When we were relocating to India, from Istanbul, Turkey, we were told at the last minute that no pets were allowed in and we were forced to walk the walk of faith, if we were to get into India with our cat.
During our flight we befriended an Indian national who sat across from us, who was also a U.S. citizen and going back to Mumbai to visit family. He knew we had the cat, but we never mentioned the recent law change. During the early morning hours of the flight an elderly Indian gentleman went into cardiac arrest and my husband encouraged me to go help. So off I went and after about 15 minutes or so of intense resuscitation efforts, I began to lose hope and took the elderly gentleman's hand in mine and started praying, while others continued working on him. What happened next was an absolute miracle as his heart started beating again and he was talking coherently as we made our emergency landing in Pakistan. A God moment for me and this 81 year old Indian man.
Our emergency landing in Pakistan was a miracle as well, as you may know there is a strained relationship between India and Pakistan, but the olive branch was extended and the Indian gentleman and his family were allowed to get emergency visas to go to the hospital and stay, in addition to allowing our plane to refuel to continue our journey into India. This was so unprecedented that it even made headlines in the newspapers the following day in both countries!
Hours later we were back in the air on our way to Mumbai. Once we landed, we knew we would be faced with our biggest hurdle that would decide whether or not we would make it into India. After we said goodbye to the Indian passenger next to us we proceeded through the necessary customs and baggage claim. Since we had all of our bags with us, 6 to mention, we were the last to leave the baggage terminal. None other than the Indian national did we run into again. He offered his assistance since he was from there, and we gladly accepted.
As we approached the customs control, there was a scanner and I paused wondering how I was going to get the cat through, without them knowing, which was my only plan, since I could not place her bag in a scanner. The Indian gentleman then says to the guard, "Sir what do we do about "fluffy" in the bag", innocently enough because we had not shared the new law with him. The guard goes oh, "A cat in the bag"! I laughed nervously as I knew what was coming next. On cue he said, "We do not allow any pets in." I replied, oh....
At that point the Indian gentleman started speaking to the guard in their language, so I have no idea what he said to him, but I would bet it had something to do with the elderly Indian gentleman who went into cardiac arrest on the plane. The guard then asked me what I was doing and I explained I had been teaching in Istanbul and we were relocating to teach in India. He replied, "Can you show me papers to prove this?" As it turns out I did have a copy of my contract with the school as verification. As I was digging for it, the guard told the Indian, "If she can produce those papers we will let her go". About that time I found the copy and I handed it to them. The guards then waved us on along with cat and all 6 bags and didn't scan anything!
God continued to go before us and open doors that said there was no way! To say that the journey was smooth from that point on would not be honest, but each step I had the confidence of the previous step to encourage us to keep walking and trusting. We did in fact make it even after the cat had to go cargo for the last leg, but was then given a personal body guard to keep a watch over her!
As a result of that journey, I was strengthened to endure the hardships of everyday life that lay ahead, but I was also granted unprecedented favor and protection at each step during my stay.
What I learned through that journey is to trust God more. We are to look to him for our protection and strength during difficult times and draw closer to him as a result of those trials, that he alone sees us through.
Are you going through trials and wondering how you are going to make it? With God ALL things are possible! Mark 9:23. "'If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."
Listen to this song and be encouraged in your walk today, to trust God, no matter your circumstances!
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