Only the beginning

So I get to the airport with a fully loaded cart of 6 bags, get up to the desk and start to check in.
The lady asks me when I will be returning, and with joy in my reply I said, “I am not, I am moving there for full time mission work!”
I was expecting a different response than the one that was given. She said, as she looked through my passport, “you cannot leave with out a visa or proof of residency in that country”
Now I thought, come on this is not true! Nobody told me about having to have a return ticket!!! There has got to be a way around this. There wasn’t! She was dead serious! And as I sat there trying to figure out what the heck to do, I sensed a blow to my joy from Satan, right then and there!
Well a lot of talking later and a purchase of a $3300 one-way ticket back to the states (which was promised to be refundable, hmmmm…. I will be praying hard about that!) And thanks to my amazing parents and a wonderful thing called a credit card! All seems to be ok! Of course we have not tried to refund the ticket just yet (since I am still sitting in Washington DC, awaiting the LONG flight to Germany, and then on to Riga.)

I had an amazing group of loved ones at the airport to send me off, and I will just quote some of their comments that helped me realize and awaken me to the reality that this will be a battle! This is only the beginning of the work God has planned through us!
If you ever have a chance please remind me of this truth! It is a necessity to the heart of making others glad in God!

So as I sat and wallowed in my self-pity, my unbelief of the provision of my Jesus, this is what my dearest friends and family were saying (not to me, yet spoke truth to my heart):

“Someone doesn’t want her to go”
“ It is so obvious that she is right where she is suppose to be!”
“This is only the beginning of complete reliance on Jesus, it will only get worse…. and by ‘worse’ I mean better!”
“Oh man! How exciting it is to be a follower of Christ!”


All I have to say is I am ready, but I will need many days of training! This was a good start!