…so how did I see Him rise?
I saw Him rise because during the week when it mattered the most, transpo&hosting didn’t have much glitches and mishaps. At least not as many as we were expecting. Prior to our D-day, everything and anything that could go wrong went wrong. Everything. It was so bad that minutes before I got picked up from my house to go to the airport, we were still in a meeting fixing the transpo&hosting list to make sure everyone was accounted for and the hosts’ requests regarding the amount of people they were available to host in their homes and the specific days they could host were honoured as well.
I saw Him rise through the hosts who so willingly opened their homes to delegates travelling from other provinces and cared for them as if they were their own children. I saw Him rise through the youth who took time off their busy schedules to drive the delegates around town and took it upon themselves to act as our personal tour guides so we can better appreciate the beauty that is British Columbia.
I saw Him rise through the volunteer drivers who didn’t complain about flights being delayed, throwing them off their schedules. Some were even forced to wake up in the middle of the night to make sure no one was stranded in the airport even though they had to go to work at 7 in the morning. These drivers also didn’t mind the long drive and the multiple trips they had to take from the airport to the delegates’ host houses or to the UBC, and vice versa.
I saw Him rise through the team I was privileged to work with. Nikki, Gyan, and Kevin selflessly gave their time in order to make sure everyone who requested for hosting had a home to stay in and someone to bring them there. Due to the different time zones we were all in, our meetings would usually start 9:30 or 10pm PST and go until 2, sometimes 2:30am PST. Most of the time we would have to deal with people who would not reply to our emails/texts/requests to confirm and clarify their flight details and hosting needs. Through all the obstacles and road blocks we faced, I don’t remember hearing a complaint from anyone. In our meetings especially as D-day grew closer and closer, the stress and anxiety levels were unsurprisingly, at an all time high. Despite all that, we would manage to crack a few jokes as well as some sassy comments here and there to keep everyone’s spirits upbeat and to wake those who were feeling tired or sleepy. If one of us sensed that another person was having a hard time and was losing patience regarding the lack of responses, we made sure that we were there for them. As a group, we reminded one another to find Christ in all that we do and in all that we have to serve to make the service easier to bear.
It’s been about 3 weeks since the TNC and up to now, I’m in awe and am amazed of how He manifested His power not only because of how transpo&hosting turned out but also because of how He worked in and through us to take care of His people. Despite ourselves. Despite our limitations. I’m grateful because by asking me to serve in this capacity, I was able to discover just how patient (and sassy, LOL) I can really be and how much more I can love (metro region, especially). More importantly, it has shown me the wonders that can happen when one puts all their hope in Him and in His faithfulness.