“I’ve got nothing to lose. It’s just a nice dinner, right? I’m leaving anyway.” She shrugs.
“Exactly. Just a nice dinner with my wife and a friend from church named Nate. He’s a businessman who’s been attending church for a while, and we became good friends,” I say. I can practically feel a bead of sweat forming above my eyebrow.
“Alright,” she smiles. “Count me in.”
“Great!” I beam. “It’ll be after church on Friday night. Come along and we’ll see how it goes.”
“Sounds good.”
We chat a few more minutes at the door before Gleide calls everyone in for dinner.
“Do you want to stay, Pastor?” Marc asks.
“No, thank you. I’ve already eaten with Maria—and she’ll be wondering where I am.” I step off the porch. “I’ll see you all soon.” I wave as I head to the car.
“Ciao!” they call as Lizzie shuts the door.
I exhale as I get into the car.
I don’t know why I was so awkward back there. I can just see them potentially… maybe… hitting it off. The least I can do is try. And after everything Nate’s been through, I want to see him happy. It’s up to God, anyway—not me. I’m just facilitating a space for Him to potentially move. Sometimes, all it takes is knocking on a door of opportunity, or just testing the waters. I never want to play God in anyone’s life. But a simple introduction can be enough for God to step in and open a door we never even knew existed.
I may not be the world’s best matchmaker.
But I’ll give it a try and see what God wants to do.
6
Lizzie
It’s Friday now, and it’s almost time to go out for church tonight. I can’t believe how quickly the last couple of months have flown by. It’s felt like no time has passed but also like all the time in the world has gone. I’m literally leaving to go back to Belgium two weeks from today.
Two weeks and I’m back to the land of adventures. To get to know my dad’s family even more and figure out what life will look like moving forward. I’ve loved getting to know them. Memories flutter through my mind of all my time there—my uncles laughing at dinner with guests every Tuesday, the girls I’ve taken care of lighting up with laughter, the beautiful views I get every single day, the enchanting small towns that feel like a storybook novel come to life.
Belgium has been the most wonderful adventure—I feel like I’ve been able to spread my wings and fly while living there. I’ve always been someone who’s organized, someone who worksreally hard. But I’ve also thrived on spontaneity and learning so much along the way. Still, I don’t know what the future holds.
What will life look like when I’m back there? Will I be going back and forth between different countries again? At times that has been absolutely thrilling. The amount of Europe I’ve been able to see has been a gift of a lifetime I didn’t know I’d get.
But there is a part of me that craves some sort of stability. Not to feel secure… but to feel like I’m not moving aimlessly. While I’m spontaneous, I’m not someone who wants to wander through life without knowing where I’m going.
I slide open the louvered closet door so I can pick out a dress for tonight. My parents’ house really is the perfect description of a Brazilian farm house. The smell of coffee, the breeze carrying in the scent of humid earth, the humming of cicadas. The tropical plants and trees outside, the blue shutters, the clay-tiled roof, the hammock out back—all of them bring the northeast of Brazil to life for me. Brazil carries so many good memories for me. Even these closet doors are just another reminder of that.
Just then, Gabby bursts through the door of my room.
“Do you have superhero hearing or something?” I ask her.
She lies down on her side and props her head up with her hand, as if she’s ready to immerse herself in my world for the rest of the day.
“No, why?” She gives me a cheeky grin.
“It’s like you just knew I was opening my closet, about to pick out an outfit for tonight, and that I would need help.” I motion to my closet of clothes.
She hops off the bed and walks toward the options hanging inside. I’ve got a lot of stuff back in Belgium, still hanging in that closet. My options here are a little more limited and a little less trendy. But I’m hoping to find something that feels a little timeless—or at the very least just cute.
“Imayhave had an inkling you’d be doing that soon, considering we have to leave for church in the next hour. I alsomaybewanted to come in and make sure we pick out the best dress for you. I know what colors look good on you… and which ones you need to stayfaraway from. Like on-another-planet far away.” She motions her hands like she’s throwing a basketball out the window, demonstrating the colors that apparently I shouldn’t dare think of wearing.
I chuckle. “Wow. I didn’t realize there were some colors I looked that bad in.”
“I don’t think it’s thatyoulook bad in them. It’s thatnobodyshould wear them. Although, I have to say, I never used to like neons. But Jane Fonda definitely made me want a leotard and leg warmers to match. Maybe it’s just a trend.” She shrugs and moves closer to the closet.
