Hey everyone,
Thank you so much for your faithfulness to pray for Byron and I over this last month. It's been such a crazy adventure, and we would definitely still be stuck in the Moscow airport if it wasn't for your prayers and the Lord's grace. So, here's one last post, testifying to the goodness of the Lord. In case you're wondering, we will still be blogging now that we're back in Denver, but the posts probably won't be quite as exciting : ) ....We plan to keep you updated on everything the Lord's doing in our lives, and tomorrow, we'll be posting where we want to move, how soon we think that will happen, and our prayer/monetary needs.
Let's begin in Kiev...
July 15th - 1pm
We were so fortunate to catch a ride with Kevin (the missionary we were staying with in Kiev) to the airport. After backpacking around Ukraine for a month, our feet and backs were really sore, and we couldn't imagine navigating the Metro and buses to get to the airport (We absolutely refused to call a taxi because, well, we're just hardcore haha! and cheap!). Kevin works with OMS International, and this summer, he's leading an English camp for Ukrainians and English speaking teachers. It's a really cool concept. This English camp is actually what first got Byron and I interested in Ukraine. And, if after reading this blog, you're interested, check this link out:
http://ukraineenglishcamp.blogspot.com
We were waiting at the airport until our flight left at 7pm. It was a long time to wait, but we were happy to wait because (1) We love Kevin (and Debbie), and we were really sad to say goodbye and (2) We got to be there while all of the English teachers arrived for camp. It was cool meeting them and knowing what everyone looked like so that we could pray for them during their camp.
Also, if the Lord leads you to donate to the ministry work that Kevin and Debbie are doing, here's info for that:
http://www.onemissionsociety.org/donatetoyourmissionarynow/details/248/dnelson?vmcchk=1
Once we got onto the plane in Kiev, the adventure really began. We arrived in Moscow around 8:30pm and started the long wait until our flight at 12:50pm the next day. When we first arrived, we had to check in at the transit desk. As Byron was walking up to the counter, the clerk goes, "Hello Mr. Johnson." This really caught us off guard. We weren't sure if the girl just remembered us from last time we were there, or if something else was going on - like we were on the airport's "radar." We also couldn't get a boarding pass because we were there too early, and we were flying standby. Word of advice... If the Lord doesn't specifically confirm that He wants you to fly standby through Russia without a visa, DON'T. We were really nervous the whole time we were in the airport, and just prayed constantly that the Lord would protect us and give us favor.
The clerk allowed us into the main international terminal even though we didn't have boarding passes, but said we had to come back to her at 7am to check in. We were able to "set up camp" a lot faster than we did last time we were in this airport, which was nice. We even slept soundly for a few hours.
July 16 - 7am
We go back to get our boarding passes, and the clerk still can't print them. This is where we started to get concerned. Her shift was over and so a new clerk started working with us...And she wouldn't allow us to leave this special holding area. By 10am, we still didn't have boarding passes, and were starting to get really hungry (and thirsty). I asked if we could go get food and water, and we were told we weren't allowed to leave the holding area. Then, I noticed that all the clerks behind the counter had copies of our passports with various things highlighted in yellow. They also had taken and kept all of our online ticket print outs. We were so cold, and the seats were metal... We were really getting scared that we'd never get out of this holding area. The hours kept ticking by, and soon it was 12pm. Still no boarding passes. Fortunately, our flight to DC got delayed 2 hours, which gave us more time to pray and hope we would get out of the holding area. Also, when you fly standby, you have to check in at the gate to get on the flight... We weren't allowed to go to the gate.
We started to read the Bible together, and as some of you might have noticed, I've been reading Joshua recently because I feel like we've been experiencing a lot of things that are talked about in the book of Joshua (minus the war, of course!). That's when I read this:
"Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, and said to them: "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. "You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. "And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents [and] to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. "But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents" (Joshua 22:1-6, NKJV)
I immediately felt like the Lord was saying, "You have done what I have asked you to do, and I will give you rest and bring you back to your home." I told this to Byron with excitement, and I told him that I felt like the Lord told me we would fly to DC in first class because He was promising us rest.
July 16 - 2:30pm
The clerk finally calls us up to the transit counter and says she's going to let us try to board the plane (which was delayed until 3:25pm). She still couldn't print us boarding passes, so she gave us handwritten boarding passes. We made it through security, no problem, and went down to our gate. While in line, we're told that the flight is 100% booked and that they over sold it, so some people who bought tickets might not even make it on the plane - Yet there we were, two standby passengers, not having any tickets, but holding onto a promise from the Lord.
While standing in line, this guy asks us if we're waiting for the DC flight. First off, we're shocked that he spoke to us in English. Secondly, as we were listening to his conversation with his wife after he first spoke to us, I heard him mention church and worship. We started talking to the couple and found out that they were both out in Siberia, doing a scouting trip, similar to what Byron and I were doing in Ukraine. AND, they both had gone to CCBC (Calvary Chapel Bible College). It was so awesome talking to them and encouraging each other. They even prayed with us, that the Lord would give us favor and get us on the flight.
Boarding begins, and we nervously wait in line. We starving too, and really thirsty, because we hadn't have any access to food or water for some time. Then, we hear our names called. We walk up to the counter, and we're handed two first class tickets for the flight home. Praise the Lord!
First class was amazing... We were able to turn our seats into beds (Just like the Lord promised, that He'd give us rest), and we were given tons of water and a 4 course meal! We were even given ice cream sundaes! One of the flight attendants came up to us about halfway through the flight, and asked us if we had bought our first class tickets or if we were airport employees. We told her that we were actually missionaries traveling standby. I don't think she was a
Christian, but she said, "Well, whatever you guys are doing, you must be living right because there is no way you should be on this flight. It was over booked, and these two seats [Byron and I got to sit together in first class : ) ] were the only two seats on the entire plane that were available. You must be really blessed."
It was so cool to see how even without telling this woman about Jesus or anything, the Lord's faithfulness was evident to her. So, we flew for 10.5 hours in style, Praising the Lord the whole time. Every time the flight attendants brought us more food, we thanked the Lord out loud. We were probably driving the flight attendants crazy with our constant, "Oh wow! Thank you Lord!" But we were so blessed, all we could do was just thank the Lord...
July 16 - 7pm
We arrive in DC, extremely rested and ready for anything. We had missed our scheduled flight out of DC, so I (Emily) was the only one that got onto the last United flight out for Denver. Poor Byron slept in the airport again and flew out of DC this morning at 5am. But he had a pillow and blanket, and he was able to get really solid rest in the airport.
July 17 - 9am
We are finally home, showered, and sitting on our couch. We are so thankful for the Lord's faithfulness, and so happy to have made it home safely. Today at noon (Mountain Standard Time), we are Skyping one of the missionaries we stayed with this summer to talk about what's next.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support! Byron will be doing the next post here...
God bless you guys!
Emily
P.S.
It's SOOO much easier to write a post using a laptop, and not an iPhone haha
Thank you so much for your faithfulness to pray for Byron and I over this last month. It's been such a crazy adventure, and we would definitely still be stuck in the Moscow airport if it wasn't for your prayers and the Lord's grace. So, here's one last post, testifying to the goodness of the Lord. In case you're wondering, we will still be blogging now that we're back in Denver, but the posts probably won't be quite as exciting : ) ....We plan to keep you updated on everything the Lord's doing in our lives, and tomorrow, we'll be posting where we want to move, how soon we think that will happen, and our prayer/monetary needs.
Let's begin in Kiev...
July 15th - 1pm
We were so fortunate to catch a ride with Kevin (the missionary we were staying with in Kiev) to the airport. After backpacking around Ukraine for a month, our feet and backs were really sore, and we couldn't imagine navigating the Metro and buses to get to the airport (We absolutely refused to call a taxi because, well, we're just hardcore haha! and cheap!). Kevin works with OMS International, and this summer, he's leading an English camp for Ukrainians and English speaking teachers. It's a really cool concept. This English camp is actually what first got Byron and I interested in Ukraine. And, if after reading this blog, you're interested, check this link out:
http://ukraineenglishcamp.blogspot.com
We were waiting at the airport until our flight left at 7pm. It was a long time to wait, but we were happy to wait because (1) We love Kevin (and Debbie), and we were really sad to say goodbye and (2) We got to be there while all of the English teachers arrived for camp. It was cool meeting them and knowing what everyone looked like so that we could pray for them during their camp.
Also, if the Lord leads you to donate to the ministry work that Kevin and Debbie are doing, here's info for that:
http://www.onemissionsociety.org/donatetoyourmissionarynow/details/248/dnelson?vmcchk=1
Once we got onto the plane in Kiev, the adventure really began. We arrived in Moscow around 8:30pm and started the long wait until our flight at 12:50pm the next day. When we first arrived, we had to check in at the transit desk. As Byron was walking up to the counter, the clerk goes, "Hello Mr. Johnson." This really caught us off guard. We weren't sure if the girl just remembered us from last time we were there, or if something else was going on - like we were on the airport's "radar." We also couldn't get a boarding pass because we were there too early, and we were flying standby. Word of advice... If the Lord doesn't specifically confirm that He wants you to fly standby through Russia without a visa, DON'T. We were really nervous the whole time we were in the airport, and just prayed constantly that the Lord would protect us and give us favor.
The clerk allowed us into the main international terminal even though we didn't have boarding passes, but said we had to come back to her at 7am to check in. We were able to "set up camp" a lot faster than we did last time we were in this airport, which was nice. We even slept soundly for a few hours.
July 16 - 7am
 |
| The Holding Area |
We started to read the Bible together, and as some of you might have noticed, I've been reading Joshua recently because I feel like we've been experiencing a lot of things that are talked about in the book of Joshua (minus the war, of course!). That's when I read this:
"Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, and said to them: "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. "You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. "And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents [and] to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. "But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents" (Joshua 22:1-6, NKJV)
 |
| Blessed Free Water on the Plane |
I immediately felt like the Lord was saying, "You have done what I have asked you to do, and I will give you rest and bring you back to your home." I told this to Byron with excitement, and I told him that I felt like the Lord told me we would fly to DC in first class because He was promising us rest.
July 16 - 2:30pm
 |
| View From the Plane |
While standing in line, this guy asks us if we're waiting for the DC flight. First off, we're shocked that he spoke to us in English. Secondly, as we were listening to his conversation with his wife after he first spoke to us, I heard him mention church and worship. We started talking to the couple and found out that they were both out in Siberia, doing a scouting trip, similar to what Byron and I were doing in Ukraine. AND, they both had gone to CCBC (Calvary Chapel Bible College). It was so awesome talking to them and encouraging each other. They even prayed with us, that the Lord would give us favor and get us on the flight.
 |
| Resting in First Class |
Boarding begins, and we nervously wait in line. We starving too, and really thirsty, because we hadn't have any access to food or water for some time. Then, we hear our names called. We walk up to the counter, and we're handed two first class tickets for the flight home. Praise the Lord!
 |
| Personal TVs |
First class was amazing... We were able to turn our seats into beds (Just like the Lord promised, that He'd give us rest), and we were given tons of water and a 4 course meal! We were even given ice cream sundaes! One of the flight attendants came up to us about halfway through the flight, and asked us if we had bought our first class tickets or if we were airport employees. We told her that we were actually missionaries traveling standby. I don't think she was a
 |
| Byron Filling Our or USA Declaration Form |
It was so cool to see how even without telling this woman about Jesus or anything, the Lord's faithfulness was evident to her. So, we flew for 10.5 hours in style, Praising the Lord the whole time. Every time the flight attendants brought us more food, we thanked the Lord out loud. We were probably driving the flight attendants crazy with our constant, "Oh wow! Thank you Lord!" But we were so blessed, all we could do was just thank the Lord...
 |
| Byron Sleeping in the DC Airport |
July 16 - 7pm
We arrive in DC, extremely rested and ready for anything. We had missed our scheduled flight out of DC, so I (Emily) was the only one that got onto the last United flight out for Denver. Poor Byron slept in the airport again and flew out of DC this morning at 5am. But he had a pillow and blanket, and he was able to get really solid rest in the airport.
July 17 - 9am
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| Byron's Breakfast in DC |
Thank you for all of your prayers and support! Byron will be doing the next post here...
God bless you guys!
Emily
P.S.
It's SOOO much easier to write a post using a laptop, and not an iPhone haha
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