Travel – a joy and burden!

What is your attitude to travel?

People often romanticize travel – exotic locations, airport lounges, interesting photos! However, if you’ve travelled extensively in or out of your home country, you’ll know that travel can also be brutal!

The alarm woke me at 3:30 am after a few hours of restless sleep. Arriving at the airport, I discovered that the 6:30 am departure had been pushed back two hours. Argh! I could have slept to a more reasonable hour.

I was scheduled to speak to sport and government leaders three hours after landing. I now had only 45 minutes to get there. As I left the airport, an aggressive airport policeman grabbed my arm. “Please show us your visa. No, that’s not the right one. We need your visa for this region.”

I didn’t have the right visa, so was led away and detained at the airport until things were resolved. I messaged my host and told him I would not get there in time, and he was now the key speaker.

I was finally released from airport security ten hours later. By then, we faced a three-hour drive at night up winding roads into the mountains. With windows open because of the heat, belching fumes from passing coal trucks poured into the car.

Travel isn’t always romantic! It can be very tough. Paul knew all about this.

Acts 20:22-23

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.

There is a cost in serving the Lord in Gospel work. Expect that things will not always run smoothly.