My Mom used to always say that phrase growing up. I can’t say that I really knew what it meant as a child considering that my biggest concern then was how much longer I could watch TV or talk on the phone or what I was going to wear the next day. I didn’t even have to worry about what I was going to eat. My Mom made it all look so easy. Raising four kids, cooking, cleaning, chauffeuring us around, teaching us right from wrong, and tucking us into bed at night. Naturally, when she said “when it rains, it pours” I just thought she was being silly.
Now, older and wiser, I get it. Completely. And it never rang more true for me than it did at the beginning of this month, my very first day back on the World Race. My new squad, E-Squad, arrived at the Atlanta airport around 1 AM to make sure we had ample amount of time to catch our flight at 5:45 AM. As we piled bags high and rested a bit before check in there was no way I could have known what the next 24 hours would bring.
We started stirring around 3 AM and headed to the kiosk for check-in. All 49 of us lined up and waited. That’s when it all started. Matt and Taylor, our two logistics leaders, had been at the front of the line to get us all checked in when they were told that we had to pay for our checked bags. Since it was a domestic flight to NYC and not connected to our international flight, we had to pay for the bags. What a mess. I approach the desk and hand him my card.
“Put it all on here”, I said.
“All 44?”, he responded.
“49.” I corrected him.
He looks down at his computer. “I’m sorry, I only have tickets for 44 people.”
Oh dear. We can’t leave 5 people behind! Come on! Already praying, I tell him to print out the names he has and we will get them checkin in and paid for first. We begin the process. The clock is ticking. One at a time, we approach the kiosk. Finally, with more than half the squad checked in and about an hour before our flight, we send them through security. With five squad mates left off the list, he goes to searching their names individually. Miraculously, he finds each one of them and we are off with little time to spare and a huge hole in our budget. We arrive at the gate where they are already boarding when I get a phone call.
“Can you ask someone there to call security and see if they found an iPod? Katie accidentally left it behind.” Jenn, one of my co-squad leaders said.
I walk up to the attendant checking us in and wait. And wait. And wait. When he finally looks up, I ask for the number and call lost and found. No iPod. This is where Katie enters the picture. Sweet Katie walks over to me and I break the news that they didn’t find her iPod. We board the plane and I ensure her we can call again when we land in NYC. Worst case, they can ship it to her house and she’ll get it back in 11 months!
All accounted for and on the flight we take off. We make a quick stop in Charlotte to switch planes and then finally make it to JFK in New York. We already knew we had about a 12 hour layover and had planned to make the 45 minute journey into Manhattan to go to the CKGS office to pick up Katie’s passport where she had sent it over a month ago to get her Indian Visa for November. Clearly thinking we had amble amount of time, we collected our bags at baggage claim only to find out that Katie’s luggage had been lost. Yep. That’s right. Everyone’s luggage arrived except for hers. Lost iPod, lost luggage, and no passport. Rough start.
Katie, Colleen, and myself arrive in New York City and find the CKGS office. We walk up to the door and are quickly redirected to the long line all the way down the sidewalk. Katie tries to protest explaining that she only needs to withdraw her visa application and retrieve her passport. The security guard shakes his head and points to the back of the line. Great. We walk to the back of the line and get comfortable. Still standing in the hot sun four hours later we see a little glimmer of hope as the line moves. We’re almost to the front! That’s a good sign, right?! Another hour and a half goes by and we haven’t moved. People are getting angry and frustrated. Everyone is threatening to call the police and heated arguments are breaking out everywhere. By now, it’s raining. We’re drenched. Eventually, Katie is selected to go inside. Colleen and I waited outside and prayed, thinking surely it won’t take much longer now that she’s inside.
One hour passes.
Two hours pass.
Still no sign of Katie.
Our flight to Bulgaria leaves in less three hours and we still have to make our way back to the airport. Colleen and I sneak inside and join Katie upstairs where we find still HUNDREDS of upset people waiting to talk to someone, anyone that is actually willing to help. With tears streaming down her face, Katie is trying to stay positive. We keep thinking, it’s going to happen. There’s a miracle here. It’s going to be a great story! Another hour passes. It’s 8:00 pm. Our flight leaves at 10:50 pm and we’re at least 45 minutes from the airport. Turning towards the window, I hear the roll of thunder. With a flash of lightning the rain pounds even harder than before. (“Raining cats and dogs”, as my mama would say.) 😉
I look at Katie and grab her hands. It’s 8:45 pm. “Katie, I’m so sorry. We have to go now.” Nodding her head, we all walk quietly out of the room and down the stairs with every bit of hope for a miracle knocked out of our sails. We hail down a cab and get on the road back towards the airport. The roads are flooded and traffic is horrific. Katie calls her mom and we start making a plan for her to get home so she can apply for an emergency passport on Monday. About 10 minutes into the drive, the car slows. It spits and sputters and the cab driver looks in astonishment at me.
“The car is having problems”, he says.
You have got to be kidding me. Did my taxi just break down?! This is not happening. I grab my stuff ready to hitchhike in the pouring rain. I ask him if he has a friend or another driver that can come get us. No one, he says. He tries the ignition again and it groans. He tries again pumping the petal. He promises me that this has never happened to him before. For some reason, I believe him. It’s just been that kind of day. The car comes to life and we roll down the road in the pouring rain at 10 mph. It shuts off again. We pull over. It re-starts. Petal to the floor and we’re barely moving. It turns off again. We pull over. It’s 9:30 pm. This is ridiculous. My phone is nearly dead. We’re stranded and only half way to the airport. Does this happen in real life? Yes. Yes it does.
“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, we need you!!” We’re all praying.
The car starts up and we start back down the interstate. This time with power. We arrive a little after 10 pm and run inside. We get Katie connected with her mom and she makes reservations for a hotel for the night and transportation home the next day.
We hug, we cry, we say we’ll see you soon and Colleen and I head to check in. With 45 minutes before our flight we rush through security only to find that we didn’t have our second boarding pass after our layover in Poland. We back track and ask the attendant to print out our other ticket.
“I’m sorry, it’s not showing up in our system. You’ll have to get it when you land in Poland. It will not be a problem. You’ll have plenty of time”, she promised.
Colleen and I arrive at our gate just in time, but feeling a little beat down from the exhausting day and the sad goodbye to Katie. We board the overnight flight and circle the runway for about an hour before taking off due to weather. Landing in Poland, our two our layover was now 30 minutes. As our squad walks straight through to the next gate Colleen and I have to go all the way upstairs and through security again to get our second boarding pass. We run upstairs and there is not a soul that works there in sight. No one can help us. We pick a security line and say a prayer. Rushing through we run down to the gate and finally find someone to help us. Just in time, we get our boarding pass. Day 1 and I’m already exhausted.
We land in Bulgaria and now Colleen’s bag is missing, along with another squad mate’s bag as well. Yep. When it rains, it pours. Clearly. It’s been one thing after the next in such a short amount of time.
As teams begin to disperse and head to their ministry locations my mind drifts to Katie. Will she make it to Bulgaria to meet us? Will she get another passport or eventually get hers back from the prison of CKGS? Was she too discouraged to continue pursuing this calling God has given her? What exactly is God up to anyways? What is He teaching us?
Have you ever wondered that question? When things don’t make sense and everything is stacking up against you, what is God doing? We knew He was up to something. There is a lesson in everything, but what was it?
For me, it was a reminder that God is always present. Even in the storm. Literally. It was an increase in my faith as well as Katie and Colleen’s. When we don’t get what we want and God doesn’t do what we ask, will we still believe? When we don’t see the miracle, will we still praise Him? Will we continue to hold our heads high and say “God, YOUR will be done”?
YOU know best Father.
YOU know what You are doing!
YOU alone are sovereign and merciful and majestic and able to do ALL things.
Your ways are NOT our ways, and your thoughts are NOT our thoughts. You are HIGHER and YOU are in control. Thank you God that even when we lose hope, you are FAITHFUL.
Yes, it was a rough day. BUT GOD, is GOOD and His love endures forever. I believe in His plan MORE than I believe in mine.
Now I can say in confidence, “When it rains, it pours…but God is still GOD and He is still GOOD.”
Always and forever. Amen.
(Also, Katie DID get her emergency passport and joined us here on the field! She is safe and sound with her team in Bulgaria and enjoying her first month on the World Race! We love her and so proud of her diligence in being obedient to the Lord!)
