The Rat Lady

I have arrived! and all in one piece...which is not that I was thinking at 3 o’clock in the morning in the Hanoi, Veitnam airport. If you’re wondering if I’m referring to those thoughts in my title, you are absolutely correct. Flight #1 from Seattle to Seoul went well—I watched 3 ½ movies, journaled, read, and ate good food…no sleeping. Flight #2 from Seoul to Hanoi went well…a little more of the same. At that point, I had been awake since 5am Monday morning in Washington, and it was 10am Tuesday morning in Washington by the time I landed in Vietnam…that’s 29 hours folks. So I was really hoping that I would be super tired and just sleep the night away at the Hanoi airport. Not quite…

When I first arrived, the man at the check in said at least four times “You a very brave girl…very, very brave…” This, of course, was referring to me spending the night in the airport. Yes, I suppose I had to be brave to spend it in the airport by myself as a 20 year old girl in an unknown land, but I’m pretty sure he was referring to something else. Now we refer back to the title: yup, I spent the night in the airport with RATS! ICK!! If they weren’t my least favorite animal before, they definitely are now.

A Steve Green song I used to sing came into good use that night. Over and over again I sang “When I am afraid I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You…” I was literally begging God to keep those rats away from me. I don’t know if I have never been more disgusted and scared in my life. But then after maybe 20 minutes of being absolutely petrified, I started to journal and get my thoughts together. :]

It really hit me how terrified I am of a tiny little rat. Okay, well not exactly tiny—they were seriously the size of my tennis shoes—but still I’m 20 times bigger than a rat. It’s not like they could kill me…unless they had the Black Plague or rabies…but that’s beside the point. This struck me because it made me question the last time I’ve felt this terrified of what Satan can do to me. He’s not just interested in getting a little food for the night—he wants my soul for eternity. Why doesn’t that terrify me? Yes, I know I have the hope and confidence in God’s protection, but really I rarely give Satan recognition and I think he needs it. Further yet, why don’t I tremble in fear of the Lord? It made me realize once again how disconnected I am from the eternal realms. I need that mindset—of continuous watching and preparation for Christ’s coming. How appropriate for the advent season—even in 70 degree weather with no snow. :]

Home Sweet Home in Hanoi, Veietnam for 12 hours :)