Hey all! I’m so excited to be writing to you again from Asia!
Well, it is sunny and warm here! (You’re probably surprised
with all the talk of “Ice City” – that will come soon enough). The
sky is more blue and clear than Ive yet seen in my time in this country,
which is amazing. It definitely has a smaller feel (only about 4-5
million people here;) than the city I lived in before, and perhaps less affluent as well. The people have been friendly and curious overall, and me and the
team are having a great time making friends and using our language skills.
Thanks so much for you yarpers during our ~40 hours of travel
beginning early Monday morn. We experienced so much favor, it’s
ridiculous! My teem was on different flights until Seatle, when
Simba and I were to have 1/2 hr to make our connection and
join the other three (Amilah, McDoogle, and Rocky;) Wouldn’t you
know it, our flight from JFK was delayed and we ended up getting in
at the exact time our flight over the Pacific was to leave…….
We had notified the crew and the people in Seatle were ready for us
(and 5 others including our two new Asian friends, one of whom wants
to become a Christian! 😉 and we made the fastest connection Ive ever
made. The gate was right next door and we actually spent less than
a minute in the airport . The crew was great and understanding,
and we touched down in country 12 hours later, at 11pm. After
spending the night in the airport (praise God for the comfy “camp”
we found), we boarded one more plane for the final leg of the trip.
A few hours later, we stood with all our luggage on a median,
downtown in our new city, traffic whizzing by on both sides, people shouting
and spitting, buying food from street vendors. staring and smiling
at us —- WE WERE TRULY BACK!!!
Another answered prayer was that we had met two women on the flight
who helped us book a reputable hotel. (One even informally invited
us to dinner!) We flagged a van, loaded our luggage without an inch
to spare, and were on our way. After trying a couple other places
closer to our campus, and about a dozen phone calls, we found the
right hotel and are happily here now, worshipping our Father who is
SO good to us in every way. We are also asking for His will today
as we have much to do.
With the love of our Saviour and King,
Clive