“So do you recommend us to still take this flight?” Our airline was struggling to answer us directly. Due to an issue with our final flight, it was not clear if our checked bags would make it all the way to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It was our launch day, March 4, and we had already driven seven hours from Idaho to Seattle.
We decided by faith to go for it! After passing through security, we ran to our gate—only to find that the door was closed, missing our initial flight by a few minutes. Sweaty but determined, we quickly went to the desk for rebooking. Thankfully, there was room on the next flight only a couple of hours later, but the airline informed us that we would miss our connecting flight to Brisbane.
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, we learned that our flight to Brisbane was rescheduled to fly out the next day. However, more updates and cancellations finally led to six days of delay in Los Angeles due to issues surrounding Tropical Cyclone Alfred and the closing of the Brisbane airport for a time. We are thankful the airline offered to reimburse our hotel and food costs, and we enjoyed a little second honeymoon while waiting, but we were both ready to get to PNG. “He hath made every thing beautiful in His time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
God has been teaching us to expect the unexpected and embrace the ambiguity of mission travel and living. “Often our plans fail that God’s plans for us may succeed.”1 Could those plans include ministering to someone on the way, someone God knew would be very open spiritually?
On the evening of March 10, while we were on our rebooked Los Angeles to Brisbane flight, God indeed provided an incredible divine appointment with a Brazilian man named Leo, who lives in Brisbane. Like Christ’s divine appointment waiting for Him in Samaria, providentially, it seemed we “must needs” (John 4:4) cross paths on that flight. Leo was very open, accepting the book The Messiah about Christ’s life. Though it was a nearly 15-hour overnight flight, that time sharing the water of life revived me.
Upon our arrival in Port Moresby on March 12, Pastor Jason Sliger and his family, along with some local friends, warmly greeted us. The PNG people we have met so far have been very kind and helpful. Even Joella’s friend, Corrie, who lives in PNG, made a special trip to meet us.
We praise God for safely arriving in Papua New Guinea. We look forward to spending time at Pacific Adventist University in Port Moresby while we purchase supplies from local merchants before our final leg of the journey to Ama. We expect the unexpected. Thank you for all of your prayers and support as we take each step by faith. The Ama mission adventure continues!
