Please forgive the absence of my precious wife in the header photo! In the midst of our happy reunion this morning, we didn’t take the time to set up a self-timer shot; we’ll make it a priority tomorrow! Anyway, we just wanted to take a few seconds to share with you some details about how I finally got home! Thank you for praying and caring for us the way that you do!
Stranded in Sydney: I arrived an hour late in Sydney which carved my layover time down to 20 minutes. Delta and Air Niugini don’t work together so I had to get my bags, run through customs and check-in again in order to make my connection. Needless to say there wasn’t enough time and I was left stranded in Sydney. I needed to get in touch with my travel agent but I couldn’t get the pay phone to make an international phone call. As a last resort I flipped open my laptop and discovered free wifi in the terminal. Thank God my niece, Joy Cusimano, was on Facebook and she gladly became my ‘middle man’. She was able to track down my travel agent and we began to swap emails immediately!
Credit Card Fiasco: Our travel agent was able to book me on a domestic flight to another city and on to PNG, but when I arrived at the domestic terminal to purchase my ticket I found our credit card had been frozen. We didn’t alert the credit card people to my travel plans and so they locked it up thinking that attempted expenditures in Australia was suspicious. I got back on to our travel agent via email and free wifi in the terminal (only airport in all my travels to offer that service – thank you Lord) and she paid for the ticket using our Discover card from the US. This got my ticket purchased, but when I attempted to check-in I was charged a $30 baggage fee! Of course I had no money and no other way of paying. I offered to wash dishes or even donate my new Nike tennis shoes, but the Qantas lady let me off but gave me a good scolding for not being prepared. I ate my humble pie willingly and rejoiced to be moving forward again.
Fathers and Mothers, Brothers and Sisters: In the Gospels Jesus talks about his disciples inheriting new family members amidst the sacrifice of leaving their own. Fellow New Tribers living in Cairns, Trevor and Estelle Burns, treated me like a son and came and picked me up from the airport. They brought me to their home and put me up for the night, fed me the next morning and got me back to the airport on time – and all this on the first day of their Christmas vacation! Now that’s family treatment.
Port Moresby And No Further: I was able to get on to Port Moresby a day late, but was not able to make a connection home. There were only two options for me – be put on standby for a sold out flight the next morning or buy a ticket on the next available flight home, December 27th. It would take a miracle to get on that flight. There were already 125 people vying for the 101 seats. I would need a personal favor from the pilot to get on that plane.
It’s Who You Know: Missy called me just before supper time to inform me that our miracle had happened. The pilot for the flight I was on standby with is an old friend. My parents sang in his wedding years ago. He used to fly for New Tribes Mission and was more than happy to pull a few strings for me. It was a great feeling to get a hug from the pilot as he strode through the departure lounge early this morning, and an even bigger thrill to sit in the jump seat in the cockpit for a dawn departure headed for home!
Back To Normal: There are no words for how good it feels to be reunited as a family again. We’ve spent the day just being close to each other and taking the time to tell the stories of all the missed moments of the past month. The well was dry and now it is full again – I pray that in the abundance of each other’s presence we wouldn’t lose sight of just how precious the gift of family is. Thank you so much for they way you have shared our sorrows and delights in this intense time.
Many of you have asked about Tiernan. He continues to suffer from a bloated stomach and loss of appetite. It seemed, over the weekend that all of this had passed and Missy decided to not go to see the doctor. Now it seems to be back, and we are again entertaining the idea of flying to the clinic again, whether all of us together or Missy and the boys on their own. Looking to the Lord for wisdom!
Sincerely