Didn’t See That One Coming…

It's amazing how so much, yet so little, can happen in one day. Almost 24 hours ago our team was waking up and getting ready to go to the Phoenix airport for the first leg of our trip. Our route was Phoenix to Chicago to Brussels to Lome (Togo). We had decent layovers between each- long enough that we didn't think we would be sprinting to our next flight, but short enough to only have to be in each airport long enough to stretch our legs and get some snacks...Unfortunately, that's not how things played out.

Did you know that planes can be delayed because of coffee pot maintenance? Ya, we didn't either. But it's true and that's exactly what happened to us in Chicago. Our flight to Brussels was delayed an hour due to coffee pot maintenance...then two hours...then three. By the time the plane was ready to board, there was no way we would have been able to make our connecting flight in Brussels to Lome.

After many lengthy conversations with the airline customer service reps, they informed us that there were only one or two seats available from Brussels to Lome in the next 3 days so if we proceeded to get on the plane, we'd be stuck in Europe. The news only got worse as they continued to look for other routes to Lome...

Four hours and three different airlines later, we finally found a way to get our team to Lome...with a flight out of Chicago tomorrow (Thursday) morning with connections in Atlanta, Paris, and finally Lome. It will be a one day delay, but all of our other options were 2-3 day delay minimum.

So here we find ourselves, still in the Chicago airport trying to sleep in the artic temps having only eaten hotdogs and salads in the past 15 hours. First world problems, no doubt. It's been almost 24 hours and yet we are still in the States, only 4 hours away from home. So much has changed...except for our physical location.

Mission trips rarely go as planned, similar to life. If you don't get delayed, stuck at the border, or have to sprint to a connecting flight, did you really even go on a mission trip? As difficult or disappointing as it may be, some of the most incredible opportunities come from these situations. Thinking about our team today, despite the chaos and uncertainty we were still able to laugh so hard we were crying. I have yet to hear a single complaint from anyone on the team-...if anything, the jokes have increased. Those are the moments where God shows up- at times when everyone could justify being cranky, His joy shines through as we continue to laugh and joke with one another. After talking to and be dismissed by multiple agents from various airlines, He provides one who goes out of her way to help us out. When we feel like we have exhausted every possible flight option with every airline to get to Togo, one just happens to come through that matches our timeline, team size, and gets us there on the last day before our COVID test results become invalid (these are necessary to get into the country).

As exhausted as we all are, it's impossible not to see God's hand in this situation. He never promises things will be easy, but he does promise that He will equip us to fulfill His will- even though more often than not, it does not look like what we expect. "Why fear when God has given you, in Christ, everything you need to be what you're supposed to be and do what you're called to do?" This was a quote that was in one of my devotional last week and I feel like God was speaking it directly to me about this trip and this team. We all whole heartedly believe that we were called to go on this trip...and that God has called us to play a role in the relaunching of missions at One Life, so we can be confident that God will work things out according to His will. He wasn't surprised the coffee pot needed maintence and thankfully, He had another plan for our team.

As you join us in prayer, please echo our prayers of gratitude for the outcome of this situation- we are so thankful we weren't stuck overseas trying to figure our or were without a flight for several days. Please also continue to pray for protection over our team- as I mentioned in a previous blog post, Satan's opposition to this team and our trip is strong. Please also pray that we are able to catch up on rest while we travel so we're able to serve and love to the best of our abilities. We already know we're going to need an energy only the Lord can provide.

We will continue to keep you all updated and we appreciate all the comments, encouragement, and love you have sent our way. We feel it.

~Erika