Living in a foreign country, these disturbances are bound to happen. I'm aware of this, and I feel like for the most part I'm able to adapt and go with the flow. I've seen God's grace in my life overseas in that area. But recently I've had the opportunity (can I even phrase it that way?) to exercise my adaptability, and have had to reflect: Why do they cause so much stress, when in the scheme of things, God has everything under control and will provide for what I need?
Two recent examples:
Last Tuesday I moved into my new flat. It's my teammate, Stacy's, old flat. Because of the time frame, she left her bed until she could get someone to help move it and I could get a new one. We looked at a calendar and determined February 19 the new one should be delivered. But when she talked with friends to move her bed, they could help February 16. Ok, so suddenly I'm without a bed for several days. Sudden angst. But then I remind myself that it's not the end of the world! Yes, you're in transition, but it's a minor detail. I have a sleeping mat and sleeping bag. I have couches and couch cushions. If need be, I can get an air mattress. It's fine. It's an adventure. And it was. Fine, at least. I took the couch cushions to the bedroom (where it stays darker in the morning), laid one duvet on top, covered by a sheet and slept there for 3 nights. Not perfectly, but sufficiently. And now I have a huge bed, for which I don't have the correct size sheets. :)
The other experience: This past weekend, Stacy and I went to Berlin so I could drop off my visa application at the Czech embassy. (For some reason, Americans aren't allowed to apply in the Czech for a long-term visa, so we have to go to an embassy in a neighboring country.) On the bus ride there, we were stopped at the German border and our passports were checked. This was new - 26 countries in Europe are part of the Schengen area, in which you could normally travel without passport checks or immigration control, and I can stay within these countries 90 days on a tourist visa. But because of the refugee crisis in Europe, borders are now doing checks. Which would be fine, except there was a very real possibility that I wouldn't get my long-term visa until my 90 day tourist visa expired. Neither Stacy or I had considered this before. So suddenly my coming weeks had the possibility of looking much different. And I could feel stress rising. How long will I need to leave for? Am I going to miss weeks of school? Where would I go? What am I going to eat? I was kind of looking forward to those 2 weeks to rest and reconnect with Czech friends who I haven't been able to see since school started. At this point (on the bus there) I didn't even know what the situation would be or if I'd need to leave the country. And so I calm my mind: God knows this situation and has it under control. We'll work out the details as they come. You could get to a new country. Accept the fact that your plans could shift and embrace the possibilities that could be. And this could be an adventure.
And yes, according to the embassy the next day, I wouldn't get my visa until 2 weeks after my 90 days expired. So now the best option is to leave the Schengen during the 2 week break between my Czech courses in March. The days I'm out of the Schengen won't count toward the 90 day tourist visa and I'll have a new entry date into the Schengen on my passport, which should be enough to get to April when I'll (hopefully) get my visa. (On a side note, I'm grateful that the language school wouldn't let me register for the 5 month course since I didn't have a visa. Now I'm taking back-to-back 6 week courses and it gives me a 2 week break in between classes, so I won't miss too much class.)
Long story short, I'll be going to Albania for 2 1/2 weeks in March. We have friends and co-workers there, so I'm looking forward to seeing them. Yes, there's still some stress, but I'm slowing learning how to adapt and trust God with the disruptions that change my plans. And to answer my own question of why these things cause stress ... I fear losing control, or being out of control. It feels safer to know what's coming; it's security. But that also doesn't allow for God to move me beyond my comfort zone into better things. It's about trusting him with the unknowns, and still a learning process.
