When You Don't Understand

Misunderstandings happen a lot. They happen when you live in a foreign country and you don't understand certain cultural differences. They happen when you speak a foreign language and misinterpret what is being said (or say the wrong thing). They happen when you deal with people and you don't communicate well. My life has incurred many misunderstandings lately. 

My first misunderstanding covers cultural and language struggles. Daylight Savings Time. Y'all...daylight savings time is the worst thing ever in a country that runs on the sun. It messes everything up. In order to account for the time change, the time of things just changes so that it's still happening at the same time during the day. For instance, church does not start at 8 anymore, it starts at 9. But even changing the time of things doesn't really help!

Daylight Savings...we don't get it.

This is the third daylight savings change I have lived in Haiti for. This is the first one that has affected me to the point of misunderstanding. I have started attending a Haitian church every week. I knew that the time change would change the times of services. So, to be proactive I made sure to ask many questions to confirm what time church starts. I clarified clock time versus what I call "sun" time. I thought that I had it all figured out. WRONG. Sunday morning I was prepared and waiting for my ride to church. They weren't here yet. The following conversation happens:

Me: You know we're late to church right?
Woodcender: No, we're not.
Me: What time is it?
Woodcender: 7:41 *it's actually 8:41 on the clock*
Me: What time does your phone say?
Woodcender: 8:41
Me: So, we're late.
Woodcender: No, we're not.

Were we late? Nope. The day after the time change, we just pretended that daylight savings didn't happen. Confused yet? Me too. Sitting in service they "changed the times" of services and somehow Creole in my head translated it to the service times were at the same time...it changed sun time. 

Fast forward a week and my mode of transportation to church was different from normal because my dad was here with me. (Yay for visits from home!!) The night before, I thought that I had confirmed what time our ride would be here to pick us up. Pretty much a repeat of last Sunday. At the end of the day, church is now at 9. I will probably never understand what happened...but that's okay. I'm just going with it, because otherwise, I'll go crazy! 

My daddy came for a visit!!!!!

Misunderstandings that happen in communication are typically the basis of conflict. I'm no stranger to conflict (resolution seems to be the skill God is sharpening in me right now). Misunderstanding often leads to missed expectations. I'm not going to get into all of it, but I just walked through a tough conversation, and I'm still processing it through. However, much cause for where it sat came from misunderstanding on both sides of the situation. Misunderstanding leads to miscommunication. But that's not always the end of the story when it comes to understanding.

Sometimes, a misunderstanding has nothing to do with why something doesn't make sense. Sometimes we just don't understand. Try as we might, we still can't see the reasoning. The good news is that we serve a HUGE God who understands it all! Some good friends of mine recently went through unexpected tragedy when their church burned down. The pastor shared this verse from Lamentations:

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. " Lamentations 3:22-23 

God has a plan through it all -- the misunderstandings and the moments when we can't see the reason. He is good and He is faithful. I'm reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8,

"There is a time for everything, 

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance, 

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear, and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace. "

It's okay to be heartbroken or discouraged. It's okay to be happy and finding success. Everything we encounter in our lives has a purpose. Sometimes we won't understand the purpose in the moment. Sometimes it takes a lot of time. Sometimes it takes a lot of seeking. Sometimes it just takes a lot of trust. Trust in the processes of the Lord. His plan is far more perfect that anything we could design, even with the hardships. He is good and He wants good for us. 

Chloe and I had a girls day not to long ago.

If you're sitting in a place of trial, misunderstanding, or lack of understanding -- reach out to our Father. He will guide you. His mercies are new for us each and every day. Lean on Him. One day, it all falls into place and things appear crystal clear. 

With love,
Caitlin

Normal(ish) for me, but not for you:
It's been a while because sometimes it's hard to remember what's not normal...

I tried cat the other day. You read that right -- cat. It's somewhat of a delicacy here. Chloe's words summed our thoughts up best..."I kind of hate that I like it."