Arriving and Surviving (South Asia 1)

20+ hours of flying and a few layovers equals over 30 hours of traveling. The passing of time is very strange when you're on a plane, what started as merely many hours suddenly becomes passing days you didn't even realize had happened.

We left Denver in the afternoon on a Tuesday, arriving in South Asia (technically I'm not supposed to say the exact country) on Thursday morning. It felt like we lost a day, like it didn't happen, sucked into the monotony of plane ride after plane ride.

But we were finally there! Months of support raising, planning, praying, getting shots, and stressing out over Visa applications finally coming to life. Though insanely tired and a bit jet-lagged, we were all so excited.

It took me a little to realize we were finally there. When we switched planes in Frankfurt, Germany, and glancing outside everything still looked so normal, the roads and cars and high buildings. But the moment we arrived in South Asia, it was vastly different.

From the first moment we got in a cab (driving is crazy there) I learned my first lesson of the trip: give up. I needed to give up my expectations, my Americanized pre-conceptions of how things would look and be, just go with the flow, and let God work. And He did!

US and South Asia Cru!

Even while we were traveling I was able to see God's greatness. On our flight from Germany to South Asia, Tim and I sat next to a woman who was a Christian, from South Asia! In a country of billions with less than 1% Christians, what are the odds we'd be sitting next to one? Such a clear example of God's sovereignty over our trip and how His glory can and will (and was) revealed in everything.

He is so faithful, all hope and joy are found in Him, and it was such an encouragement to see how far His arms do stretch, and how His great love is found everywhere.

I wrote in my journal that night that I was “excited to experience Him and India through open eyes, heart, and mind.”

And thanks that we survived our first cab-rides.