Traveling… Part 2

Don't worry about anything !

The journey goes on. We drive for hours through the desert and finally arrive in a city whose name I heard and used countless times as a child—without ever truly grasping its weight.Wide-eyed, my travel companions and I watch the pedestrians, cars, carts, and mopeds weaving in every direction—especially the wrong one.And yet, I feel completely in my element, totally at ease in the middle of the chaos.It’s like I’m in a video game, with obstacles popping up at every turn, and Nilza—my trusty co-pilot—is guiding me, helping me dodge speed bumps and other surprises.Martine, in the backseat, is grateful.

Just don’t run anyone over!

We’ve just dropped off an old limping man on the side of the road—relieved—and all three of us swore we wouldn’t pick up another soul.Compassion has its limits. Naivety no longer has a place. And that saddens me.

We pray for this city and its people—for young men and women to rise up and take initiative.There’s a heavy sense of fatalism here, and we pray against it.

Fatalism, no matter our homeland or faith, has a way of creeping into our lives. I truly believe it can lead us to settle for what we know, what’s familiar—pushing us toward a life of mediocrity.

But that’s not what the Gospel calls us to. In every situation, Jesus calls us to follow Him, to let go of our own plans and step into His.Plans for peace and not for harm, says the prophet Jeremiah.God goes even further—He says He wants to give us a future and a hope.

I invite you to take those words for yourself. Don’t ever let what you see or what you’ve lived define what your future will be.God loves us. He inspires us.He can—and wants to—lead us into plans that are bigger than us, so we can thrive and find joy.And He does it while allowing us to walk through challenges and trials, so our trust in Him becomes unshakable.

That’s why we’re praying in this city. We believe what we see can change.We’re interceding for God to move.We know others are doing the same—some have even gone as far as moving here to make a difference.We’re just passing through, and we’re fully aware of that. But we still take our mission of prayer seriously.

Our journey almost came to a sudden stop, though. We were enjoying a peaceful breakfast, soaking in the cool morning air, when the wind slammed the doors shut behind us.The keys were inside.The locks clicked. Our phones and the car key? Also inside. We didn’t have the owner’s number, and I couldn’t imagine walking the streets in my pajamas.

Nilza and I were still brainstorming a solution when suddenly—A loud crash behind us. Martine, who had been trying to open the doors for a while, lost patience and kicked them open with one massive blow. People sometimes say she’s too impulsive, but in that moment, her personality shined. We burst out laughing. No overthinking, no time to panic—the doors were open, and our journey could continue!

God provides in everything. Whether it’s through our personality, our ability to connect with others, or our boldness in impossible situations—He’s there.

We remembered another moment, the three of us, when we were out of water, parched, with nothing but a lonely two-euro coin—which, of course, wasn’t local currency. And yet, a kind vendor accepted it and gave us a few liters of water—plus change in the local currency.That small coin seemed insignificant, but it later allowed us to exit a parking lot. That coin, and another one forgotten in the payment machine, covered the full amount we owed.

It reminded me of that passage in the Gospels where Jesus tells Peter to go fishing—and he finds a coin in a fish’s mouth to pay their taxes. Yes, God uses everything—even the smallest, most ordinary things—to show us He’s taking care of us.

It’s His way of saying He’s with us, that we’re on the right path, and we don’t need to worry about a thing.

If you’ve never done it before, you can ask God to show you He’s real—through the everyday needs you face.Nothing is too big or too small for Him.He wants to take care of you.He’s the God of everyday miracles.