Finally, our launch information has arrived! Our squad will be leaving the United States at 6:00pm on July 11th from JFK airport.  Admittedly, I had had my mind set on a July 1st launch date for so long (almost six months) that when I found out we were leaving July 11th, I almost felt let down.  I didn’t understand what the “hold up” was for, and why both God and AIM couldn’t simply let us leave on the first of the month. 
 
In my sinful thinking (Romans 1:28), I immediately began to scour my brain for possible reasons why we could be leaving “late”. Did God see that there was a squadmate that was not yet spiritually prepared? Did AIM see that there was a squadmate that was not financially prepared? Oh, how wrong I was.  God brought me out of my depraved line of thinking and brought me to three very simple and succinct conclusions.
 

  1. If there is indeed a member on our squad that is not quite spiritually prepared to leave, it is I.  This was definitely a humbling conclusion to come to.  If there is anyone on our squad who tangibly and visibly lags behind his or her teammates in his or her ability to be pliable – to recognize that his role is the clay and God’s role is the potter (Isaiah 29:16) – that person would be me.  I say this not for the purpose of being intentionally humble or self-deprecating, but most truthfully because it appears to be the case.  I could use every extra day possible to ask God for the ability to humble myself.
  2. I do not need to see a reason for leaving when we do and God does not need to provide one.  His ways our higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:9). God has an understanding and an insight so intricate that it would be silly for me to question it or even attempt to comprehend it.  For all I know, God is keeping us in the United States for an extra ten days so that during those ten days a squadmate of mine can share the Gospel with a woman in a Burger King and that that woman will go on to lead thousands to Christ sixteen years down the road. 
  3. God is actually not late. One of my favorite quotes is, “Where we see time, God sees timing.

 
God is right on time. 28 days and counting!