A Visa Run followed by a Rocky Return

The past month has flown by! The office was busy during the weeks leading up to my trip. I guess I should describe my trip, and share with you how fortunate I am. In the months preceding my original arrival here, my family planned a family-wide vacation to the beach for this June. Accordingly, I anticipated missing out on this gathering. However, two factors permitted me the opportunity to briefly return to the USA to see them. First, my visa is a one year multiple-entry business visa, which only permits me to remain in the country for 6 months at a time. Accordingly, at some point during my fellowship a "visa run" is required in which I needed an entry and exit stamp on my passport for at least five days. Second, while there certainly are closer countries than the USA, a great airfare price permitted me to remain within my budget and still go visit my family for this trip.

I spent six days with my family and Megg on Tybee Island, off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. I cannot describe how refreshing familiar faces and accents; fresh air; quiet and smooth car rides; and mounds of beef and seafood were to me. Most of all, its impossible to describe how much it meant to spend time with my family and Megg. In fact, everything went so well that I wished I could spend another week doing the same thing.

With this mindset, at the end of the week my family dropped me off at the Atlanta airport on Saturday. My flight left Atlanta at 4:00pm on Saturday and after 23 hours of travel and 10 hours of time change, I arrived in Mumbai at 1:00am, Monday morning, knowing that I needed to be at work later the same morning. Tired and disheartened, I chose to focus on many of the negatives of this country- the pungent pollution that coats your throat immediately upon emergence from the cabin of the plane and ceaselessly clings to you during your stay, the unnecessary noise, the ruthless crowds, the delay in getting your baggage, the driver insisting on ripping you off, and the overwhelmingly discouraging thought that I was on my own again. I openly acknowledge that my mindset was not what it should have been at this time.

Actually, this is exactly the kind of experience that makes me long for Paul's perspective in Philippians 4:11, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." And Paul was persecuted and in jail when he said this... looks like I've still got a lot of growing to do.

Nevertheless, this was the time that God chose to give me some unanticipated encouragement. As I dragged my jet-lagged self into the office around 8am, several of the coworkers who are closest to me met me with deep and sincere smiles and laughs. Their excited and kind greeting knocked me off my feet. I'm used to controlling and predicting my emotions more effectively- but not this time. I felt missed, I felt encouraged, I felt peace, I experienced genuine edification. It was a wonderful blessing and, undeniably, the answer to the prayers of some of those I left in Atlanta. After this divinely-orchestrated retransition, I resumed my duties with vigor and gratefulness, reminded of why I am here and of how much I believe in this work. Unexpectedly, each day this week got better. In fact, it was one of the best weeks I have had here. It made me realize exactly how much I enjoy doing my job.