And We're Off!
Honestly, one of the things I was most nervous for was traveling to get to Hong Kong.
To start, I'm a bit new to flying by myself plus having a layover in Korea where I don't speak the language didn't help but the biggest thing was arriving in Hong Kong. I've heard the horror stories of SMs that had a hard time getting to their locations and I know the devil will try everything he can to keep us from doing God's work.
I worked at Camp Cherokee in New York, one of the SDA summer camps for the summer and signed my contract before I got the visa and purchased the tickets. The contract ended August 12, giving me August 13 to make the 7 hour drive back to New Jersey, to fly out August 14, and arrive on August 15. My flight was set to arrive at 10:30 pm on August 15 while my visa expired at midnight.
There were so many "what ifs" that came with that long process. What if the car broke down on the way back from camp? What if we got to the airport late and missed the flight? What if I miss the connection? What if the flight's delayed and my visa expires?
I was so anxious about things that really weren't in my control.
Still, God is almighty and He is faithful.
We made it back from camp safely. I'm so grateful for that time I spent in the car with my family before I left. I got to have dinner with my extended family. The next morning my aunt and cousins came to drop me off at the airport and we were early! So we got to have breakfast at a small Christian cafe. I slept for most of the 16 hour plane ride, having the chance to start adjusting to most of the 12 hour time difference. In Seoul, Korea, I tried to walk around the airport for the layover to try to keep myself awake. I found one of the airport's cultural centers that has an activity station where you can color handkerchiefs with traditional Korean patterns. It was a great creative activity that was relaxing and kept me awake but the biggest blessing was that the lady there checked my boarding pass to make sure I had enough time to make one. It was there I realized that I hadn't accounted for the time difference in Korea. If it weren't for that, I probably would've missed my flight, aimlessly wandering around the airport!
The flight to Hong Kong was on time and I made it through immigration at 11:00 pm HK time.
Sometimes, it is in the details that we can see God the most. Psalm 95:4 says "He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains". All of those minor details were out of my control but God has power over all of creation, surely He has power over one small commercial flight. The best part is that in these little things He shows us exactly how much He cares!
- Connecting with People
- Adjusting to the Culture
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