Endure

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, 

for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:16

Endure...
I knew a time would come when I would be faced with a decision.  What am I really willing to risk to save Esther?  What discomfort to provide for hers?  What danger would I face to see her protected.  On a small scale the events of the day of Esther's freedom really challenged our whole team to decide if any cost would be too great and would we even risk our lives to save hers.  I have to say, it sounds like a no brainer right.  Sitting here at my office desk, far removed from the danger or discomfort of those decisions it is easy to say, of course I would do anything.  I think I would have answered those questions that way in a heartbeat if anybody would have asked me BUT when the time came to actually walk that out I realized just how strong the human desire for comfort and safety in me really is.

The morning we were assembling all of the players to get Esther I had to make a decision.  I was scheduled to fly home later that afternoon and knew that if I did not change my flight I would not be able to be present.  Now most of you know me, I have no problem flying all over the world but there are a few things, old lady things, that I just seem to need in order to keep my sanity on those long flights.  One of those being I am an airplane seat snob.  The other being I hate to book flights with unrealistic connection times knowing that most likely I will get stuck in some airport for the evening if things do not go perfectly smooth.  I had called my husband to have him check to see how much it would cost me to change my flight.  Normally it would be pretty much an arm an a leg but miraculously I was actually able to change my flight and got exactly $13 back.  That is unheard of. The problem was I had to give up my really good seat on the flight I was originally scheduled to fly on and take my chances on a last minute flight that was close to being sold out and one that I would most likely have to run to catch the connection or get stuck somewhere in Asia.  I know, some of you are probably thinking come on Julie really? Save the hate mail.... I get that,  but this blog is about recording the journey as it honestly played out so I admit, I had to think about it.  I was trying to convince myself that I was okay not being there but I knew better.  I heard God say, what are you willing to endure for this.  Can you trust me.  After about 3 seconds of contemplation I did realize there was nothing that could keep me from staying on  and so the hubby was given the green light to change the flight.  We hopped in the truck, headed out to get the uncle which turned into the aunt along with the entire family.  We were all packed in the back of a pickup truck so tightly there was no room to move.  The weather was scorching and we sat for over an hour staring at people we have never met before wrapped together in spaghetti like contortions on the bed of the truck. It was hilarious.  Again, I have a really big space bubble so I am still laughing at the memory of that truck ride.  But what was I willing to endure right?
We had to make a bit of a detour to pick up yet more of the family on the way out to the village. By this time, I had moved inside the truck and left the muddy, bouncy dirt road back of the truck ride to the younger folks.  After taking the detour we found ourselves on a road barely wide enough to be called a road and clearly very rarely traveled.  The Cambodian team member then announced to us that this road was not safe at all and that it was actually a road with land mines.  By this time, we were committed and could not turn around.  It had recently rained so the road was very soft and muddy which is the very worst conditions for tripping a land mine...great.  I was even more concerned when the Cambodian team member closed her eyes and began to pray.  What would you be willing to endure Julie?  Land Mines? Discomfort?  Heat? Fear? Panic? Trauma?  Clearly an exaggeration but you get the picture right.  As we drove down the mine road, I was reminded of a dear friend of ours who did several tours in Iraq.  One of his jobs for a season was to drive the chaplain around from base to base.  He told us that every time he had this guy in the truck, they got blown up by a roadside explosive yet nobody was ever hurt.  It actually became a joke with them.  The chaplain is in the car so expect to be blown up!  In a really strange and somewhat demented way this comforted me so I felt compelled to share it with the team.  " Don't worry this guy I know used to get blown up all the time when he drove the chaplain but nobody ever got hurt!"  I am not sure it brought much comfort but contemplating the magnificence of God's protection in similar circumstances seemed like a good strategy to keep my mind off the LAND MINES!  Everyone took a deep breath when we finally made it to safety but I couldn't stop thinking about the question, " What are you willing to endure?"  How much of your life are you willing to lay down for someone you barely know?" What injustice are you willing to fight for even if it means you pay the price?  Tough questions I know.  I also thought about how many times back home, I was too busy to stop for the one.  I only had a few minutes to get into and out of the grocery store.  I don't want the inconvenience of driving way out to visit someone in need on my only night off?  I can't find the time to return a phone call?  Convicting right?  I wasn't able to really think too deeply about it but now that I am home, far away from that road, I am compelled once again to answer those same questions.  What are you willing to endure for the privilege of serving others?  It is my hope that I would begin to live with a greater awareness of that question and be able to offer up my comfort as a sacrifice to God so that I can be of greater service to others.
A side note about that flight....I arrived at the airport to find that oh by the way, we put you on an earlier ( more expensive) flight at no cost, upgraded your seat to one that reclines and now you will not have to worry about making that connection.  See....God will be a debtor to no one.  That's how he rolls!
I love it!

Love from the road,
Julie