The Journey Begins

After a 20 hour flight, I have traveled full circle from Jackson, MS 15 hours ahead to the city of Seoul, South Korea. The flight, surprisingly, didn't actually feel that long and was quite enjoyable. Sitting back, listening to great music (Jon Foreman, Matthew Smith, Over the Rhine, Coldplay), resting off-and-on, getting to speak to a little Japanese boy and his Mother and look out the window at frozen Alaska with them, and meditating on God's provision and love in my life, as He is leading me half a world away with His promise to sustain and grow me--yeah, a great time, indeed. However, there was one moment of sudden, unexpected fear. Having nearly landed in Tokyo, I checked my pockets to secure my boarding pass and passport before leaving the plane. I reached into my pocket to find my boarding pass, but my passport wasn't there. Slightly worried, I moved on to search my other jacket pockets, thinking it was probably there; I was wrong. No sign of my passport. Now, I was really worried. It was almost time to depart from the plane into the Japanese airport, and I didn't have my passport. I knew I had brought it on the plane, since you obviously have to show a passport in order to board an international flight; but it was nowhere to be found. Visions started flooding my mind of being stuck in the Narita, Tokyo airport without a passport, being forced to fly back to the States and go through the agonizing process of obtaining a passport and visa over a few months' time in order to finally arrive in Seoul, South Korea. "Not now, God...please not now, please not this, please help me find my passport!" were my frantic thoughts.

Once we came to a complete stop and the seatbelt light flickered off, I began a hurried search for my passport. I looked in my bag again as well as my pockets for about the tenth time...still not there. I looked under the seat I sat in...not there. I looked under the seat in front of me and beside me...not there. Then, I had to wait for about 5 minutes for everyone to leave the plane, so I could have room to further search. I told the flight attendants, and they began to help, assuring me, "It has to be somewhere on the plane." I knew they were probably right, but the possibility of losing my passport weighed more heavily than that probability. Having looked in most of all the places the passport could have been, the wonderful voice of good news finally came: "I found it!" One of the flight attendants found my passport hiding under the seat behind me. Fears were stilled; my continued journey to South Korea renewed, and God had shown Himself to be faithful in my first trial of this journey. Not only did He provide, but He used my lost passport to speak to the flight attendants, as they asked, "Why are you going to South Korea?" One of them mentioned how she had seen me reading my Bible, and asked if I was going as a missionary? I responded, "Yes, I will be going to help plant a church there for over a year." One of them asked if I knew what was going on in Korea (probably thinking more of North Korea), and I said yes. Then, they asked God's blessing over my trip as I left to make it to my next connecting flight.

What a way to begin this journey. God always has unexpected surprises along our life path that seem like nothing but frustrations and fears to us, but that are revealed to be moments of growth and blessing where He shows us He is faithful and how important it is to depend on Him for every need. Through the unexpected interruption/frustration of losing my passport, unknown flight attendants had become human beings that pronounced God's blessing over me, and who were genuinely concerned about what God had for me on this trip. What a blessing and what a reminder that as this major transition and life and cultural change is upon me in Korea that my faithful God goes before me throughout this journey with the desire to conform me to the image of His Son, making me rely solely and completely on Him for everything. What a God we serve, my dear friends and family. Never lose sight of His presence in your life. Never lose sight of His working in your seemingly mundane and very intense and fearful moments and trials. He is there and He is surely working to grow and change you for your good and His glory. May we all place our faith fully in Him and that promise, for our God is surely faithful, just as promises that His love will endure forever.

Happy New Year, dear friends and family from the other side of the world. God's blessing upon all of you throughout this year--He surely does go before each of us and all that we will experience in it.