Well, we are still in Vanuatu! We got a phone call around 8:30AM on Friday October 23, our day to begin our travels toward the USA. Our missionary partner, Peter Isaac, asked David if he had heard that our flight’s departure had been moved up. NO! I quickly called Air Vanuatu and discovered that it was true. Air Vanuatu never notified us of the change! We are very thankful for the Vanuatu “bush telephone”! We were thankful that we were packed and ready to go. We quickly made a plan and got out the door to pickup our COVID PCR test results at the hospital and drop our car and other things off at our old house with the Isaacs, and hop in their truck to head back to the apartment to pick up our luggage. We made it to the airport by 10 AM right on schedule and some of our friends were already there!
Well, to make the very long story shorter, after about 4 hours of waiting we left to go to the Air Vanuatu office in town. We were not allowed on the plane because the earlier departure time made our NZ transit visa invalid and NZ didn’t want to budge an inch on their 24 hour limit rule!
My dear husband taught me that it is far better to come to acceptance of bad news quickly than to grouse about it and let it eat you up. He’s a very wise guy! So, we got over the pain and disappointment as quickly as possible. We are tired of farewells and saying goodbye! We are considering not telling anyone our departure date so that we can just go to the airport and checkin and be off! That probably won’t happen.
We are now booked to depart from Vanuatu on Wednesday, November 3rd with our arrival in Grand Rapids on Friday, November 5, 11:01PM. Please pray that we are able to get the AU transit visa worked out in time. We’ve submitted the online applications and lots of different documents that were required. Pray that Air Vanuatu won’t change our departure flight!!
Today, two passengers who arrived on a flight from New Caledonia last Friday and who have been quarantined in a facility were found to be COVID +. This is causing quite a stir for a nation that hasn’t had any cases other than a couple that came from outside and were in quarantine. We’re hoping and praying that the border will remain open for outbound travel, and that there was no transmission to the airport personnel or quarantine staff.
There is one more little item that could cause some trouble. The simulation COVID lockdown that was going to happen the three days before our departure on Friday, has now been rescheduled for the three days before our departure next Wednesday. We will need to drive to the hospital to get our PCR test redone and then return to pick up the results. Please pray that nothing will interfere with that key piece in our ability to travel.
Thank you so much for your prayers! We have been at peace and mostly joyful in the midst of all that has gone on.
By the way, To Pause at the Threshold is the name of a book I’m reading about transitions by Esther de Waal. It seems perhaps that we’ve been given a moment to “pause” and reflect on the place we’ve been and the people who've become family, and what we’re relinquishing as we open up to the new possibilities awaiting us across “the threshold."
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| At the end of the day with its joys and disappointments, some friends invited us to join them at a restaurant down the street from our apartment. We enjoyed a nice meal and a glorious sunset! |
