Early Training.

So this is totally true.

This year I got a chance to be a V2, and found out that I have to lead half of students to OKC. What’s more, Dr. Chen will lead another group, which means he won’t be with us. Well in the past, most of the times Dr. Chen will lead all of the VOICE students to our destination, and he also has more experience of traveling abroad. However, because of the rule change of airlines, we have to divide the whole group into two.

To be frank, I was freaking out! I don’t have that much experience of traveling abroad and knowing all the process of security check, baggage check, custom…etc. As a reason, I did all the research of airport. I got the list of students, maps of airport, process of transit, and everything! So, at the beginning, everything went well, all the leaders are great and responsible, we didn’t lose anyone, we had plenty of time to transit after passing the custom… so eventually my group went with me and arrived the gate, guess what? Our plane was delayed!

“Delayed? Alright, it should be fine. That only means that we are going there late. That’s all.” I thought to myself. But then, from 19:00 to 21:45, it was delayed again to 22:30! “Oh man, we are going to be exhausted when we get there.” I thought.

But I was wrong. We didn’t get there eventually because the flight was then canceled! I tell you, when I heard “canceled” at that moment, my brain went blank. Such a strong feeling of helpless caught me and I called one of the staffs. “I don’t know what to do…” my tears rolling around my eyes while on the phone but never got chance to go out because I simply can’t do that. I don’t have time to cry and I don’t want to make students panic.

Then I talked to one of the staff at the airport. Thank God for her because she promised to give us hotel, food, shuttle bus, and boarding pass of the flight tomorrow morning at 9:00. I talked to the students, since we didn’t want to go the security check all over again; we decided to stay in airport.

That was probably the worst night ever. I woke every 5 mins, hiding all the fear inside. I can’t let them down. They got no one but me. Next morning around 4, I found out that our flight is delayed again.

“Is it going to be canceled too?” I asked the staff in airline customer center with my voice trembling. “Please, I have 20 students! And we have been waiting here at the airport since 15:00 yesterday…”

Thank God for His mercy and grace that this staff immediately helped us to make sure that the flight won’t be canceled. It’s usually not that easy to get nice treated by customer center staff, especially when your race is different.

So finally we got to the gate, the airplane we should be on, is not there. “Is it going to be delayed again? How can they do this?” one of the students asked me. “I don’t know, dear. I seriously don’t know why.” At that time, I can do nothing but pray. Also with my heart trembling and fluctuating inside like there’s a storm.

So we waited till 11:00, the airplane finally showed up. Thank God, we finally got to OKC. It’s all His grace. That’s the first time I fall asleep for 24 hours. Karen came to give me a hug. “God has your training early.” She said. I almost burst into tears. Till that time that I realized actually how scared I am inside, and how hard I tried to press it down. My fear is much way stronger than I thought.

“I will not leave you comfortless…” John 14:18

For God is our heavenly father. He promised us not to leave or forsake us. No matter how bad the situation may seem, no matter how many times your faith is shaking and your heart is sinking, no matter how fearful you are, that promise is never going to change no matter you believe it or not. Only through these hard times that we might be equipped and trained to be a servant that meet for the master’s use.

Well God, just one more lesson on my V2 lesson list. I am thankful for it teaches me about faith, fear, and courage.

-Joy Liao