For Such a Time as This: Winter Travel 2015

6 weeks, 12 planes, 6 trains, 4 minibuses, and innumerable taxis rides=an exhausting, but incredible adventure around the world. This winter, the Father provided some amazing opportunities for me to visit dear friends and family at home as well as travel in South Asia, connecting with other teachers from 7 different countries, and visiting some students and friends in their hometowns. Though my travels gave me a wider glance at the sad state of physical and spiritual poverty in our world, they also provided memorable milestones of the Father’s faithfulness to help in times of need.

On January 15^th, after turning in Final Exam grades for the fall semester, my teammates, Elen, Rachel, and I hopped a train to Beijing to head home for a 2 week visit with our families. What a needed time of refreshment that was! I visited my sister Hannah and saw her ministry in Florida, my grandparents in Daytona, my cousins and grandpa in Kentucky, and spent time at home with my parents, sisters, and friends in Franklin. It was truly a time of rejuvenation.

After two weeks, I flew to Thailand for my company’s Annual Thailand Conference. I received some wise advice during our leadership training and was very inspired by the gathering of 600 teachers from all over Asia. The Father is truly working in mighty ways in and through their lives! After 2 weeks in Chiang Mai, I flew out with my teammates Elen, Rachel, and Carrie for another two-week excursion. First stop: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The decision to travel to Vietnam came unexpectedly from a series of emails from a previous student, that I received last summer. My junior year I spent a semester interning in the Chelsea Hospital School in London where I met Khan Ngan or as we call her, “Sophie.” She was a courageous 14 year-old Vietnamese girl who underwent 10 months of surgeries and treatments in London for the removal of a large tumor behind her eye and facial reconstruction. During that time, I was struck by her positive attitude and her excitement for life despite the difficulties that she was facing. After 10 months, she was able to return to her home in Vietnam and begin working and continue schooling. We stayed in touch on and off via email and this summer she sent me some beautiful pictures of her wedding. She continued to beg me to visit, so my team and I decided that after our time in Thailand we would fly an hour to it’s near neighbor, Vietnam.

Though the visa process for entering and exiting Vietnam was no less than a nightmare, I will never forget the image of Sophie’s outstretched arms as she ran up to hug me as we finally exited the airport. The pink flower in her hair immediately caught my eye. It was the parting gift I had given her 5 years ago in London! She took us back to her hometown of Vung Tau, which turned out to be a beautiful beachside vacation spot. We spent sweet time with her family, seeing her favorite spots in the neighborhood, basking in the warm sun, and eating lots of Pho (Vietnamese beef noodle) before heading back to Ho Chi Minh (and that’s where things got interesting).

When we got off the bus in Ho Chi Minh, Rachel realized that she had left her ipod in the bus. Being her only internet access and way to communicate, we were really concerned. As we were being swarmed with motorbikes and taxis, we decided to head to our hostel and try to call Sophie. We had heard repeatedly about things being stolen in Vietnam, so we had little hope of seeing it again. After a series of phone calls and prayers, miraculously, we discovered that the driver had turned it in to the police! He truly cares for us, even in the small things!

The next morning we recovered her ipod from the police station and headed to the airport to fly North to Hanoi. When we arrived, the airport was swarming with travelers! It was 2 days before Vietnamese and Chinese New Years (this year accounted for the largest human migration in history), and it was chaotic! To make matters worse, when we finally reached the desk to check-in, the attendant informed us that Rachel had no ticket for our plane! As she used her ipod to check through emails and bank accounts, she realized that the ticket she signed up for had never processed! As the clock ticked down until our plane was to take off, we frantically checked at different desks and searched the internet for more tickets. We quickly realized that during this busy time of year, tickets were scarce and VERY expensive. In the end, she had to book a different ticket through Thailand and we had to leave her in the Father’s hands for 2 days before we were able to reunite in Nanning, China. Though we parted with tears, we trusted that He would take care of her and He did. He totally provided her every need.

In the meantime, Carrie, Elen, and I flew into Hanoi (in North Vietnam), spent a day seeing the sights (including the Hoa Lo Prison aka the “Hanoi Hilton,” POW camp where John McCain and other American pilots were detained during the Vietnam War). Though the presentations and propaganda were misleading to say the least, it prompted us to do our own research on what happened during the war. That night, we boarded an overnight train from Hanoi to Nanning, China. After processing through several immigrations and customs offices in the middle of the night, we were overjoyed in the morning to meet the smiling faces of Rachel and our Chinese friend Leaven, in Nanning. After a month away from China, it was exciting to be back in a place where we were somewhat familiar with the language, food, culture, etc.

Additionally, it was a real privilege to visit Leaven in her hometown. Her parents treated us to a nice dinner at their favorite restaurant and invited us home where we got to see some baby pictures and watch some Chinese New Years programs on TV with them. Being welcomed into Leaven’s family and home-life felt like a big step in her opening up her heart to us.

When we left Nanning, we traveled to a more rural and scenic areas, Guilin and Yangshuo, which are famous for their mountains and rivers. I really enjoyed the natural beauty and peaceful atmosphere outside of the city (though during the night it was anything but peaceful as the locals set off fireworks the entire night for the New Year, haha).

After two days, we embarked on the final leg of our journey to Guangzhou, one of China’s largest cities. I feel a personal connection to Guangzhou, because its’ where my sister Kaylee was adopted from, but we traveled there this time, to meet one of our closest Chinese friends, Bee. I had the privilege of visiting her home, in a small factory town outside of Guangzhou, last year during the New Year and it was a joy to again get to visit her loving family. Being the only foreigners her family had ever interacted with, we were treated like royalty, given small envelopes of “lucky money” (their New Years tradition), fed the “finest dining” (breakfasts of chicken feet, full fish, pork bones, clam soup, you name it!), and shown their favorite sites. It was a true blessing to be welcomed in and loved-on, though we did nothing to deserve it! Despite their hospitality, we were quite ready after a few days to be on the road (and eating some Western food again) as we headed back to Guangzhou to meet our friend, Cece. After a fun day in Guangzhou with her, we drove to the airport to return to Changchun.

After 6 weeks, 12 planes, 6 trains, 4 minibuses, and innumerable taxis we were exhausted, but also in awe of the Father and all the ways that He cared for us. There were SO many times that we would have been lost, stuck, or cheated if he hadn’t sent the right person to appear and help us. In fact, I’m sure that we’d still be wandering somewhere in Guilin, if it wasn’t for His grace! I am beyond thankful for the experiences that He provided for us. I learned a lot about China, a lot about my teammates, a lot about myself, and a lot about His faithfulness! These are memories I will laugh at forever and memories I will cherish forever. Praise Him!