It's Starting Early This Trip!

Well...

As you probably know, Kevin, Megh, Shane, Cassie, and Richie all left this afternoon for two weeks in Romania (or at least you knew they were going...details like the exact day and time should only be required for those who would take them to the airport or are responsible for them packing clean underwear and socks).

OK...at least we thought details like everyone knowing exactly when they were leaving and such weren't important...

So, at noon, Shepherd (our eternal intern whom we love) and myself took them to the airport and sent them off in a prayerful fashion and thought no more about it.

For 4 hours. To be exact.

At 4:30 pm I get a call from Megh. They were about to board the flight to Amsterdam and I asked the typical mom-type question: "How are you doing?" "Most of us are doing well," she replied. "But Dad's not doing so good." (She's mastered Kentucky grammar, isn't she incredible?) "There's a problem with the camera."

The camera in question is City on a Hill's brand new little beastie. I don't know how much this little box cost...but if I did, it would curl your hair and mine. Keeping in mind that Kevin used to travel overseas. A lot. So he's prepared down to having jar of peanut butter and packs of tuna in
his bag. His plan was typical and simple: carry it on at Louisville...and have the little baggage dude put it under the plane with the strollers....Kev carries some $5 and $10 bills for that very purpose and it works very well. He's done it in other countries and it worked magically. And, besides, this is America, so no problem, right?

All went well until they got to Detroit...and Kevin went to get the case. Apparently it was put with the "normal" baggage and then taken off the plane in the "normal" baggage way, and was sent into the bowels of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, (which is under the total control of satan-spawned robots and where no human is allowed to venture under penalty
of death and dismemberment...or worse) and has been treated like the rest of the "normal" baggage and is, at present, supposedly under the plane on its way to Bucharest...because "normal" baggage doesn't really have layovers like people so you can't get to them...they just keep going and going until they reach a Predetermined Final Destination. Hopefully it matches yours.

Knowing Kevin the way you do, you can only imagine how "Perry Mason" he can become when things refuse to go the way he so carefully planned. And I'm sure he Perry Masoned several Northeast Airlines employees until he had to get on the plane. He might even Perry Mason some people at the Northwest Air Corporate (motto: Let Us Really Take Care of Your Bags) offices (he
asked me to look up their phone numbers). Megh tried to get him to eat something, but you can't eat and Perry Mason. Just so you know.

Last I talked to him, he was disappointed at the situation and frustrated to have the case so close and yet to far (that ought to be a song). He also said that "God knew this was going to happen...so He's got a plan." But he did have three prayer requests (and this is why I'm taking up your time):

1) That the camera and other stuff not sustain any damage. It's in a soft case and, although wrapped in bubble wrap and clothes, that's not a lot of protection against oversized, and overweight, American luggage.

2) That the camera not be stolen. It was hand delivered under the plane. I don't know what kind of identification or bar code (if any) that it had. And even so...it would be very tempting to "lift" something that looked tantalizingly like a large, expensive piece of equipment somewhere between here and Bucharest.

3) That it will be happily there with the rest of the luggage, ready to be used...

They won't know anything until Monday afternoon, their time (that's early morning here) but I don't know when they'll be able to contact me.

Please keep them all (and the camera) in your prayers. I'm praying for some Holy Spirit Bubble Wrap to encase that little piece of equipment and keep it safe and invisible (if need be).

And it's barely Day One. And it's just the scouting trip. What kind of crazy spiritual battle have we got ourselves into?

Thanks, so much.

BTW: Megh was SOOOO excited! Last night she said, "Just think: tomorrow I'll have breakfast in Louisville, lunch in Detroit, dinner over the ocean, breakfast in Amsterdam, and lunch in Bucharest! I might just have to freak out!"

She called when she got on the plane to Amsterdam and said, "I still can't believe it! I'll believe it when I see strange soil." I can't imagine anything stranger than Kentucky clay...but you never know...

Their goal once they hit Bucharest is to scout possible locations for the next large film project which surrounds a Romanian couple who started Voice of the Martyrs. It sounds simple enough until you read their books. ("The Underground Church" by Richard Wurmbrand and "The Pastor's Wife" by Sabina Wurmbrand) Then it is obviously God-sized and stunning. Kev had hoped he and Megh would film the team as they went scouting about for a "behind the scenes" thing and to share with those of us "left behind."

Grateful our God is Bigger at: marcyjoybryan@gmail.com