At first it felt miserable knowing the island was my new home for who knew how long. As a young, single English teacher, I moved into a dank villa surrounded by other dank, concrete buildings. In a matter of days, a huge typhoon hit. Running water and electricity was cut. Plump, grey rats scurried through dry shafts in the ceiling, and new traps had to be set every night. Humidity clung to the air like a heavy, unwanted blanket. My immediate surroundings, including the crowded city where I lived, looked completely unappealing that first month of ministry.  

The voice of doubt, the voice of discomfort, the long list of negatives formulating in my head, all demanded my attention. They easily added up to a sum total that meant no fun, no productivity. But I knew God had led me there. I knew that I was in the center of my Father’s will for that season of my life, as dreary as my soul felt.  

I had to choose what I was going to listen to. Like David writes throughout the Psalms, I chose to turn again to hear more of what the Lord wanted to say to me.  

It wasn’t long before my eyes took in breathtaking beauty across the island and among the people I had come to serve. Initially, I didn’t know I would teach English to hundreds of people from all corners of the nation. I discovered a heightened level of appreciation and endearing love for the students in my classes. In God’s perfect timing, I intersected with someone that had family roots in a Bible-believing faith brought by early ministry influence of years past. I also found out how good the food was! Restaurants in my area were diverse, each boasting unique provincial dishes with rich, flavorful spices I’d not known up to that point. The culinary culture defined the people even more in my eyes. The next several years turned out to be both fun and productive. I thanked God for helping me shut out the negative voices during that first, unwelcoming phase.