Mexico Mission Miracles - Part 4

One of our fervent prayers on mission trips is for God to help us on the journey there - to keep us safe in our travels, to get us through airport check-in and security without issues, to make our connections and to get all our luggage to our destination.

On this journey with 17 people, we checked in over 25 suitcases and boxes, not counting carry-ons. When we walked up to the Calgary counter, there was no one ahead or behind us, so despite the chaos of checking in so many people, it was nice that we weren't responsible for holding up the lines. As the last couple team members were being processed, the line started to grow behind us. God's timing was perfect!

When going on such a trip, it's crucial that all our luggage and supplies arrive at the destination with us. We usually pack our ministry supplies in sealed Ruff-Totes because their dimensions fit the criteria for checked baggage. 

Our luggage pile from a previous trip to Nogales with only 11 people

This time I had the not-so-wise idea of purchasing clear totes so that customs inspectors could easily see what was inside them. —Bad idea. — Apparently clear plastic is much more brittle than the regular totes. We were pleased to find all pieces of luggage accounted for when we landed in Tucson. However, the totes arrived cracked and broken, wrapped up in tape by some kind baggage handler behind the scenes. They were barely holding together, but close inspection showed that nothing we had packed was lost. That was a real answer to prayer. (and next time I'll go back to using the good old ruff totes!)

Actually, getting luggage to the destination was the LEAST of my worries on these flights. I had the bigger concern of getting our whole team to Tucson in one piece! Because of overbooking practices, we ended up with a couple people on stand-by at Calgary and at our connection in San Francisco. This scenario replayed itself on the way home as well! I admit my faith was tested right up until boarding a couple of times, but we never had to leave anyone behind. Despite a few hiccups, we were able to praise God for all His help in getting us there and back.