God's Itinerary

I have traveled a few places in my life, within the country and internationally, but never alone. The travel bug bit me pretty good these last few months and one of my trips required me to travel alone. With the number of international trips I've made, one being in March, I should have been prepared to safely and smoothly travel by myself. But maybe clouding my mind the week before I left was part of God's itinerary so I wouldn't mess things up?

Monday, April 22, 2013, I was to start my travel from Michigan to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe to meet Sikhu for her brother's wedding. I was to take the 12:17pm train from Ann Arbor to Chicago. The train was late and didn't leave the station until 12:45pm. A good thing was that my friend Eunice was also taking the train at that time so we got to hang out on the ride! Because of the delayed start, construction, and whatever, instead of getting to Chicago at 4pm, we got there at 5:10pm. I was supposed to check in at O'Hare airport by 6:10pm. After I found a way out of Union Station, my friend met me and helped me find the Blue Line subway and I took that to the airport. It took us a half hour to find the Blue Line. I got to the train station about 6:25pm and ran, took some stairs, an elevator, a bridge, and another train to get to the international terminal on the other side of the airport. I went to the check in counter and the people were telling another girl to hurry because the plane was already boarding. I walked up and said that I was probably on that same flight. They called someone to see if I would still be allowed on the plane. They said Yes! Thankfully I didn't have luggage to check in, so a guy escorted me thru the next check point and pointed me towards my gate. 7:05pm, I made it in time for them to call all remaining passengers to board.

I got to Zurich, Switzerland at 10:40 Tuesday morning and decided to leave the airport and gave myself a 5 hour self-guided tour of the city, since I had a 12 hour layover. I just walked around town, appreciating the price of things in America, and enjoying fresh air. My train ticket from the airport to the city included a boat ride up and down the river. I stayed on a little longer than others and took an hour nap:) I found quite a variety of tortellini at a stand and wanted to try some but since it cost $6 for 3 pieces, I decided to eat back at the airport(food wasn't any cheaper there). At 9pm, I checked back in to the airport for my next flight. They decided that my container of sunscreen was too big(which it was) even though I had just flown on the same airline into the country. I had to mix my shampoo and conditioner together(fyi-they don't work when you do that) and use one of the bottles to save as much of the sunscreen as I could, cuz there was no way I was going to Africa without sunscreen. I flew Swiss Airlines from Chicago to Zurich and to Johannesburg, South Africa. The seats in these planes go back Really far. If you're sitting straight and the person in front of you leans back, they are less than a foot from your face. And if you're like me and sleep leaning forward, and the person in front of you leans back, you don't sleep!

We landed in South Africa around 9:15 Wednesday morning. I barely had an hour and a half layover between flights but I didn't have to go too far within the airport so I wasn't worried...until I got to customs and realized that I left my passport on the plane! Now is when the distance seemed far. I ran all the way down the hall cuz my plane was parked at the end. The door was already locked. I started running back and found someone who had a key and let me into the gate to the plane. But a flight attendant said they had already found it and returned it to customs. Because there was nothing in my passport that said I was continuing on, they returned it to local customs. So the guy and I ran there and I waited for them to find it. It seemed like a while but I think it was only 5 minutes. When I got my passport back, I ran back to the transfer customs and to my gate. At 9:50 when I was first in line at customs, my plane was not boarding. When I was in line again at 10:20, the gate was closed. I prayed that, like in Chicago, maybe they'd let me run to the gate. But, after the lady at the check in counter ignored me for 10 minutes, she then told me I was too late and could not catch my flight. So, there I was, in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a phone that doesn't work in that country, no internet access, and knowing no one in that country. After breaking down in tears, I went back to the local customs and was allowed into the country. A guy offered to bring me around the airport to try to find another flight to Bulawayo. Unfortunately, there is only one flight from Johannesburg to Bulawayo a day and the flight the next day would cost me $400. I decided to forget about finding a ticket since the flight was the next day anyway, I found an internet cafe to contact Sikhu and tell her I did not catch my flight and wouldn't be at the airport, since it was already noon and I should have been there. I facebooked her and her sister, texted her(American number), and emailed her, hoping she would get something! She would have to know when and where to pick me up the next day. I skipped the email to my parents though, even though they were expecting one that afternoon saying I was safe in Zim, but I didn't want to worry them saying that I was stranded in Joburg.

While on facebook, Kim was also online, even though it was 6am here in America. I jokingly told her that I did one better than losing my luggage in Kenya, that I missed my flight in Joburg. She then said, "I have friends there - you need a place to go?" Praise the Lord for Adventist connections and missionary friends! She contacted her friend currently in the Philippians whose parents were at the Adventist Division office there in Joburg. Kim gave me their name and number and her friend contacted her dad to give him a heads up. All of this happened in a half hour! Some guy at the airport let me use his phone to contact the pastor. He said that he was sending a driver to pick me up and I could stay with them for the night. Now that's hospitality! While waiting for the driver, Joseph, I attempted to find a cheaper way to get to Bulawayo. I remembered there are buses that make that trip and someone at the info desk used their ipad to find a $40 bus leaving that afternoon! SO much better than a $400 flight! Joseph greeted me with water, apples, and chocolate, which was nice cuz it was going to be a while before I ate again. I convinced the pastor to let me attempt to take a bus that day rather than taking a bus or plane the next day. At the bus station, the bus I was going to take was full but we found another company. I exchanged money with Joseph, as the teller would take US dollars, and gave him the only phone number I had for Sikhu (her American number) and her email (good thing it's an easy one!) The pastor was going to try to contact her with my itinerary. I never did actually meet the pastor and his family.

The bus was supposed to come at 3 but it didn't come until 7:30. I attempted to nap, while keeping a close eye on my luggage. Quite a few people thought I was South African. I think that worked out for my safety! Not too many people were on the bus so almost all of us got our own 2-3 seats. I curled in a ball and slept most of the drive! At 3am, we got to the Zimbabwe border. We stood in a nice long line at Bait Bridge. They stamped our passports and we drove on about 20 more minutes. Then I caused more trouble. This is the part I should have been prepared for but I was so unprepared for this trip in so many ways! I had the money for my visa, but I didn't have Sikhu's home address!
Officer-Where are you going? Me-Bulawayo. Officer-Where in Bulawayo? Me-My friend's house. Officer-Where in Bulawayo does your friend live? Me-I don't know! Officer-How are you getting there? Me-She's picking me up from the bus station(I hope!). Officer-We can't just let you in and not know where you are going.

After discussing with this offer about how not only did I not have Sikhu's address but I couldn't call her because I didn't know her Zimbabwe number, only her American number, and she hasn't been answering. I finally asked if I could put "Seventh Day Adventist Church." He says, "Yes, put that address." I said, "I don't have the address. Can I just write the church's name?" He was lost again. He talked to two other people about me. He finally took my money and sent me to another counter where a lady wrote out my visa. As I'm waiting, I see my bus pulling away. I literally ran out of the building and waved down the bus. The driver told me he was just moving ahead to get checked. He laughed at me later, asking if I thought he was leaving me. I said yes! When we did actually leave, he didn't walk through the bus to make sure everyone was there. I'm glad I was! I went back in to the lady and she finished with my visa and said something like, "good luck," "have fun," or something and as I looked back at her as I left, her face said, "Poor girl!" I think they all just felt bad for me as I was almost in tears again and obviously not making up stories about my situation.

At 4:30am, we finally got back on the bus and continued to Bulawayo. If we had left on time, we were to be to Bulawayo at 5am. I told Sikhu we'd be there at 7am, and I'm glad I did, cuz we didn't get in till 9am. Asleep or awake, I was praying that some how Sikhu knew to pick me up from the bus station. I didn't even want to play out what I would do if she wasn't there. Find someone with a phone? And call who? Find the Adventist church in town? I was just looking forward to crying happy tears at the sight of Sikhu waiting for me. As we pulled in an alley, and a lady told me that was the bus stop, I prayed again that Sikhu was there. As I got off the bus, I saw her standing at the gate! I didn't cry, but I was just glad everything was over. It may have been morning and I was tired and hungry and still had the whole day to stay awake, but I was done traveling!! From Monday at noon to Thursday 9am, which with time difference is 3am. 60 hours of travel! I went back to their house for a bath and a home cooked meal. I don't even remember what my first meal was.

The other side of this story makes it even more interesting! Sorry, I'm almost done. I sent Sikhu my flight itinerary when I first bought my ticket. I was to land in Bulawayo airport at noon on Wednesday. Since the internet was out at her parents' house, she was unable to look up my itinerary. She concluded in her mind that I was coming in some time on Thursday. Wednesday evening, she was able to use her dad's tablet and checked her email. She sees an email from the SID entitled Erin Gordon (SID is the South African Indian Ocean Division of the Seventh Day Adventists). The pastor had emailed her saying that I'd be coming in my bus at 7am Thursday morning. I don't know when she realized that I was supposed to have come in that afternoon and if I had caught my flight, I would have been at the Bulawayo airport by myself all day. She and her mom then came the next morning to pick me up at the bus station.

Thankfully, the trip back was much less eventful and shorter! I'm sure I'll be traveling by myself again in the future but there are a few things I will never forget again. A phone that works in countries I'll be in. A device that connects to the internet. A local phone number and address to where I'm going. Multiple small bottles of sunscreen so they can't take it from me. Smaller American bills. And I'll continue to do my best not to check in any luggage and to pack a pillow! Praise the Lord for working out my itinerary! For sending Kim to facebook at 6am. For opening the hearts of the pastor's family. For providing Sikhu a way to check her email. And for not abandoning me in the Joburg airport, Bulawayo airport, or Bulawayo bus station. I don't know if I should say I'm glad Sikhu forgot about me or I'm glad I missed my flight. Having now seen both Bulawayo airport and bus station, I'd prefer to be stranded at the Bulawayo bus station than the airport. At least I'd be in the city!

God is good! All the time! Ephesian 3:20

Energy from God

I returned home from 2 weeks in Zimbabwe on Wednesday night at midnight. I did get some sleep on the plane and drive home, but I was still tired. My sleep that night, though, was not the greatest. But I got up the next morning and worked my normal 3:30p-4am. It was a normal night, nothing bad happened, I had my midnight fatigue. Then I went home and slept. I returned back to work another 12 hours on Friday night. Half was through my shift, I started getting tired. At midnight, I could barely stay awake. I almost fell asleep in my patient's room. I tried to take a 15 minute nap. The problem was that I was so organized that night that I had too much down time. Even with entertaining staff that night, it was rough. I don't like working Friday and Saturday nights together because I want to go to church in the morning and enjoy it and not regret it at work. When I work these days, I usually skip Sabbath School and go to church next door for the sermon. I fell asleep at 4:45am, planning on getting up at 10:15 to drive a little further for church that morning. But at 8:45am, some guy decided to clean a vent right outside my window, and he wasn't quiet about it. 15 minutes after he said it was almost done, I gave up and just took a shower and went to church. I guess I was supposed to attend Sabbath School that morning, tho I know how much I paid attention. There was potluck after church, then I went home for a 30 min rest(I didn't fall asleep). Then, 3:30p-4am, I was back at work.

I didn't think much about being awake at the beginning of my shift, usually a couple hours in I get tired. But I never did that night! I stayed consistently busy through the night. Hung out with coworkers while patients slept:) And as it passed midnight, I still wasn't tired. In fact, at 4am, after work, I went grocery shopping. I felt like I could get online for a while or unpack more from my trip, but since it was 5:30 in the morning, I went to bed. I slept all day Sunday and worked again that night. It was like the first night, just normal, nothing bad happened, team work with nurses, kept busy, and stayed awake! Now it's Monday, after a 4 night in a row stretch at work immediately after returning to this side of the world, and I'm back on Michigan time, ready to prepare for a birthday party tonight!

God is good! There is no other place my energy Saturday night could have come from, cuz it definitely wasn't from those 4 hours of sleep, if I was THAT exhausted the night before. And he even gave me extra energy to buy groceries! Thank you God for providing what we don't have the energy to continually pray for! And for using my experience to encourage my coworker. You do work miracles!