I think I've known for a while, at least theoretically, that being a missionary requires a lot of flexibility. Things happen that you just can't explain, and you have to work around them and do the best you can to not get frustrated. I hadn't had a ton of experience with that kind of thing prior to GoWeek, but I knew that I probably would as I really entered my life as a missionary.
Of course, then, it makes sense that my car would break down near the beginning of GoWeek. As I was accelerating into an intersection, in the middle of Minneapolis, with people in my car when we needed to be somewhere. Amazingly, though, God gave me peace, even in that moment. The car started up again enough to pull it into a lot and call AAA later in the day for it to be towed. It was one of those times where I had no choice but to pray for God to guide me through the situation, especially since I know little-to-nothing about cars. And, reflecting on it, my car couldn't have broken down at a better time. Had it broken down when I was on the interstate going back to Illinois, I would've been in a much, much worse situation. Thanks be to God, the car was fixed and I was able to drive home at the end of the week.
God used this whole situation to keep teaching me on the long drive home, too. I was talking to my friend Kat (who I was taking back to Madison on my way back to Illinois -- another reason I was glad the car had been taken care of; we would have both had to find a new way home had it been unfixable) about how amazing it was that God had made my car breaking down as painless as possible, and I said that the car felt like it was still driving a little rough. I knew, though, that I couldn't just pull my car to the side of the road and hope it wouldn't die; I needed to keep going. Home was my goal, and I needed to get there. It struck us both at that moment how my feelings about the car then were a metaphor for support-raising in general. I still had uncertainties even after the amazing, informative week we had just come through, but I knew that I couldn't stop. I knew God was calling me onwards, calling me to raise the support and follow Him to the Middle East, where I trust He will use me in ways that I could never imagine alone. So, I kept driving. And similarly, I will keep on in this support-raising process. There are many miles ahead of me in this road, but God never ceases to amaze.