Last-Minute Miracles
- Niina
- Sep 19, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: Jan 21, 2024
So many things went wrong. I spent months calculating and strategizing every dynamic of our international move to keep our family on track with minimal stress. But no matter how hard I tried, unforeseen factors made it virtually impossible to accomplish anything. It feels a bit dramatic to say, but it's true. Through a series of God ordained last-minute miracles, we moved back to Oregon successfully. I was sure 5 weeks would give us plenty of time to wrap up all the loose ends, say goodbyes, and be ready to return to Oregon. It may have been plausible if plans were implemented flawlessly, but things imploded so magnificently that we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that moving this time around was completely dependent on God's grace alone.
Week 1
The first week went sideways right off the bat. What should have been a 2-day trip to visit an organization regarding future collaborations in anti-human trafficking efforts, turned into a week-long recovery from norovirus. As Kiel drove the team back from Phuket to Hatyai (a 7-hour drive), he became violently ill. Later we would find out from the Thai PBS that several factories had distributed bad ice across the island and hundreds were rushed to the hospitals. Our Thai friends drove Kiel straight to the hospital in Hatyai. After 4 bags of IV-fluids and a night in the hospital, Kiel made it home, but he was so weak and needed the rest of the week to recoup. We had to rearrange all our goodbyes and the saddest part of it all? Everything happened on our 15 year wedding anniversary. Though flat out exhausted, we were also so thankful for dear friends who took care of Kiel, stayed at the hospital with him, and made sure we were all ok that week.
Week 2
Though we lost the first week, we still had four more ... that was still a good amount of time to finish wrapping up life in Hatyai. But on Monday we received an urgent call from friends. They needed to leave the country immediately for an emergency visa run to Penang, Malaysia. The problem was, their 2-month-old didn't have a passport yet. They couldn't take him with them and they needed help. There was no hesitation. I kept remembering when Emelyn was born and it took us forever to get her paperwork in order. I would have been completely frantic and crushed to be in the same situation. Though all went well and God's peace truly rested on that sweet baby boy to sleep through the night and to take a bottle (though he had never been bottle-fed), I was exhausted. And I started freaking out. I remember that last night breaking down in tears and started throwing a pity-party for myself. Didn't God see that we were running out of time? Didn't He know we needed to pack? Why would He allow these two weeks to be completely wiped out when I was running on such little margin?! I remember Kiel looking at me and said, "I don't know how, but God knows where we are at. He will provide help somehow." The next morning, I woke up to a message from a friend, who volunteered to watch our girls for the next 2 weeks, so we could pack. I cried happy, relieved tears of joy.
Week 3
Months prior to our move, I signed up for a 6-day Art & Trauma Healing Seminar for this week because I assumed I would have a good dent in the packing process. At the last minute, I wondered if I should attend at all. But God knew I needed this seminar. Every morning I went to the sessions, and every afternoon/ evening, we packed while our girls hung out with our friends. So many emotions flowed that week, with goodbyes sprinkled in. Kiel and I stayed up until midnight about every night, trying to make sure we got at least 6 hours of sleep to stay functional. This week was such a blur, but it was good. And God met me and ministered to my soul in ways I still don't have words for yet.
One of the beautiful things I experienced during this Art & Trauma Healing Seminar was kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken objects. I bought this little lemon spoon holder for this occasion and gave it one smash with a hammer. Then with a gold glue mixture, I worked to put it back together. Through this exercise, I shed many tears as I reflected on God's restoration process. God intimately knows every detail of our being and His original design for us. He knows our brokenness and when we surrender to Him, He patiently refines us toward holiness. He knows we are dust, and still, He carefully replaces our broken pieces and lovingly fills our empty holes. He is not impatiently trying to rush the process of healing or crafting, but gently and generously spends an extravagant amount of time crafting us into His image. God breathes new life into our imperfect forms, transforming our scars into a testament of His salvation.
Week 4
This week kicked off with a visa run to Penang, Malaysia. Leaving in the middle of moving felt overwhelming on a number of levels, but we had no other options. Thankfully, we live close to the border, and it's just under 3 hours to drive from where we live. I remember waking up just overwhelmingly exhausted by the thought of everything that needed to be done when we returned to Hatyai. That morning I opened the curtains and beholding, this vibrant rainbow. I cried. Our circumstances didn't change and boy, was this a tough week. But God was reminding me of His goodness, grace, and faithfulness. When we returned to Hatyai, we jumped right back into packing rhythms and our friends graciously watched our girls. That week felt so long and draining with goodbyes sprinkled in as we pressed straight into week 5.
Week 5
The last week in Hatyai was by far the most challenging with tough goodbyes and most stressful events. There are not doubts that God miraculously intervening in our situation. For months leading up to this moment, we had researched and asked friends about a moving company, but no one had a solution for us. We knew there were companies in the big cities where tourists resided, but there were only dead ends in Hatyai. With my horrible back issues, I was not an option to do heavy lifting. So we asked two families for help. But at the last minute, one family had an emergency medial trip to Bangkok. The pit in my stomach grew heavier. How would we be able to move now?!
Friday was the big move day. By Wednesday we realized we were in trouble. We had no manpower and it was taking forever to load up our car to take smaller trips to and from the apartment we rented for storage that was downtown (about 30 minutes away, and on the 18th floor). That Wednesday afternoon, our friend Duang told us he knew a guy with a large truck and asked if we wanted to rent it. We were shocked and obviously said YES!! Arrangements were made to have the truck to our house by 9AM on Friday.
Thursday we realized we had no money to pay for the truck. We had a last minute car issue pop up earlier in the week and now we could only pay for the car repair or the truck rental. I remember staying up until 3 AM that night to pack the last as much as we could. We had no money, no manpower, and no margin.
After a mere 3 hours of sleep, we woke up at 6 AM, very groggy from our lack of sleep. We had a notification on our phone telling us that our long-awaited tax return had finally been deposited. We money for the moving truck and the car! But the real shock was when the truck arrived at 9 AM and SIX men jumped out the back to move our entire home. We had absolutely no idea they were coming with the truck. We had manpower! Our friends who also arrived that morning to help with the move, saw how worn out we were and immediately jumped in to help orchestrate and guide the movers. They stepped in to give us margin. After two trips into town, the job was done!
That night, after we checked into our hotel and the girls were asleep, Kiel and I looked at each other and burst into tear. How? It was such a close call. We were astounded. We had nothing and were at the end of ourselves on every level, but God step in to meet every need miraculously. We couldn't stop praising Him for His mercy and goodness regarding His provision and abundance in our situation.
The Bangkok Week
Saying goodbye to Hatyai was tough. By the time we arrived in Bangkok, we were running on empty. But there was still a substantial list of things to do before returning to Oregon. Every turn we took came to an abrupt halt because of some weird bureaucratic loophole. I won't bore you with all the tedious details, but I can testify to God's grace even in this. I still don't know how we got out in one piece, but we did! Our last day, I remember asking God why all these little things had to be so complicated. Why did we have to battle for every step forward? I remember a very clear thought from the Lord: The hits won't stop, but I will be there to meet your needs every step of the way. Life is full of hits. The enemy wants to pull us down, discourage us, keep us disillusioned with false promises of happiness and man-made rest. But Jesus never leaves us alone when the hits come. He walks us through those valleys and breathes life into our weary bones.
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23
Returning Flights
The final lag of our journey also involved last-minute miracles. It took 3 flights: Bangkok to Tokyo to San Francisco (SF) to Portland (PDX). The real unknown was U.S. Customs when arriving in San Francisco. We had 2.5 hours to get through customs, retrieve our 10 checked bags, recheck them, and go back through TSA security to get to our PDX flight. We had a plan ... but then we ended up sitting on the tarmac for 45 minutes, waiting for another delayed plane to depart from our gate. Kiel and I kept looking at each other as time ticked by. How in the world could we make it to our next flight on time? As we wrangled our screaming toddlers (it had already been 20+ hours by this point), a Frenchman volunteered to help us off the plane. Then he volunteered to help us through U.S. Customs, and then helped Kiel retrieve our bags, and then recheck all our bags, and then help us through TSA security. By the time we made it to the other end and we turned around to thank that man, we couldn't find him. He was just gone. Angel or no, that man was a God-send. We never would have made it to our flight in time has he not helped us every step of the way. We got to our gate just in time to board our last flight to Portland *deep breaths*.
Last year, I wrote down some discoveries about palm trees while reflecting on Psalm 92:12: "The righteous flourish like the palm tree..." Palm trees are known for their resilience and flexibility. If you have ever watched palm trees being ravaged by tropical storms or hurricanes, you will note that they fold up their branches like umbrellas that lean back and forth with the wind. This allows the violent wind and rain to roll off its branches, much like water on a duck's back. Sure, the palm tree loses dead branches, but once the storm passes, the palm tree remains standing and the branches bounce back to life.
Sometimes survival is the real victory. Christ empowers His children to endure hardships and trials beyond their abilities, because flourishing forward has nothing to do with the situations you face and everything to do with the Vine you're attached to (John 15:5). Do you feel like life is thrashing you to pieces? Allow Jesus to fold up your branch and sustain you. You can draw near to God by resting in His Word when the hurricanes of life barrel down. There is no problem too big or situation too far gone for Jesus to redeem.
"Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Thank you Lord for meeting every need of this international move. You saw we were completely depleted and You showed up. Your provision is unmatched, Your love is steadfast and true. I am humbled by Your mercy and grace after grace. May I never forget the great works You have done for my family and how You carried us through every situation chaos and heartache. Thank you Jesus, Amen!
Comments