I am a person of faith.

Being a person of faith doesn’t mean that I don’t have moments of doubt or worry or angst or fear. It does not mean that I don’t have my share of challenges, difficulties, or problems. It does, however, allow me to view life through a lens that goes beyond what I see in my current circumstance. I fully believe that there is a Creator who has my best interest in mind, who has a greater purpose for my life, and who nudges me in the right direction IF I give Him the opportunity.

I’ve come to realize that I also need to be intentional in seeing the finger prints of my Creator in my life. I am too often guilty of letting my circumstances or emotional state dictate what I can see but then, (insert joyous proclamation), I look back and see the million little miracles.

“All my life I’ve been carried by grace. Don’t ask me how ’cause I can’t explain. It’s nothing short of a miracle I’m here. I’ve got some blessings that I don’t deserve, I’ve got some scars but that’s how you learn…”

Million Little Miracles – Maverick City

I’m convinced, but let me just leave it here for you as well…

As you know from my previous blog, we had our own journey with covid-19. While the physical toll was moderate, at best, it just put my heart and mind in a pit. I liken it to being in the bottom on an empty well; dark, cold. You know you can look up and see light but you just can’t pull yourself out. There was a lot of weeping, sadness, and maybe more self-pity than was necessary. I was also in spiritual lull. I felt abandoned, I felt alone, I felt helpless. I needed reminding that we were not forgotten or forsaken.

We weren’t…

Miracle 1

My husband and I had tested positive for covid-19; me on a Saturday and he on Sunday. Yet, somehow our son, J, tested negative. And while we were taken over by the virus and various symptoms, our kids stayed healthy and active. Whether they had it previous to this, we will never know. All I can confidently say is that my husband and I were sick with covid, and my children were spared any and all sickness!

Miracle 2

Having covid is a lonely sickness, I’ve made that abundantly clear. We placed our family in a strict isolation to protect our nearest and dearest friends. Doing that also meant cutting ourselves off from the few lifelines we had left in our city. We had a dear friends set us up with food and necessities for that period of time. And we assumed that we would be quite alone for the next 10-14 days.

We were blessed when another western friend dropped by with a meal, sanitizing products, and a few comfort foods to get through a few days. It was nice to see people, even at a distance and know we are cared for.

But the miracle in this situation wasn’t that particular friend. It was a national friend who lives with quite a lot of angst when it comes to all things covid. It was this friend who dropped by every 3-4 days, who brought more food than we could eat, who made sure we had fresh and plenty of all the fruits and vitamin-packed goods, who was intentional to text or call. When your friend pushes against her own fears to care for others, when she goes out in to the general public putting herself at risks to bring the juice you requested, it was nothing short of a miracle. And I trust she will receive many blessings in return for her personal sacrifice.

Miracle 3

In Canada and other developed countries, there is a general consensus that if you tested positive for covid-19, you will presumably test positive for some time afterward. That means no testing is done for recovered covid patients before 180 days. Unfortunately, in our context we needed to test negative for covid before we could do any travel. Some airlines and countries were flexible with proof of a positive test BUT for us, that was not the case. We needed to test negative or we would not be able to travel from our city.

I had talked with healthcare workers, family in the healthcare system, and others who had experienced covid. And they all suggested the same, don’t hold our breath for a negative PCR test. And so I didn’t. Instead I explained our situation to people of faith and left it there.

It was about a month after we had recovered from the virus when I went to get tested as a trial. With the cost of testing, we figured just one of us would get tested and that would determine our plan for travel. So, I went early on a Tuesday morning and did the 2+ hour process and waited (impatiently) for my results. Later that afternoon we picked up my test and, against all odds, my test came back negative! We could travel!

Miracle 4

One of the restrictions in our particular city/country during the height of the pandemic was that children under 12 were not permitted to travel by air. I had reached out to our preferred local airlines and they all had the same response; children under 12 could not travel. Even with different rules for foreigners which give some exemptions, they seemed to be uncomfortable committing to the law and told us we could not travel with our children. We had even inquired with our embassy to see how they interpreted the law, and their response was to follow local rules and to wait.

I did check one more airline, one which we tend to avoid, and I brought the rules for foreign travellers with me. I explained our situation to the employee behind the desk, produced the government set rules for foreigners, and asked if they would let my children, both under 12, travel from our city to get home to Canada. She read the information, checked online, and finally made a phone call. After a few minutes, I was able to purchase tickets for our family with just one restriction: we were unable to leave the airport in the capital city and just go directly to our international flights. Yes! We finally had tickets in hand to leave our city. And as an added bonus, we did not have to pay for baggage.

Million little miracles.

During the major lockdown of our city, we were able to launch our business and process our new visas. What typically takes lengthy processes, travel outside of the country, and several attempts, happened fairly quickly, with just a small hiccup of ‘expediting fees’ but no further issue. It isn’t lost on us that we found favour in each and every process.

I had numerous phone calls with travel agents, reservation departments, hotel managers, etc. and each time was met with grace, understanding, exceptions, and kindness. Strangely, I happened to connect with the same travel agent who remembered our circumstance and was able to work the system to a better advantage. I had to rebook tickets 8 times, cancel airbnb reservations, and cancel our isolation hotel all without financial loss.

Million little miracle.

And let me leave this final story with you:

From the point we left our home in Indonesia until we were at the hotel in Toronto, it was about a 44 hour journey. Things went smoothly, the travel was pleasant, our seat mates were kind, and our kids championed the journey home. We spent a night in a hotel and then made our way to our Airbnb for the required 2-week isolation.

We settled in the home and felt completely at peace there. It was warm, welcoming, and spacious for all of us. But I was noticing little things here and there in the home. Scripture verses were on the wall decor, positive thoughts were written on the chalk boards, and a small throw pillow had the lyrics of “Ode To Newfoundland” on it.

So, being a little bold I messaged our hostess and asked if there was some connection to Newfoundland. Yes! Her husband was actually a Newfoundlander and was from an area where we had lived some time back. I also asked if she happened to be a person of faith, because we had really appreciated the scriptures and references to God in her home. I expressed my faith and how it brought peace to our family after such a journey. Her response should not have surprised me. She, too, was a person of faith, who believed that our Creator had a plan and purpose. She believed that nothing happens without our Creator seeing, knowing, guiding… AND on top of that, her great-grandparents had lived a life of purpose in another part of Asia.

Million little miracles.