Surprises

Sometimes I like surprises.  They make life interesting and I like to remain in awe about how God works things into my life.  Sometimes I don't like surprises.  I'm Type A and a planner (such a J, Aletheia haha) and I hate it when I'm not in control of a situation.

Surprises I like:
So I'm currently in Fredericksburg and have been running around with Jess (our really awesome new IV staff worker) for the past couple of days, trying to get things in order for the school year to start.  Yesterday we spent most of the day in Richmond and on the way home we stopped for about fifteen minutes at the Short Pump mall because they have an Apple Store and my iPod needs a little TLC.  Neither of us were super familiar with the area and so after driving around for much too long we decided to park near a department store.  We figure if we went inside it we could figure out how to get to the (outside) mall part of Short Pump.  And so we're walking through this department store, on a mission to find an exit (which we're hoping is in some general vicinity to the Apple Store) when I hear, "NO WAY. NO WAY, ALYSSA. NO WAY!!!"  I'm thinking, Who knows me in Richmond?  In THIS store, nonetheless?  I turn around and one of my best friends, Lindsey Scott is standing there with her boyfriend.  Of course we both begin shrieking at the tops of our lungs and jumping around in circles while hugging (so obnoxious haha).  Seriously what are the odds that we were both in RICHMOND at the same time, let alone Short Pump, let alone that store???  Lindsey lives in Baltimore, I in New Jersey (and Fredericksburg during the school year).  Seriously crazy.  Seriously God.  And I was thrilled to see her after a month apart. :)


Surprises I don't like:
So as I said I'm staying in Fredericksburg for a long weekend.  I've been sleeping at Hannah's house and because she's the only one living in her house over the summer, I get my own room (sweet!).  She doesn't live in the best area of downtown Fred and of course doesn't always lock her doors.  Now, right before I left for Virginia my sister was telling me about this book she's reading that is based on a true story.  This guy broke into this girl's home and raped her.  So awful.  So terrifying.  And so last night I go to bed at midnight and wake up sometime around 4:30am because I was really hot.  I walk across the hall to the bathroom and I heard someone downstairs.  No joke.  I was so scared.  I started fumbling trying to find the light switch in the bathroom and of course knock a bunch of things down and make a loud bang.  I froze, my breathing extremely heavy.  I heard a small creak downstairs and then silence.  Someone is in here, I thought, and he heard me.  He knows people are home.  I ran back to my room and shut my door and crawled into bed.  I didn't know what to do.  After laying bug-eyed for awhile I texted Hannah.  She would be waking up in half an hour because she needed to go take a test (similar to the GREs) in NOVA.  I told her in a text that I heard someone downstairs and asked her to be careful and just check the situation out before she left.  Now, Hannah and I lived in a dorm together for two years.  She knows I'm crazy and have the tendency to exaggerate.  But something was telling me I wasn't making this up.  Sure enough at 5am she texted me back saying she would go downstairs and turn the lights on.  After she got ready I heard her walk down the stairs.  Then I heard her give a BLOOD-CURDLING scream followed by a frantic "Alyssa?!?!?!"  I was frozen in my bed and whimpered, "Yeah?  Hannah?" And then again she said, "ALYSSA?!?!?!"  I could not move.  Hannah doesn't scream.  And it was a sound of sheer terror.  Then I hear her yell, "OH MY GOSH I HATE YOU! I HAAAATE YOU! OH MY GOSH I HATE YOU."  And all I could make out was nervous laughter and a murmur of a man's voice.  Ten minutes later I received another text from Hannah that read, "Just walked downstairs and Malcolm [one of her housemate's "ex-boy"] was passed out on the floor.  I didn't want to scare you since I screamed.  It's okay!!!!!!!"  I guess Malcolm had gone out the night before and needed a place to stay and remembered how to get to her house and stumbled his way inside without thinking.  NOT A COOL WAY TO WAKE UP FOR THE DAY, LET ME TELL YOU.

Surprises are not always an easy thing to embrace.  They make us realize that we are not in control.  God is.  And His will is going to play out regardless of anything we say or do.  They make us realize that we have no power to heal friends or make someone understand the Gospel.  Only Jesus can.  When we encounter surprises they remind us that we need to live our lives in constant prayer.  Praying that God will make His will known to us so that our actions and hearts match up completely.  Praying that our friends and families and campuses will have their hearts captured by Jesus.

And maybe praying that I'm never again woken up by a random man stumbling into my house. hahahaha ohhhh life.