After leaving "home" (Swazi) to come "home" (Wisconsin), I couldn't bare the thought of not seeing my children for an entire year, especially when my baby girl is going to grow up way too fast in a simple twelve months! So, I fervently tried looking up plane tickets over my Christmas break. Site upon site gave me the same bad news: booking a flight around Christmas is impossible for my current bank account. Eish. I couldn't foot a $3,000 plane ticket or anything close to that; yet, I was willing to try any way I could to see my kids again.
"Okay, Lord," I started praying, "if you want me there, you gotta get me there some how some way. I need a miracle."
The more I looked into plane tickets and options to go, the more discouraged I became. I also discovered that if I were to somehow miraculously come up with the money to make it to Swazi over break, I'd miss three basketball games that I'm supposed to be coaching. "That's not gonna fly," I thought. Still, I couldn't rest. My heart was burdened and my mind was all over the place trying to come up with options of how to get to Swazi. One day, while I was praying about it, a thought popped into my head about going over during Thanksgiving break.
"Ha!" I laughed aloud. "What a ridiculous thought!" I rationed that not only is November much closer than December but that also means that it'd be more expensive and I also would have to take off a great number of work days in order to make that possible. With no other options, I decided to punch it into Google and see what flight options come up. I nearly fell off my seat when I encountered a plane ticket for $1,200. That's less than half of what the Christmas ticket would have been! I was shocked, excited, thrilled, and scared all at the same time. "This is actually possible!" I exclaimed. Now, $1200 is still a great deal of money that I wasn't going to use lightly but it was the cheapest plane ticket to Swazi I had EVER seen! Now that it was possible I wondered if it was plausible. "Should I really go? Is it worth it?" I would only be able to stay for about a week, and a quick trip like that would be over before I said hello. Would it hurt me more in the end to have to leave after such a short amount of time?
I had been corresponding with Christina when I was trying to look up a Christmas break ticket and had broken the news to her that it probably wouldn't work because I couldn't afford it. She sweetly responded that no matter how short of a visit both she and my kids would be more than blessed if I came but that she understood I had to do what's best for me. Could what's best for me also be what's best for them?
Yes, indeed. After talking over the options with my wise and supportive mother, she wasn't so keen on the idea at first but the more we talked the more excited she got and the more affirmative she became of taking this opportunity. She expanded my thinking to contemplate and plan for two trips a year. As the founder of an organization, she reminded me that I need to think of what's best for the org (Hosea's Heart), too. She talked about other orgs who send their founders/executive directors over numerous times a year and suggested I start planning for something like that. Brilliant! Though I can't rationalize HHeart supporting my trip this time because we are still in unstable raising funds stages, I still felt empowered to take this opportunity while I had it.
I sat down at the computer ready to book a ticket but a quiet voice told me to wait.
Wait.
That's it. Just wait. "What? What do you mean 'wait'?! I can't wait. The ticket prices will go up if I wait! I have to get it now."
Just wait. One day. Wait.
"Fine," I closed my computer, not knowing why I was waiting. The next morning I sat in church trying really hard to concentrate but all I could think about was that looming ticket I needed to book. I shook myself back into the homily and then quickly prayed, "Lord, I don't know why I'm waiting, but just bless it. Bless the wait, bless the ticket more than you already have!"
When I got home later that day I went straight to my computer to find the ticket. It wasn't there.
What was there was a blessing with my name on it.
I booked a ticket that afternoon to Swaziland, Africa for a miraculous $986! I have NEVER in my four years of going to Swazi EVER seen a ticket like that... EVER! Praise the Lord! Praise God for the wait!
Patience truly "pays" off!
After I booked the ticket, I realized how incredible this situation really is: 1) I get to refresh Christina who is living on her own for the year taking on the burdens of not only the social welfare office of boys homes but creating the girls home, too, AND I get to bring her THANKS for her GIVING over Thanksgiving!
2) I won't miss a single game of coaching basketball!
3) I only have to take off a few days of work because for "some" reason we have a three day T-giving break instead of a two-day like usual.
4) I get to bring supplies and clothes for the girls home and check up on the progress. I get to bring back pictures and videos of the progress of the home to give to donors so we can keep raising funds to build the home.
5) I get to hand deliver pen pal letters that my students here will write to the Swazi students and I get to bring return letters back with me.
6) I get to celebrate Baby MK's FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!! Yebo Jesu!
Seriously, how great is our God? I don't deserve His faithful goodness, and yet that's the beauty of his grace.
Patience is more than a virtue...it's a ticket to Swazi and back again.
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