“Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential
circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to
contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the
Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith.” –Oswald Chambers
After arriving in Dhaka, Bangladesh at 12pm, August 2nd,
this was the very first thing I read (that wasn’t in Bangla) and I literally laughed
out loud. If you had been in my pocket traveling with me, you would immediately
know why. In case you’re wondering, basically everything that could have gone
wrong on my trip, did. Our flight left from DC two hours late because of
mechanical troubles so instead of being on the plane 13.5 hours, we sat on it
for 16. Thankfully I had been given some sleeping pills by my gracious cousins
who hosted me in DC for a few days while I sorted out Visa troubles (which is a
whole OTHER story) and I also sat next to a very sweet Pakistani woman who made
the last few hours go by quickly. Sidenote: I had determined from the very
beginning that I would be pleasant and as kind as I could be even if things
went wrong and I’m glad to say I stuck to my plan (by the grace of God) because
by the time we landed in Abu Dhabi, my flight to Dhaka had already left.
Thankfully as I exited the plane there was someone waiting for me with new
boarding passes to Dhaka (shout out to Etihad airlines) and so almost
immediately I boarded a different plane to Dhaka, via Karachi, Pakistan. And
that’s where things got even more interesting. Everyone was shuffled off the
plane a couple hours later (the middle of the night at this point, although it
was probably daytime in the States…I lost track of the sun and all sense of
time) and moved toward immigration. I tried to avoid this by asking at least 5
different “official” people who all looked at my boarding ticket, “listened” to
what I was saying and then proceeded to tell me to get in the immigration
line…which, if you’re not a frequent international flyer, essentially means
you’re committing to staying in that country and you better have papers to
prove it (which of course I didn’t!). I was far enough back in the line to not
panic, when a nice man came up to me and pointed to my name on a list he had in
his hand (fortunately for him I was the only white person in the entire
Pakistani airport so I was pretty easy to pick out of a crowd). He then took me
to a waiting area where two others were needing the same connecting flight to
Dhaka. These Bengalis had also ended up in the mess, to which of course my
first response was “Hooray! I’m not alone!” It might be hard to believe that
the emotional response was joy and relief at having to wait in an airport for 6
more hours before another flight, but these people ended up being just what I
needed to get me through. Our seasonal friendship kept us going up to the end
where we all made lost and found reports in the Dhaka airport, because even though
our bodies had made it to our connecting flight, (surprise) our bags had not!
Let’s pause the story for just a moment to point out
something: there were quite a few “clouds” (as Oswald defined) that I had
encountered on this hairy adventure, but I continued to choose not to freak out
or cry and scream (even though I was tempted to do all 3) and I know it was by
God’s grace that I chose to see each different “cloud” as an opportunity to use
for His glory. I obviously don’t know the eternal impact of being kind, making
friends, and losing my luggage (temporarily, it’s here now woohoo!), but I do
know that through the clouds, God was strengthening my dependence on Him. I
didn’t even have clothes to change into when I got to Dhaka, and even though
there was a moment where I felt a little lost without my “things,” I knew God had
my back and He was with me, and that’s really all that matters, period.
So maybe you're going through something and you're thinking right now "Well, at least I'm not that poor girl!"...then I'm glad to provide some healthy perspective :) Or maybe you are questioning those clouds in your life that seem like they may never lift. Don't worry...God hasn't left you, in fact He's moving in the clouds to make you weaker, so that you depend on Him more strongly than you ever thought possible. Keep walking with Him!
You are wonderful and I love you. Thank you for posting so we get a little glimpse into your life. We leave for Quito maniana and I'm sad you won't be there to welcome us. Praying for you!
ReplyDeleteSo glad his strength was made perfect in your weakness, and his grace was sufficient. :-) And glad you're finally "there." ("There," in this context, always meaning just the next temporary step on your path of following the Master.)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading this SO much this morning, Siser! So thankful for God's presence with you every step of the journey, even in the craziness. I'm praying for you -- and so are lots of friends and family here. You are a wonderful encouragement and blessing to us all. Love you tons!
ReplyDeleteOh dear Lauren, This is one of my favorite Oswald Chambers. God can only come close to us through the clouds. In most all of God's encounters with us, there have been clouds. Be safe and keep up the good work. I am so proud of you and proud to have been your baby sitter. :D You go girl! My prayers are always with you girls and your Mom & Pops too! Love you all! xoxoxkarenxoxox
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