Our trip “detoured” us through London, where we met friends Alyson Jones and her two children to do some sightseeing. Loved visiting historical sites and hearing the background from a local! We were short on time, but we decided to throw caution to the wind and visit Buckingham Palace, anyway. It was a much further walk than we realized, and we were running quite late. We decided to take a shortcut at one spot, only to be delighted that we’d arrived in the nick of time for the changing of the guard–the one thing Anna most wanted to see! Very cool . . . if we’d done things any differently, she’d have missed it!
We thought we were going to miss the entire sightseeing trip! Thought we’d NEVER find our way to the train! We ran really late and feared our friends would give up on us. I admit I was stressing out, but we finally got to the right place and bought our tickets.
Riding the train between downtown London and the airport, we sat across from a young man who was obviously high on drugs. He picked his nose, then gazed at the results in fascination. Drooled on his shirt and played with that. Laughed to himself at some private joke while rolling a cigarette. My heart went out to him as I realized he could have been our Nathan. We were reminded for the jillionth time how blessed we are to have our son restored to God and our family. And reminded that even when we thought we were running late, God actually put us on the train at that exact time so we could meet this young man. I’ll remember to pray for him.
When we arrived in South Africa, we learned that our luggage had not. Arrived, that is. It was detoured somewhere between Chicago and London.
So British Airways gave us vouchers to purchase clothing to get us by until the bags got there.
We detoured by a huge mall in Pretoria on the way to Wynand and Betsy’s house. Anna was excited to get a new outfit, including shoes, a jacket, and jammies to top it off. Perfect way to spend a couple of hours–at least for our 14 year old!
We felt wonderfully welcomed at Wynand and Betsy’s. They’d invited Wynand’s brother and his family to enjoy a meal with us, and wow, can Betsy ever cook! We loved hearing the banter of people who obviously enjoy being together.
Wynand and Betsy are Jannike’s parents; we met her four years ago in Africa. She is good friends with Jubilee Yocum after having attended Youth with a Mission together six years ago.
When we awakened the next morning and gathered our things, we realized that Anna’s insulin was missing from the refrigerator. To my chagrin, I learned it had been inadvertantly placed in the freezer, not the fridge. YIKES. It’s not supposed to be frozen! I was already concerned that it had gotten too hot on the trip, and now it was too cold. I didn’t know if we’d even have access to more insulin if we needed it, but I did know the insurance wouldn’t pay for it. We’d have to find a pharmacist to talk it out.
When we returned to the airport the next morning, our bags were waiting for us. We took a detour by the airport pharmacy and discovered the insulin should be okay, even if it might take more than normal to do the job. Whew! We loaded our bags on a cart and made our way to the car rental facility. Learned that we’d been misled to believe we couldn’t get the car until Monday morning, which in actuality, we could have gotten it anytime since they’re open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
But we realized if we’d done that, we’d never have met our new friends in Pretoria, so we could see the Lord’s hand in it all. Plus we had the privilege of visiting Jason and Mary Trego. They’ve stayed at our B & B before, where we realized we had attended Sterling College together! He’s a doctor with the embassy and they’d just moved to Pretoria. They fed us a yummy supper and caught us up on their family. It’s always nice to see a familiar face in another country.
We were finally off for Swaziland, and our excitement was building. We got settled in our room, and although we’d stayed at Emafini Conference Center before, we’d never been in a suite like this one. It was literally one room plus a bathroom. There was a kitchenette to one side, but only one sleeping/sitting area. We realized we’d be sharing a room with Anna the whole time, and it wouldn’t be convenient to prepare meals without a stove. But hey, we knew this wasn’t a vacation; it was ministry. We’d make the best of every situation.
We finally headed off to Stan and Sue Drew’s for dinner. This is the missionary couple we’d met in Seattle seven years ago when the seeds for our ministry in Africa were first planted. It was a joy to reconnect with them after two years–four for Anna. They caught us up on people and various ministry projects, and we felt like we’d found our footing again after the long trip.
By the time we got back to our room, we were all feeling tired and on the cranky side. I had to laugh; since we were all in one room, I had to bite my tongue instead of fussing with Tracy in front of Anna. I could see that maybe sharing a room would also be a good thing. Smile.
And it was obvious once again that even little details were working out in spite of things not always going exactly how I wanted them to go. I needed to rest in the Lord and trust Him. He is faithful.
Even those things that seemed to be off the beaten path ended up being in His plan for us. His Word says we can make our plans, but He directs our paths. (Proverbs 16:9) And He works everything out for our good and His glory when we love Him and live for His purposes. (Romans 8:28)
Maybe while we were in Africa, some area of your life seemed to be going in a different direction than you’d envisioned. Perhaps the Lord was working behind the scenes to get you in the place He wants you. What a comfort that He helps all of us as we commit our way to Him, trust in Him, and then watch with amazement as He directs our steps.
And I was sure that the next steps we took, no matter how challenging, would still be good ones because we’d finally get to see the children again!
Becky Spencer, July 28, 2010
