Mornings such as this serve as needed reminders of how great a God we serve. I find myself sitting at my desk with the enclosed balcony door to my bedroom thrown open to allow the sounds of city life and its inherent energy to enter upon my morning. With a cup of fresh Starbucks coffee resting close at hand, I opened my devotional book and Bible to read. As I did so, observations made throughout these last eleven days fell into place like obscured puzzle pieces, and I realized just how great a plan the Lord has for me, for everyone.

*

The year was 2009. A student on the brink of beginning her final year at university, I stepped onto Russian soil for the first time with a smile and confidence buoyed by youthful excitement. I had dreamt of coming to Russia since I was in the fourth grade after having seen the animated film Anastasia and reading anything I could get my hands on about the Romanov family. Naturally, my fascination for the country and its culture had since developed from its youthful impressions of princesses and snow-blanketed palaces, but the desire to explore and witness Russia firsthand had never left me.

My father and I had come to work with friends at a conversational English camp for two weeks with an additional week of sightseeing in both Moscow and St. Petersburg thrown in for good measure. I could not wait to dive in, make new friends, and finally discover one of the countries I had set my heart on years ago.

Our friends lived in an apartment beyond the city center of Moscow. When not living at the camp miles outside of the city, this is where we stayed. We walked between the apartment and its nearest metro station every day that we were there, thus familiarizing me with the area fairly well. I learned to recognize buildings and which direction I must take to reach the metro. I could recognize the name of our metro stop even though I could not read Cyrillic or pronounce it properly. Most importantly, I learned that even though I could not speak the language, I could figure out where I was by sight alone.

When I returned the following summer for a second time, I remembered the neighbourhood. I could still recall the way to the metro station from the apartment building, but this time, my mental map expanded. I saw new buildings in the area that I had previously overlooked, such as the small, beautiful blue church that stood out from the industrial buildings that surrounded it. I took it all in because, in my mind, this would be my last visit to Russia.

How could I have known then that three years later I would be living across the busy street from my friends’ apartment building? If I were to now step outside my building, go around to the street and look to the left, I would see that beautiful church standing proudly at the end of it less than a one minute walk away. You see, my apartment sits closest to the Chertanovskaya metro station, the exact station that I used for the first time four years ago.

How amazing is my God’s plan for me that He placed my friends in an apartment building years before I ever knew them so that when I finally arrived in 2009, I would familiarize myself with a neighbourhood that would eventually be mine? The magnitude of this truth did not truly sink in until this morning. Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world. To put this into perspective, let me use this example: two friends living in this same city could have a two+ hour commute between their respective homes.  And yet God planned it so that Kellie Matthews would live in an apartment in Moscow that uses the same metro station she knows well with a two-minute walk to school and a fifteen-minute walk to her friends’ apartment. How great is the Lord’s plan for each of us that He plots our stories out with such intricate forethought and detail?

Since moving to Moscow on September 2^nd, I have encountered every possible human emotion. Excitement, frustration, loneliness, anticipation, wonder, despair; the list goes on. I will admit that my first seven days here have been the hardest days I have ever encountered in my twenty-five years. There were days I hit below rock bottom, when all I could think to do was pray. I finally got to a point on Tuesday evening, shortly after writing and putting up my last blog post online, that I firmly closed my bedroom door and lost myself in God’s word. I read whatever book or passage sounded right and prayed my heart out to God. I knew, without a doubt, that the Lord intended for me to be in Russia. No matter how low I got, I never questioned this. Resting in that knowledge and certainty, I prayed that the Lord would help me so that I could accomplish His purpose in sending me here. The following morning, I woke up and dove back into His word again. I determined that life was going to turn around because my God had a plan, a plan that had been years in the making.

The Lord had been preparing me for this long before I realized His handiwork. I only really started to recognize His hand in my life in South Africa, when too many coincidental things were happening to be believed. I thought He had the wrong person when He called me to South Africa, but He had planned that step in my life journey long before I was born. If I had not lived those two years in South Africa and experienced all those joys and trials, I would not have been emotionally and spiritually mature to handle this adventure in Russia I am currently living. God knew what I needed to prepare me for this, and He has the same plan for all of you. Whatever trial you are facing, big or small, know that He has a purpose for it. We do not see it as such at the time, but one day we will.

I look at the road I have traveled these last eleven days and cannot believe the difference in me. If not for the dark moments that captured me in my first week here, I would not be able to appreciate the provision and faithfulness God has shown me. Since I woke up Wednesday morning with a renewed mind and spirit founded in an unwavering God, each day has been brighter than the one before. I am steadily becoming more comfortable and certain in the classroom and with my students; I am learning to get around on foot and by metro; I am making new friends; and I am growing stronger as I draw ever closer to the Lord who will always see me through. There is still much to learn, but I am ready to face it.

I begin teaching English lessons this week for a small group of students after school on Mondays and Thursdays. I am nervous, but I know this is one small part of God’s purpose for me here. I do not know what else He has planned, but I can be certain that His plan will be for the best.

I am excited to see what the future holds for me in Moscow. I woke up this morning truly content in my life here. I went to the balcony, opened the window, and looked out at the world. Tree branches hung before me, dripping with heavy droplets as rain fell from the overcast sky. Voices speaking in Russian floated to the sky, reaching me in my perch four floors above the sidewalk.  I smiled. Today was going to be a great day.