Chicago, Alaska and Czech?

Chicago, Alaska and Czech. How do those three connect on a rainy February day? 

I drove into the city yesterday (first time actually driving in Chicago!) to meet up with my boss for a part-time job I'll be doing out in the suburbs, and to share with some friends about what God has been doing in Central and Eastern Europe.

What I did not expect was to cross paths with two lovely ladies who have also been a part of God's work in that region of the world! Actually, both Hannah and Tiffany have done internships with Josiah Venture in Czech, and we all happened to be on the same floor at one point during our time at Moody (I really don't know how this happened, except by the Lord). 

Now, Tiffany is a junior at Moody, I graduated in December, and Hannah graduated in May 2016. I'm in the suburbs for these next months, and Hannah is in Alaska with her family, while Tiffany lives on campus. Yet somehow, I ran into Hannah in the parking lot, and all three of us ended up sharing a meal together in the city after a long and full (happily so!) day. 

It's these connections that make the world feel so small. It also reminds me that God is constantly weaving together unexpected stories, and we get to celebrate in that together. 

Shoutout to Tiffany too for her spontaneous kindness and generous friendship - she welcomed me into her apartment for the afternoon, offered rain jackets to us, and shared her clementines and time as a thunderstorm and tornado warnings kept me in the city for a couple of extra hours. 

I am more grateful than ever for the body of Christ, and for the tangible reminders that we do nothing apart from the Lord's grace given to us generously and lovingly!