alright... grab a drink and sit down for an ooooh so spooky tale! OK, just kidding - hehehehtoday's challenge is to tell about a time in our life that we have been scared...
I've been wanting to document this event... so this is great for me :)
It's not a "jump out and frighten you" kind of scary.. just a "oh no! what am I going to do fearful" event... alright, let's begin:
Background history: (setting the stage - LOL)
Year: Feb. 10, 1999
Previous Events: John had just recently been commissioned as an officer in the US Army (May of '98). His first assignment after completing the Officers Basic Course - Seoul, South Korea. It was to be a Hardship tour (where the family couldn't go with him). We applied for a command sponsorship (where the boys - August and Seth - and I could go too). It was denied. He leaves for Korea on January 4. The boys and I go to my parents to stay. The plan was that when John got there, he would find a place for us to live (off post - in a Korean neighborhood) and the boys and I just go over (on our own dime) and live. So he gets there and finds us a little villa (shown here in the photo.. we lived upstairs). The boys and I just are waiting for our Passports and Visa's... they finally arrive and we get a flight over to Korea for the 3 of us. We depart on February 10. Now the story begins...
First of all... the whole ordeal of getting to Korea took exactly 24 hours. I was traveling alone for 19 of those hours (my parents drove me to the airport - which was like 5 hours away -- it was a MUCH cheaper flight to leave from Denver than anywhere else)... August had just barely turned 2 and Seth was 8 months old. August came down with a huge fever and diarrhea for the whole flight! NOt fun.. but it DID make him sleep and not be a wild, uncontrollable 2 year old on a 17 hour flight - so that was actually a blessing! Also, we were flying on a Korean airline and so all the stewartess's were Korean and thought little Seth (who was bright blonde) was so adoralbe so they really helped out and would prance him up and down the isle...
Ok.. let's get onto this FEARFUL event that happened...
Fast forward to the plane landing... Imagine me trying to get off the plane with 2 little boys. August carseat. Seth in his carseat. a stroller. a diaper bag. and a carry on! I must have been a sight! I just keep telling myself - I just have to make it off the plane and I will be met by John and all will be well! I somehow manage to get off the plane and... no John. I start to panic. I'm not sure what to do... I just start following the crowd - for they seem to know where they're going. I make it through customs. no familiar faces. no american faces. I keep following the crowd. We are now at the baggage claim. no John. I am soooo worried! I think to myself how I am lost in this city with 22 million people and am stranded. It was a horrible feeling! Both boys were screaming by this point. I had lost it. I drop everything and start crying (funny now when I think about how this must have looked - a foreigner and her little boys sitting at the baggage claim sobbing!). I felt so overwhelmed (I hadn't slept.. the time change... traveling for that long with 2 small children) ... so out of my comfort zone -- I felt so ALONE! I didn't even know what to do! So, I started to pray. Literally. I plead to my Heavenly Father "HELP ME! I can't find John. I don't know what to do! HELP!" as soon as I closed my prayer, a Korean airport personnel was walking past me. The thought came to me - STOP HIM! so, I said "excuse me.. do you speak any english?"... he said "ahhh. yes. english" (this was good enough for me!) I explained how I was supposed to have met my husband but couldn't find him anywhere. He then told me that no one is allowed INSIDE of the airport and that he was probably outside waiting for me. He then gathered up all of my luggage... helped me through the 2nd set of custom gates and outside to where I see John waiting for us! My fear was gone! I was filled with comfort (and exceeding gratitude for that wonderful Korean citizen who helped me!). On the way to our "new" home for the next year..John explained that he had no idea that he wasn't going to be allowed inside of the airport and was so worried for me. In the end, it all turned out well.. but I will never forget that scared feeling I had that overcame me and how the Lord shows his tender mercies when we plead to Him!
11 comments:
Oh wow... awesome story. I traveled with my three all by myself, but it was only to Seattle. Not more than halfway around the world! Glad it all worked out!
Wow!! I would have been so, so scared too!! You handled it really well!
Yikes! What strength!!
Whew - glad that's over and all turned out a-okay!!!
Wow! What an amazing story....tender mercies everywhere, woudln't ya say?
I would have freaked out to, not to see the one person that you count on the most to be there for you. Glad to know it all worked out in the end.
What a brave woman you are!
It's nice to have a little
divine intervention once in
a while, too!
Oh wow!!! I so felt your fear. I would have felt the same way. So glad it turned out ok.
First of all you are one brave lady to travel that far with 2 little boys on your own! Secondly, thank goodness divine intervention!
oh, I love you. I think you are such a positive and wonderful person because you have been through a lot to serve our country, and to be such an incredible mother and wife. I
really appreciate your sunshiney nature and think your family is incredibly blessed to have such a happy mother and wife.
You were brave to go there w/ two littles and face all of that!!
I thought you were going to tell the story of how you and I scared Gus so badly that he screamed like a little girl when we jumped out at him one night when he got home late and it was dark.
Boy was that great. I'll never forget seeing this big Army dude flailing his arms and screaming shrilly at the top of his lungs when his little wife and little sister jumped out and yelled, "Rawr!"
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