As I am writing this, I am actually supposed to be exploring Bagan.
WHERE?? You may ask...
Well check this out: http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1
Well, why aren't you then, you may ask the screen...
In one sentence... "It was not in Gods will"
Let me start from the beginning. Sunday afternoon we head off to the airport, bags pack ready to explore Myanmar and spend some much needed time away as a family. We get to the check in and the lady asks if we have visa. No, we don't we say. But haul out the invitation letter the ADRA office in Myanmar had arranged for all the board members who would be attending the Board meeting. So off she goes...hmmm...not a good sign. About 10 mins later she comes back telling us we are not on the list of countries allowed to get visa on arrival in Myanmar. Big panic. So we call the lady in Myanmar who had arranged the visa letters. No, we are told. They just don't know what they are talking about. So they phone immigration at the airport. The immigration says they will allow us in. So immigration tells the airline to let us on the flight. Phew...problem solved we think...
So off we go to the lounge, relax and eat a bit and on the flight. One and a half ours later we land in Yangon. Happily we march off to go fill in our forms for the visa. So this lady with her walky talky in hand comes up to us. Takes our filled forms and hands it to a security officer and he takes it to the immigration officer. So we wait a few minutes. He comes back and says, no, the immigration officer has denied the visa we have to get back on the next flight to Bangkok.
WHAT!!!???!!!
No, this can not be happening. So frantically we try to call the lady that we spoke to earlier. How could this be, immigration said they would let us in. We kept calling, and they kept telling us they need to escort us back to the plane. Eventually after trying to get hold of someone from the Myanmar office, we realize that it is useless...we had to get back on that plane.
I have to tell you...that was probably one of the most embarrassing, humiliating experiences of my life. I felt like a criminal being led away. We kept calm, Bella cried a little. Walking onto that plane, everyone knowing you are the reason they had to wait for an hour...let's just say...humiliating! I just tried to hold my head up high, not look anyone in the eye and pretend like nothing was out of the ordinary...
Now, this is what I really wanted to tell you. I have the most impressive kids in the world! Sorry for all you other parents out there...I got the best...!
Joshua says to me, "Well now I can have some more time to play with Daniel" (we had people staying in our house while we where gone, and their one son is friends with Joshua)
And then the kicker...Bella softly touches my arm and says to me" Mommy, God planned it this way. It is in His will"
Well, let me just tell you. At this point I broke down and cried. The two of us sat there crying...
It took an eight year old to bring me back to the basics. If it is not in God's will, it will NOT happen.
And that makes this entire experience okay.
So what have I learned from this entire experience, you might ask.
Well, we may make plans and arrangements all we want. But if it is not in Gods plan, it will not happen. And I have learned not to just assume things are going to work out how I want it to or how I have planned it to go. They will work out how God wants it to.
My grandmother always finished her sentences with 'God willing'...I like that. I think I am going to adopt that.
If I ask for God's will in my life, then I should expect some unexpecteds...God willing...
WHERE?? You may ask...
Well check this out: http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1
Well, why aren't you then, you may ask the screen...
In one sentence... "It was not in Gods will"
Let me start from the beginning. Sunday afternoon we head off to the airport, bags pack ready to explore Myanmar and spend some much needed time away as a family. We get to the check in and the lady asks if we have visa. No, we don't we say. But haul out the invitation letter the ADRA office in Myanmar had arranged for all the board members who would be attending the Board meeting. So off she goes...hmmm...not a good sign. About 10 mins later she comes back telling us we are not on the list of countries allowed to get visa on arrival in Myanmar. Big panic. So we call the lady in Myanmar who had arranged the visa letters. No, we are told. They just don't know what they are talking about. So they phone immigration at the airport. The immigration says they will allow us in. So immigration tells the airline to let us on the flight. Phew...problem solved we think...
So off we go to the lounge, relax and eat a bit and on the flight. One and a half ours later we land in Yangon. Happily we march off to go fill in our forms for the visa. So this lady with her walky talky in hand comes up to us. Takes our filled forms and hands it to a security officer and he takes it to the immigration officer. So we wait a few minutes. He comes back and says, no, the immigration officer has denied the visa we have to get back on the next flight to Bangkok.
WHAT!!!???!!!
No, this can not be happening. So frantically we try to call the lady that we spoke to earlier. How could this be, immigration said they would let us in. We kept calling, and they kept telling us they need to escort us back to the plane. Eventually after trying to get hold of someone from the Myanmar office, we realize that it is useless...we had to get back on that plane.
I have to tell you...that was probably one of the most embarrassing, humiliating experiences of my life. I felt like a criminal being led away. We kept calm, Bella cried a little. Walking onto that plane, everyone knowing you are the reason they had to wait for an hour...let's just say...humiliating! I just tried to hold my head up high, not look anyone in the eye and pretend like nothing was out of the ordinary...
Now, this is what I really wanted to tell you. I have the most impressive kids in the world! Sorry for all you other parents out there...I got the best...!
Joshua says to me, "Well now I can have some more time to play with Daniel" (we had people staying in our house while we where gone, and their one son is friends with Joshua)
And then the kicker...Bella softly touches my arm and says to me" Mommy, God planned it this way. It is in His will"
Well, let me just tell you. At this point I broke down and cried. The two of us sat there crying...
It took an eight year old to bring me back to the basics. If it is not in God's will, it will NOT happen.
And that makes this entire experience okay.
So what have I learned from this entire experience, you might ask.
Well, we may make plans and arrangements all we want. But if it is not in Gods plan, it will not happen. And I have learned not to just assume things are going to work out how I want it to or how I have planned it to go. They will work out how God wants it to.
My grandmother always finished her sentences with 'God willing'...I like that. I think I am going to adopt that.
If I ask for God's will in my life, then I should expect some unexpecteds...God willing...
This is the only photo we got from our trip...
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1 comment:
God’s will is not always our will, but God knows best. The faith of a child is something we can admire and learn from. Glad you are safe, maybe next time God will let you go. Lovies Pa
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