The days between now and Wednesday night challenged everyone’s stamina in terms of travel. However, the last stretch of the journey proved to be the most rewarding to my team.
Landing in Sofia, Bulgaria around 5:20 pm, we didn’t get out of baggage claim until around an hour after arrival. By then, we reunited with half of E Squad that was fortunate enough to catch an earlier flight. Once everyone was back together, chaos ensued in terms of the travel plans taking all of us to our respective location assignments. Luckily enough though, Team Ironlife easily booked a shuttle from the airport to the train station with ample time to buy tickets for the night train to Belgrade, Sofia. This in of itself was not a small feat, as it required careful calculations on how much Bulgarian currency to withdraw, negotiating with the shuttle company at the airport, rushing to grab food for the team, hustling to be ready for the shuttle, and then trying to communicate with those at the ticket counter that spoke little to no English at the train station. But nevertheless, God went before us in all of that and paved the way for the team, providing me with remarkable peace during the chaos.
It wasn’t long after boarding the train that we all felt a sense of excitement that bound us together. For the first time, our team was alone and therefore united by necessity as our travels diverged from the rest of the squad. Being in such a foreign environment and wondering about the culture of our final destination, we were enthusiastic about what lied ahead of us. And as the train departed from Sofia, it ran towards the setting sun, creating a picturesque moment of ambition and wanderlust. And in the midst of excitement, we all took moments to lean our head out the window, feeling both the coolness of the relative wind as well as the warm ambiance of the sun. And through that moment, I felt a peace in my heart that said to the Lord, “this is it, there’s no turning back now.”
And I believe that phrase alone will be needed in months to come. Because as much as I love travelling and experiencing life in new cultures, and exploring the world outside of my comfort zone, there are always fears poking the back of my brain. Fears telling me that it won’t be worth the discomfort or that I’m wasting my time travelling so far for so long. But I know those fears are lies. And in order to combat them, I have to negate the option of turning back. There is not turning back. And so then, moving forward, travelling onward becomes a necessity.
Disclaimer; this month is not the month I need to be reminded of that. We have been in Belgrade for almost 18 hours now and my team has experienced nothing but blessing after blessing after blessing since arriving in this beautiful European city. The major thing in Belgrade that reminds me I’m a foreigner is the Slavic language of Serbian. Other than that though, I feel like I have adapted well as it is more similar to other European cities than I originally expected. Also, we are blessed by the ministry contacts that we have been assigned to. The Lord is so present in this arrangement, all of us are looking forward to see why He brought together, here, at this time.
Regardless, I know that there will be months ahead where I will need constant reminder that “this is it… There’s no turning back now.” Until then, I pray that the Lord takes me out of my comfort zone here in Belgrade to stretch and grow me. For now my greatest fear is that I will settle ever too easily into the comfort I find already here in Belgrade, Serbia. To be determined…
Also though, the night train presented my team with opportunity to get to know each other better. We bonded over late discussions, took care of each other’s needed rest, shared our enthusiasm, and rejoiced in absorbing the beautiful scenery that swiftly passed by us. And for the first time, I felt like we all experienced shared emotions that brought us together. Praise the Lord as He was ever present in that. Thank you.
