Jonasism

Recently I went to a retreat for women of my church.
The point of a retreat is that you let everything go and all the tools are there to catch up with God.
But it's always the other way around: God wants to catch up with you. He always speaks to you during a retreat, is my personal experience and the experience of other people. Sometimes even when you think you have nothing to retreat about, he talks to you anyway. Because again: it is God who comes for us. He always takes initiative. It never really is the other way around.

We studied and disected the book of Jonas. I am a missionary and not a prophet, but Jonas really sucks as a missionary. I mean, he just hated the idea to preach about God to another nation that wasn't Israel. He hated the idea that God cares about other nations besides Israel and that other nations also would have a relationship with the living God. He preferred to DIE. Wow! And still, God used a 'bad word' guy like this!

(When I noticed that Jonas hated the idea I was wondering some other things about Jonas.
Did Jonas like to eat fish? What if he hated fish and especially the smell of fish?
Could Jonas swim? What if he had fear of large quantity of water?
Was he claustrophobic?  But these questions are off topic.)

I wonder what my Jonasism is. What are areas I really don't want to go for, people I really don't care for. I remember growing up in Curaçao I didn't like Venezuelan people. At all. I didn't like the Venezuela I knew from TV. Now I don't really bother with that. But I really really urged God never to send me to Venezuela, like he send Jonas to Nineveh. God could send me to Venezuela now, if he wanted, because I changed. I won't be thrilled, but I'd do it just the same.
My other Jonasism is that I'm not thrilled to work with today's kids and teenagers. I'd be good at it actually. But I don't want to play the parent. And kids of this generation are, sorry to say, so rude. They lack respect and think they are so wise and know everything, because they have seen it all. They are like adults that deal with their children issues in an adult way, while still in a little body. It's horrible. So my Jonasism is that I would avoids kids and teenagers, this grew like that in the Netherlands. But I need to point out that I actually LOVED to work with Kenyan kids and teenagers. They steel you heart. All your love, you had know idea about, just pours out for them. So for Kenyan kids I will make the exception.

What I also learned during the retreat is that God is specific in his plans.
1. He has a specific plan for an individual
2. He has a specific plan for a nation
and his will is not depending on us.
His will be done even if we don't cooperate. Or he uses our disobedience in the end for the good. The only bad thing in disobedience is that other people, innocent, get hurt in the process.
3. God already has started to work out the plan. He already prepped it and the people involved, even the authorities he already prepared. This king of Nineveh immediatly took measures to obey God and so his whole people. This is really awesome. If God makes even the government or authorities do what needs to be done so it's all official. I LIKE this
5. Continue to trust God and surrender to Him. 
4. Don't fill the plan in the way you want. Ask God for the details.

I've got specifics!
So here I am. I  regularly check with God if God really is behind this Art Ship and Art Platform thing. You know, if it is not just my own thing. God told me that it IS his thing, (i understood this thru preachings and thru several bible verses in devotions) BUT, I asked God for more specifics then.
And now things are even more specific and clear about the content of the Art Platform. The Art Ship maintains the same, but the Art Platform will have to have a better way to sustain itself:
It will be a place where churches can have their retreats! Also it will have an outspoken Christian image and will be for Christian artists worldwide. I thought it will be that the people who run it would be christian but that it would be for all artists, both on the island as internationally. Nope.
So the building, I already got it that it will be a place where 'restore' with God and 'healing' from are the main things also has the very logical 'retreat' element as well. That it is a retreat is very obvious! It is located like that, it is built like that, but that it will be as a place for retreat totally makes sense. So it will be like those retreat houses, for churches (or groups) and also for individuals. They can book a room and really retreat their and connect with God.
The general element that I thought it would have: that it is for everyone involved in art, and that they will meet with God, has been narrowed down. Of course non-believing artist can still apply for artist-in-residencies but they are well aware of the fact that it is all a christian art thing.

It is to also unite Christian artists world-wide.
In Holland I have met so many Christian artists, in different places and on different moments, that think exactly the same as I about how to create art about your faith in Christ, or your relationship with God. We are all on one page and that is confirming that it is the same Spirit.
Not only artists, but anyone with a creative profession (also architects, designers etc.)

This platform is for them. And the authorities will be super open to it. They will make it happen.
I just need to notify them of the idea. So now that the plan is more specific, I could again re-write it and notify the government that there is a plan for this building. In my own mind (this is the human part that fails God: I think the current government sucks so much! and that they will do nothing, because they are capable of nothing. Also the bureaucracy is so horrible that any plan won't even reach it's destination. BUT! I just need to obey God and stop asking Him if these plans are his and get into action. Then He can actually SHOW that yes, these ARE his plans or else they will definitly not happen but just stay what they are: dreams.