Date: July 18, 2021
Location: Tbilisi, Georgia
Host: ATL (Ask The Lord)
“Say WHAT?!” My brain reeled with possible alternatives as the plane lifted off the Istanbul runway. The incoming message from our Air BnB host was, well, frustratingly comical. The text read,
“Hi. I am apologize we have a fire damage in the flat. Every thing fired. Please cancel the book. If I find other flat I write you.”
Due to fire damage, the apartment we hoped to stay at in just a few hours after a long travel day would not be able to accommodate us. Great. 😐
As the plane gained altitude, so did my stress levels. What was my team going to do? Where would we stay? I started searching through saved listings on the Air BnB app, hoping another hostel or apartment might be available in the few minutes before I lost service. My high hopes were unmet. I set my phone down and glanced out the window. I shook my head and couldn’t help but smile, “God, You’re funny.”
I remembered the word several of my teammates and I had received earlier as we prayed for direction during our time in Georgia. With resounding repetition, the word “SPONTANEOUS” came to our minds. If you read my last post, Wrestling With Restlessness, you know letting go of control and planning is a reoccurring struggle in my life. God is sure taking my commitment to trust Him and putting it to the test right away!
Settling in for the 2-hour flight, I decided that, worst-case scenario, my team would sleep on the airport floor for the night. It wouldn’t be the first time. We would survive just fine. When we landed in Tbilisi, Georgia, I let my teammates know the good news first – we get to be spontaneous! And then I spilled the bad news – it’s almost 11 pm and we don’t have a place to stay the night. They took the news with grace and patience.
I checked with my squadmates to see if their teams might know of a place we could stay. Jacken and Mary Grace offered to check with their hostels. I felt led to go with the guy’s team, and thanks to Jacken’s help, found out their hostel had extra beds available that night. We made our way through customs, purchased a local SIM card, withdrew Georgian Lari from the ATM, hailed a taxi, and arrived at the hostel. The host kindly arranged beds for all 11 of us. I took some melatonin and headed to bed. As I drifted off, I heard the voices of Mary Grace’s team. My sleep-deprived mind was too drowsy to comprehend why they were there before drifting off.
In the morning, people slowly came back to life. Low and behold, Mary Grace’s team was there! Turns out, they had unknowingly booked the same hostel as the guys. At first, the host told them he was out of room, even though her team had made the reservation (oops, we might’ve taken their beds…). Thankfully, he was able to work it out and fit everyone in.
Although we typically split away from the whole squad and into individual teams upon arrival, it ended up being a blessing to have all 3 teams together at that time. One of our squad mates received some hard news from home that morning, so we were all able to spend time praying over the situation before splitting up again.
After praying, my team booked another apartment for the next several days so that we could host our team retreat (more on that in an upcoming blog!), and headed out that afternoon. The new place was perfect. Close enough to a few tiny convenience stores for necessities, yet far enough from the town center to avoid distractions. It had a lovely, air-conditioned living room where we held our team meetings and teachings. The yard was filled with a variety of fruit trees, an adorable puppy, a persistent kitten, and a waddling duck. Though it was unplanned on our end, God knew exactly what we needed!
And now, we find ourselves in the same situation again tonight. After today’s not-so-restful sabbath was interrupted by a last-minute trip to the train station to book tickets, Jenn received a message from our Air BnB host in the town we are heading to next. The host said she booked someone else for the timeframe we reserved yesterday. For real?! Did we not learn our lesson of trust yet? I guess that when God gives the word spontaneous, He’s not joking.
If I were to describe my current state of mind, the words “mildly frustrated”, “humored”, and “here we go again” come to mind. On one hand, I would love to have all the bookings arranged and all our plans go smoothly. On the other hand, I’m looking forward to seeing how God uses this apparent interruption. So far, He has been pretty good at redeeming my failed plans. I have a feeling He knows what’s up with this one too. I’m learning, though painfully slowly, to just go with it.
