Disappointment

    For the Scriptures tell us that no one who believes in Christ will ever be disappointed. (Romans 10:11, Living Bible)

Last spring, when I found out I could take two weeks off from work in October, I started planning a return trip to Africa. At the time, the pandemic seemed to be waning, and my travel partner and I were fully vaccinated, but I still put off buying those plane tickets.

Then COVID-19 numbers grew again. International travel was still doable, but there were a lot of hoops to jump through. Yes, we were vaccinated, but we would still need to wear a mask on the planes and in the airports and have a negative test just before leaving.

By the first of September, I knew we had to decide and buy those plane tickets or not. My clinic stopped offering COVID testing for travel about that time, as we were getting overwhelmed just testing sick people. More and more tests in my little town were coming back positive. As for my friend, she had a different trip scheduled for that month which was canceled due to COVID. 

We talked about it, and I knew what we had to do, what God was perhaps telling us. I texted our friends in Kenya and told them we wouldn’t be coming. What a disappointment for everyone.

So, I planned a few short trips around Wisconsin – a couple days in Door County last week and in Wisconsin Dells this week.

But God is good, no matter where one travels to. The picture above is the sunrise at the Masa Mara on my trip to Africa two years ago. The one below is from yesterday morning, on a highway near where I am staying this week.

Yes, God, You are good, and You can turn our disappointments into joy.