Two steps forward. One step back.

I mentioned before how much I love flying. I take it back.

For context: I wrote this in a few different chunks on the way to Africa. The change of heart you’re reading about was a slow and painful process—and required many naps.

After sitting on the Chicago tarmac for an hour, our plane turned back to drop off a sick passenger with EMS. Sounds like they were okay. We promptly returned to sitting on the tarmac for another hour before finally taking off for Belgium.

Of course, this meant we landed more than two hours later than we intended to, missing our connecting flight that would have landed us in Liberia. More than 100 passengers on our plane missed their connection. Oofta…

The airline quickly figured out a new itinerary for us: instead of that last seven-hour flight to Liberia, we’d leave Belgium that evening on a seven-hour flight to Ethiopia. Next, we’d snag another seven-hour flight to Ghana, finishing off with a two-hour flight to Liberia, landing exactly 24 hours later than we planned to. Double oofta…

On top of that, this couple on a few of our flights have a baby who must be having the worst days of her life right now. Seriously—I’ve never heard a baby having such a bad day. Noise-cancelling headphones came in clutch.

Needless to say we weren’t stoked about adding nine hours of flight time and 15 hours of layover to our trip to Liberia. It’s been… discouraging, frustrating, confusing, patience-testing, all-around-uncomfortable. My legs have become a collecting basin for all of the blood in my body. So that’s cool…

I know flight delays are super normal for international travel, but I’ve been riding the edge of anger and impatience for many cramped-up hours on this plane. I keep praying for the strength to see things God’s way.

A Piece of Perspective.

During our prolonged layover in Belgium, six of us hopped on a bus into the heart of Brussels to explore for a few hours. From Soviet-era brutalist architecture, to wildly ornate Renaissance cathedrals, to a public park thick with late-fall leaves and giggling school kids—it was a wonderful outing.

We chatted with Safuel, a local, on the bus into the city. He was on his way back from a job interview with a business consulting company. We’re praying that he’ll get the job to help kickstart his career and float him through grad school, which he just started.

On our way back, another local noticed we looked quite lost in the train station. She happily stepped in, helped us buy the right tickets and led us down to our track. She even waited with us to ensure we boarded the right train. What a kind way to treat a bunch of strangers.

When we got back to the hotel, Tony (one of our team members) was chatting with the couple who the crying baby belongs to. They’re a sweet couple who clearly love their four children very, very much. It’s hard to be angry when I hear her cry now. God, give her peace. Even now, she’s sleeping soundly a few rows back.

Reframing.

Our first two travel days have been full of opportunities so far—opportunities to cultivate anger and impatience or to practice trust, knowing that God’s taking our group wherever he wants us. I’m humbled by my quickness to anger. But God’s grace is greater than my brokenness, and his Spirit has filled me with patience and trust.

When plans go sideways, I’m practicing the simple response, “Thank you, Father.”

Super random side note: stretching my legs in the restroom has become a regular part of my flight routine. Now I’ve started doing mini-workouts in there too—calf raises, squats, etc. I was just laughing at myself and figured I’d give you the chance to laugh at me too. My first workout in weeks was in an airplane bathroom. What a weird and wonderful life I have.

Photos.

Here are a few photos from our travels. The first couple are of Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Following are of our short exploration of Brussels, Belgium.