As we all joined at the airport on Thursday, July 19th our whole team was filled with excitement, a few nerves, and hope that God would show up in awesome ways. Our expectations were put to the test right away as our flights got delayed one after the other. Once we finally got to Frankfurt, Germany, however, only 14 were able to go directly Poland. The other 8 of us had to stay the night in Frankfurt and fly to Krakow the next day.
Mid-afternoon, we all arrived and soon made our way to reconnect with the rest of our team. In the Krakow airport, we discovered and were able to recover some of our luggage. Later that night, everyone had their luggage--except me. Immediately I became overwhelmed with worry, doubt and frustration. I knew this was a test, but it was so easy to feel sorry for myself as I thought about how awful it would be to go through the week without my things. I knew it was just 'stuff' but it was my comfort, and without it, was I willing to fully trust God that He would provide?
The next day we went to Auschwitz, which was a very sobering and humbling experience. At one point we came upon the room where all the victims' luggage was kept. When the people came to the camp, they were told to bring their belongings, but the Nazis immediately seized them, with the owners never seeing their belongings again. In the museum they had cases full of clothes, shoes, pots and pans, and eye glasses piled up. These were things that people came prepared with but would soon have to learn to live without. Then that made me think of my situation, for it had been brooding over me all morning anyway. Here I was in a completely new place--an entirely different country-- and I had followed the packing list to a tee, making sure I had everything I would need. Thanks to the airlines, however, my luggage was lost and I was faced with the realization that I may have to go without it. At this point, (one of many I had on this trip) I realized that this world is a whole lot bigger than myself. I could have had it a whole lot worse. Then, right in the middle of this museum, I surrendered this luggage ordeal to the Lord. I asked that He would give me peace so that I could be okay with whatever happened and so that I could return my concentration on Him for the week. About an hour later, Derek told me that he could just see my luggage waiting in the lobby with a bow on it when we got back. Little did he know that my mom had actually tied ribbon onto my suitcase for me to recognize it in the baggage claims.
On our ride back to the hotel, I no longer felt worried, but a something else. Hope. As we walked up to our hotel, I remember someone pointing in the lobby and motioning for me to come in. Sure enough, there was my luggage--complete with a little green bow tied to the handle. I am so thankful that God taught me about looking to Him for peace so early in the week. Seeing His unbelievable views from our hikes helped remind me that there truly is a whole other world, other people out there. In the States, it's so easy for us to become bogged down with the 'Me, me, me' syndrome... I believe that God helped humble me on this trip so that I can better serve others back home!
Thankful for His many blessings,
Alyssa
