Seven years ago today

Seven years ago today I was sitting on a bus traveling from Nairobi, Kenya to Arusha, Tanzania. I was traveling with Susan, a friend and fellow student, who had also just completed six months in East Africa. Two days before we had set out from Kampala, Uganda on a bus to Nairobi, and the beginning of our trip had decided to keep a list of the ways in which we saw God at work around us. (If you have never traveled in the majority world - on their means of public transport - it is a terrific way to increase your dependence on God, and open your eyes to your need for Him.) Already we had seen protection, provision, and providence in remarkable ways - one of which I'll share at the end of this post.

As we sat on this bus on our way to Arusha, we looked at our already long list of ways that we had clearly seen God's mercy on us. It was then, only then, that I realized that it was the fourth Thursday of November. Not only had our Father surrounded us with protection and provision, He had even prepared us to give Him thanks! That is wonderful sovereignty!

Here is one small glimpse of the many ways in which we were protected. Susan and I, after traveling by land into Tanzania, were to fly from Kilimanjaro airport to Zanzibar, a small island off the coast of Tanzania. While we were in the air, the captain announced that there was no power on Zanzibar, and therefore we would not be landing there. Instead, we would land in Dar es Salaam, on the mailand. That was not a problem, except for the fact that several of our friends were planning to meet us at the Zanzibar airport that night, and we had no way to contact them, nor they to contact us. (Far from having cell phones, I hadn't even used email in six months!)

So we stayed the night in Dar, and in the morning hopped on a plane that put us in Zanzibar. Our friends were nowhere to be seen. We shared a ride with some other travelers into Stone Town (the downtown area of the island), where they allowed us to drop our bags in their hotel room while we searched for our friends. It was to no avail. Finally, we went back to the airport on the off chance that our friends might have come late, but they hadn't. So Susan and I sat down in the little airport restaurant to figure out what we were going to do. Our friends had been responsible for arranging all of our lodging, travel and everything for the week, so we didn't have the first clue of where to begin.

As we sat there wondering what to do, a pair of hands reached through an open window behind me [note to self: never sit with your back to an open window] and grabbed me by the shoulders. I tensed, not knowing what to expect next. Then I heard the familiar voice of our friend Jason! They had found us, by God's providence, and we were not alone on the island for the week! We had yet another incident to record in deep thanks to God.