This wasn't what we had planned (Iraq: 2 Oct to 18 Nov 2024)

Do you ever have one of those times where you make plans.  It feels right head to toe! It feels good in the gut, and in your heart!  And then changes out of your control happen?

We all do.  But sometimes it is to a very intense degree.

Karla and I both set off for Iraq on 2 November through separate routes.  Karla was going to pivot overnight in Louisville Kentucky so that she could return there to attend the Global Missions Health Conference (GHMC) 7 to 9 November.  Eric set off to New York so that he could spend time with his Mom and two brothers, both before flying to Iraq, and then see them again upon return.

As they traveled to their separate launch points, Iran launched over three hundred rockets, ICBMs and drones against Israel.  The first round of interceptions occurred over Iraqi airspace.  

All flights in and out of Erbil ceased immediately, resulting in Karla's flight being canceled while Eric traveled up to Poughkeepsie.  His flight the next Monday was not affected.

And then God opened wonderful doors for Karla: South Eastern Church which hosts the GMHC every year opened their guesthouse up to Karla to stay free of charge.  Her flight was rescheduled for Saturday, now pivoting with an overnight through Boston's Logan.  However, God opened doors for Karla to connect with two people from Eric's Harvard Christian Alumni Society Prayer group.  She could stay with one of them that night, and they would all have dinner together, along with a couple active in reaching out to Pakistan joining them.

Amazing!

And then cancellations continued, with Karla's rescheduled flights being cancelled not once but twice.  And Eric's flight likewise got cancelled just before he was packing to go on the train to NYC the next morning.  

We always ask God for his Wisdom, and confirmation of the work of our hands.  With flights through Doha now indefinitely canceled, Eric heard that airlines approaching Erbil from the north were still flying.  He was able to short notice book a flight through Turkish Airlines for the end of the week, launching from Boston.  He got to ride back with his brother Greg who lives in the Boston area, and had several special days with his family before successfully making it to Erbil.

Karla on the other hand had no such paths open for her from Louisville.  While Qatar allows connecting flights on their tickets from other airlines, none of the airlines flying into Erbil had such options.  With the GMHC imminent, it made more sense for her to return to El Paso at this time, to do God's works wherever He brings her.

And then surprises continued for Eric.  Arriving into Erbil, tired after a 14 hour layover in Istanbul had resulted in fragmented sparse sleeps, he was shocked to find that the key to his bedroom had fallen off of the key ring left with the Akers.  And the spare set?  It was with Karla, who was supposed to arrive in Erbil one week before Eric, but didn't end up making it due to her flight cancellations!

Exhausted, he grabbed a few hours rest in the multipurpose room on the ground floor.

Waking up, Derek Akers arrived with drills and drill bits, and together they all learned a new skill: how to core a lock.  The room now opened, only needed a replacement lock chamber, something Eric had plenty of experience with, having moved houses several times since beginning to rent houses in Erbil three years before.

Without Karla in Iraq, plans adjusted to focusing on strengthening the house and the nine guys living there.  Daily small group meetings focused on studying the book of Revelations, with each person being delegated days to lead the study.  The mid week studies continued using a blend of special teachings as well as studies based on the book "God's Plan".  Eric spent several intense sessions with the guys at the house, helping them work through issues, using scripture as the guide.  His objectives were to empower the teams on the ground so that they could operate if he and Karla should have difficulty making return flights back.

Preparing to return home, Eric was keenly aware that just because he had tickets, it doesn't mean he will fly.  However, this time there were no flight cancellations, and his return to Boston went smoothly.  He would spend a few days with Greg and his family again, and then travel onto Poughkeepsie to see his Mom and older brother again, and then get back to El Paso just before Thanksgiving.  This opened up opportunities for Eric to go to church and have lunch with the two HCAS alumni that Karla was going to meet before her second round of flight cancellations occurred.  What a sweet, special meeting!

Tucking in for sleep at his brother's house, Eric caught up on voice messages, finding to his shock that Karla and Josiah had been in an automobile accident when a pickup truck tried to cross the road in the rain, hitting the passenger side of the civic.  Karla was taken to the ER by ambulance and found to have sustained a small subarachnoid bleed inside her brain, resulting in ICU hospitalization for observation.  Eric was able to change his airplane flights using frequent fliers so that he could fly back the next day. 

Arriving back in El Paso late in the evening, Eric was delighted to hear that Karla had been released from the hospital, and surprised when he was picked up by Daniel, who had flown in from Dallas, as well as Alisha who had made it down from Boulder Colorado.  

Definitely a trip that featured multiple trip changes never planned.  Yet God did amazing things, and for that we are so grateful.