Another Darling, Another Day

I spent my second Valentine's Day here in Turkey last week, which began the second round of holidays that I'll celebrate here. I can't believe how fast time flies. I knew it would, but I can still remember last year like it was, well not last year. I saw my (now just) friend, (but used to be language helper) on Valentine's night and she said that she guessed we were darlings again. We refer to it as 'Darlings' Day' here. Yes, I guess we were darlings again this year. It got me thinking how much our friendship has changed since last year. She stayed with us last year for Valentine's at Katie's house because Craig was out of town. I actually have a year old friendship. It really was already a friendship then. We bonded almost immediately as I was the only single gal around back then. But, it was just neat--I know I reflect alot, that's the kind of girl I am, here I go--to think about the past year. The language, the relationships, the changes in me and around me.
She's joined us in a study lately that some of us ladies are doing which has been really encouraging, and last week we were reading about Hagar together. When she fled from Sarah because she was being treated harshly. An angel of the LORD found her in the wilderness and asked, 'where have you come from and where are you going?'. Now, don't we just know the LORD knows all and certainly had the power to send any message to her...but obviously this was a question worth pondering. So, I've been pondering it. Where have I come from and where am I going? Certainly being reminded by my friend that our friendship has been through a year of ups and downs of my first year living in Turkey, made me think about where I've come from and where I'm going in the next 8 months here and where I'm going in life (period). I have planted my heart and soul here the past year and it's bearing fruit, in me and around me, all glory due to Him and not me. I'm not saying that I'm packing up and moving on at all. It's not time for that yet. My, 'such a time as this' is still very much in motion here in this place. But, I am saying that I'm taking a look at where I've come from and the view makes me appreciate all the more where I am. And I'm taking a look at where I'm going and making sure that is where He wants me to go. That very same encounter, Hagar gave God a name. She named Him, the God who sees--El Roi. He sees where we've been, where we're coming from and certainly He sees where we're going. The question is for our benefit.