This Is Where the Stories Come From

The title is two fold.  Really, this place, Israel is where the stories come from.  The story of a faith and belief in something so irrational and so impossible that it just seems to good to be true.  But when I said this is where the stories come from, I also mean that these kinds of situations is where great God moments emerge from.  Being unable to go with my group to Israel this past Saturday gave me a chance to step back for a couple days.  I had been rushing around visiting friends and family back home and packing everything up for school for next semester and getting down to Nyack just made me feel very chaotic and not focused on the whole purpose of the trip and why I felt the desire to go in the first place.

For two days, I got back in position, settled myself and prayed that God would show up which is what I should have been earnestly asking for from the start.  I think now with all that has transpired since Saturday evening I can say that God has met me on this trip.  That I am now in the right spirit to be traveling in Israel as the Holy Spirit reveals more of God's identity to me.

As I write this next part I have since boarded the aircraft and am flying over Nova Scotia.  I am excited.  I have finally settled down knowing that I am on my way to my destination.  Let me quickly sum up exactly what happened...

On Saturday evening as I was checking in I was informed that my passport was damaged and I would not be able to fly.  I was completely shocked and not sure what to do.  I was given some good advice by Dr. Notley and Dr. Walborn as well as Wink Thompson who arranged our travel and accommodations, about figuring things out to join up with the rest of the group in Israel.  I was praying hard.  Like really really hard.  It was a wake up call to how I just wasn't really in the right spirit to be traveling and I was being shaken up.  Anyway, I got the information I needed to go to get a new passport on Monday morning.  Sunday I had to have my passport photos completed however, and wasn't sure how to take care of this.  Jimmy gave me a good idea to check on someone to do them and it worked out great!  (Thanks Jimmy and Bill!)

Second miracle was getting someone to be willing to drive me to the passport agency an hour and a half away in Connecticut early on a Monday morning.  Enter Jon Chowansky (Thanks buddy.)  My really good friend Jon that I met at Seton Hall University (Before I transferred), said he would take me up to Connecticut and then to JFK afterwards.  (What a pal).

Second problem solved, now just to get the passport.  I arrived without a good copy of my birth certificate (I had a scan), and was not sure how things would go.  I got my forms together and got a number to get in line to get a passport.  I began praying and asking God that He would get me my passport.  Then I stopped and thought, why should I ask for so little of God?  Here I am a college student who never has money; why wouldn't I pray that my fairly new passport would be considered defective and that a way would be provided that I wouldn't have to pay!  I prayed for just that:  A free passport.  And...God delivered massively!!  A fresh passport completely updated and replaced and I didn't have to pay $135 for a new one!  Miracles upon miracles!

I was so blessed to be able to have this experience honestly.  I feel like I will have a much deeper appreciation for this trip considering I almost wasn't able to go on it.  I'm still not sure what the whole point of this little detour was.  But in some ways it is a lot like Paul.  He didn't always go where he wanted to when he wanted to.  But things always worked for the glory of the Father.  See, it's stuff like this.  Time's like these.  That's where stories come from.

Next blog from Israel,

-AM

And then life hits like a train...

So problem.  I am not in Israel right now.  I am not flying to Israel right now.  I am sitting in the food court at JFK International Airport waiting for someone to come pick me up from the airport.  Apparently my passport has damage to it that makes it unacceptable for travel.  My fault.  I didn’t think there would be damage since I’ve used it twice in the past.  However, for those of you that were absolutely dying to follow this blog have no fear.  I will be joining the rest of the group as my flight has been changed to Monday evening and I will be in Israel on Tuesday.  (Thank you ticket counter attendant for being so kind to me!)

Am I disappointed?  Absolutely.  I would be lying if I said I was ok with it.  But just like anything that happens in life, I’m sure this will produce character (if handled correctly) and a healthy paranoia that my passport is always in tip top condition!  And so, instead of lessons learned in Israel I will be learning lesson about dealing with disappointment and being patient for things that are worthwhile.  (Not to mention that I have invested $3,000 into this trip!!)  Instead of just giving up and not going on the trip, I will continue to see what God can do in this disappointing time and still keep the anticipation of going on this trip.  I think now more than ever, I will be thankful for the experience.  Perhaps even more thankful that I ever would have been and I will never take it for granted.

I was just thinking of the song by Brenton Brown, Everlasting God.  The verse to that song is so simple but so powerful in its message:  “Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.”  So I’m not sure what to do with that except wait upon the Lord and see what He wants me to do.

Please continue to keep myself and the rest of the group in your prayers that all goes according to God’s big plan!

-AM