Alhamdulilah

Dioubate and Sheik

After searching high and low for weeks--praying and talking and combing through listserv emails and Craigslist and looking up addresses on googlemaps, I have some good news. We found Dioubate a place to live! It's been quite the task that fell into my lap, somewhat exhausting and overwhelming, finding appropriate residence for a Muslim West African, who, it seemed, had high hopes of living somewhere near his mosque in Falls Church, his classes at University of Maryland in College Park, and his comfortable study spot at NOVA, not to mention somewhere close to a metro and within walking distance of a grocery story, all for under $600. Oh--and he preferred living with Mormons with a similar standard of living. And he needed to be settled before Ramadan. No pressure (s).

After many adventures (and seeing some very scarey apartments in the far reaches), being offered drugs last night under the guise of a room for rent, and literally unplugging our noses, we found a spot near Courthouse with a guy who comes highly recommended from several friends. Thanks to Tim O., Dallin, and Michael, who provided much needed assistance in the search. Ahlamdulilah!

The great part of this story links to my deeper belief: lost things can be found. Missing pieces can come together. This morning I have searched high and low for a folder containing my readings for class tomorrow--the class that needs a 2-3 page review paper of those readings and, did I mention, is the last class of my graduate career. I reorganized and cleaned and checked under beds, couches, stacks, in corners, purses, bags, my car. I almost walked over to check at the pool and called the mechanic where I had my oil changed last week. I retraced every step I could think of. I prayed--remembering my dear friend Stace's admonition that God knows where lost things are. I IM'd dear Lee Ann at work to check my desk, but to no avail. I searched Google for the readings, hoping to recreate my notes from anything I could find online. I was at my wit's end. When right as Dioubate called and sang Ahlamdulilah in my ear, I glanced over at a pile I had looked through no less than five billion times, and right on top, there was my readings folder.

So many thoughts. I remember some very powerful personal revelation I received as I found a missing pearl earring back in January. I know so very clearly that there is a plan and a purpose--that we have a loving God who knows where we are, even when He puts us in the far reaches. He knows how to bring us together and how to take us apart to accomplish our greatest growth. He knows how to heal broken pieces and how to make it work. Ahlamdulilah.