Life Group Home Study and have begun to feel like I have known these individuals for ages. God is awesome.

I never would have expected NZ to be so great! To be just what I needed. To be a pivotal part in my story:)I must admit I am getting a bit anxious as today marks a week since I have been here and I have yet to hear anything. This means I won't be able to play in my first game on Saturday and I am a bit disappointed about that, but God is writing my story. I don't know what He is going to do next and I have come to find comfort in that. I don't know how my time here will connect with another story line and I'm not quite sure of its significance in the grand story but I do know that I have been blessed with an exceptional new cast of characters and that God is faithful in small details of His writing. There is no place I would rather be than in the palm of Our Great Author.

Abbie & Me