a new friend.

Yesterday, I made a new friend.

Her name is Gabrielle. She's from Montreal.

She'll be traveling the islands on her own for two weeks. And then she's doing some work with "Wheels for the World", which is a christian organization that provides wheelchairs to people with disabilities. More information about what she is doing can be found here:

http://www.joniandfriends.org/events/wheels-world/

We met in my Thai cooking class. I am learning a ton of new ingredients. I never knew before that there are pea-shaped eggplants. Also, hairy eggplants. Who knew? The cooking classes are near my condo. And I am learning a lot. So, be prepared for a Thai feast when I get home. With new ingredients, come so many new flavours... yum.

After the class, we went wandering around the market at Mot Choi. Gabby was tasting Turkish ice cream (yes, the ice cream in Thailand is Turkish) when she said (in her french canadian accent):

"I think you have a lot of courage."

I said: "I don't feel very courageous... but thank you."

She talked about how lonely it can be to travel through Asia on your own. I knew exactly what she was talking about. The loneliness in foreign places is hard.

She also said: "You know... He has plans to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future...".

My eyes filled up with tears for a second: "Yes, those plans are perfect..." That scripture (Jer. 29: 11) emerges a lot in my life, in some of the most random places. And so, it was very reassuring to hear those words spoken in french canadian, as we pushed through rambling crowds at a Thai market.

Somehow, it reminded me that everything is going to be alright. Everything is falling into place, even when I do not see it. The broken pieces of my life will make a mosaic, some day.

Gabrielle is the name of an angel. I am very glad that I met her.

Sometimes, life is perfect.