Thailand Mission Trip (Day 1–Traveling)
Having packed all the tooth brushes and tooth pastes in ONE big box, I was dishearted to hear the Northwest Airlines check-in attendant said the box was too heavy–exactly 27 pounds over–and it would cost an additional $400 to ship it. I was disappointed that we might have to leave the box behind…the thought of not having the tooth brushes and tooth pastes to give to the Hmong refugees was unbearable. “Oh, God, what should we do?” I said to myself. As soon as I’ve mouthed those words, the attendant suggested we open the box up, take out 27 pounds and add them to the other lighter suitcases. As she went to retrieved the other suitcases, we opened up the box and started to take out the 27 pounds of tooth pastes. We were able to put the 27 pounds of tooth pastes into the other two suitcases. The Lord is faithful and provided this attendant to ensure that we have the tooth brushes and tooth pastes to take to the Hmong refugees.
Due to the eruption of a volcano in Alaska en route to Tokyo, Japan, our plane was diverted to take a longer route, thus needing to refuel in Portland, Oregon. This stop in Portland allowed me the opportunity to retrieved a phone message from Pastor Hak Ung in Bangkok, which provided his cellular phone number for us to inform him of our one night lay over in Tokyo. This refueling delayed our arrival time in Tokyo and caused us to miss our connection to Bangkok, thus spending the night in Tokyo.
After the long lines getting our new boarding passing, going through immigration line and taking the bus to a hotel, we finally get to rest in a very nice hotel. The Lord provided gracious people to supply our needs and made our one night stay in Tokyo memorable, for He knows our bodies needed the rest. “The Lord is faithful” indeed.–Pa Vang
