For the record – this happened about two weeks ago,
but I'm finally getting the opportunity to blog about it!
Have you ever heard or read about a crazy story and thought, "that will never happen to me!" I sure did…until now.
Before entering the World Race field, I was just as obsessed with reading blogs as I am with having a daily cup of Joe in the mornings. I read blogs that told stories of getting stuff stolen, spider bites, losing passports — you name it, it's happened. While reading these blogs, I would always convince myself that none of them would ever happen to me. I never thought I would be sitting here confessing to the world that, well…I was wrong.
Very wrong.
In the first month of my race, I get to write one of those blogs that could easily be seen as a tragic, mood-altering, distraught-inducing story. Never did I think I would experience a situation such as this, but never did I think I would have the opportunity to see so many blessings through it either. God is so great!
Without further adieu, I present to you, the story of a blessing in disguise!
My team and I had been staying in Sungai Petani in Malaysia and had the weekend off of ministry, so decided that it sounded like a good idea to go visit two other teams in Penang. All seven of us piled into the van late one night after church along with our two amazing squad leaders. With a smile on our faces, we took off, stoked to get to see some of our family and enjoy God's beautiful creations in another part of Malaysia. In the midst of giving thanks to the Lord through prayer while blasting worship music on my iPod, I heard a loud scream from my teammate Morgan, who was sitting next to me. I had no idea what to think in that moment, but then realized that the backdoor to the van was open. All I could do was pull my headphones out and grab the bags. As we began to come to a hault on the side of the road, I realized that my bag was the only one that didn't make it.
You would think that I felt immediate panic, anger and sadness, but it was nothing like that. All I could think was, "alrighty, well…it happens!". My teammate Heith and I jumped out of the van and began to jog because we weren't sure how far away it would be. Papers were fluttering all over the ground in the silence, while speeding cars flew by. It felt like a dramatic movie scene – almost a mix between being in the middle of a Nascar race and walking up to the scene of a war zone. That's really the only way I can describe it.
As we scrambled to collect the scattered belongings, Heith and I enjoyed telling jokes and laughing about what had just happened. Among the debris was my first Macbook, Kindle and camera, all of which were gifts I had been given for the Race. (Others included my Bible, journal, sleeping pad, some clothes, and other random tidbits – the necessities survived!) I felt like I needed to be upset, as if I wasn't responding properly to the situation; nothing but positive thoughts flooded my mind and I couldn't quite understand why.
While Heith and I gathered everything, we laughed and joked around about the situation. While picking things up, there was one point that was a close call; the next thing that happened reinforced the significance of life and its transient nature. If we hadn't experienced such a close call, I would not have learned what I now understand and know. God used a terrifying situation to speak life into not only myself, but many around me.
Stay tuned for Part Two, where I will explain the remainder of the story and share with you the lessons God taught me through this situation!
