We have lift off

I think I will always remember February 13th as one of the largest and most challenging leaps of faith that God has ever asked of me. In the past, traveling and making my home and ministry in a new place has never scared me. But the trying personal circumstances surrounding this move to Hong Kong meant that every crutch I had relied on, be it friends, family, or even the comfort of my own culture, was suddenly stripped away. The Lord was asking me to step onto that airplane devoid of any tangible security blanket that I could come up with. And believe me, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Many will bear witness to the moments I realized that as soon as the flight attendant closed the doors in San Francisco, even my beloved cell phone would be deemed useless. Through my crocodile tears I paid absolutely no attention to her attempts at teaching me to buckle my seat belt and navigate my way to the exits. That’s right, we’re getting vulnerable now, I cried. No, I sobbed. I made the guy across the aisle wish he spoke English so that he could calm me down. What a day.
Fortunately for me, I had 15 hours of flight time to stare at the seat in front of me and really process this rather uncharacteristic fear of uncharted territory. I won’t lie to you, the first few hours weren’t pretty, although our foreign friend was pretty grateful that the waterworks came to a halt shortly after take off. It didn’t take me long to begin praying through one of the scriptures that I hold tightly in my heart. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27. There is just no way to truly explain the kind of grace that the Lord provides in the depths of your struggles. My dad always says that the peace that passes all understanding is just that, the kind of indescribable calm and stillness that can come solely from the love and grace of the father. It’s the supernatural power to lift your pain-stricken and fearful heart up into the comfort of the almighty.
For the rest of my flight I drifted in and out of sleep (thank you Jesus for the two empty seats beside me!) all the while heeding the Lord’s reminders that he has given me everything I need for this moment. And he will never leave me to fend for myself. I remember feeling a surge of strength as the wheels touched down in the 75 degree February weather of Hong Kong. This was a new journey for God to not only use me in the Call2All, but to do a great work in me. I made my way through customs wrestling with the luggage I was sure outweighed me by at least a few (hundred) pounds. When I rounded the corner I couldn’t help but smile. The friendly Chinese man held a handwritten sign that boldly stated not only my name, but the divine reminder that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.