my arrival story

I just wanted to share a story that i meant to share earlier but never did. it is the story of the miracle of me getting back here to townsville. when i was home in december i was supposed to be home for 6 weeks and then be back to the base in the first week of january to start my internship. during this time i had two major things that i needed to do before i could get back. in fact, two things i needed to do before i could even buy my plane ticket. the first was get a visa...the second was fix my back.

the visa: i knew i would need a visa to get back but i could not do an application for it until i was back home in america...this was because if it was granted, my current one would have been expired which means i would've been in the country illegally. so that was no surprise. but it so happens that with this visa i need a certain medical exam by one certain doctor for the australian government. when i got home and tried to make an appointment with her, i found that she had no openings for about 3 weeks. that was just to get in....then she had to do the exam, send the results by mail to washington d.c. so they could send it to sydney, so they could process it whenever it came around. in 3 weeks. but there was nothing i could do to get in fast so it just had to be that way. i went in on a friday for the exam. although we were able to cut out D.C. and go straight to sydney, they said it still usually take about 5-6 weeks at least to get processed and approved. great. that was friday. the following wednesday i got an email from my YWAM base...the visa had been processed and i had it! 5 days. somehow that was all it took. i didn't believe them at first...but it was true. the people on base said it was one of the fastest visa's they had ever seen. i still don't know how it worked. but it did and i got it. now problem #2:

my back. as most of you know i hurt it back in october when i was on outreach in mt. isa. i had bulging discs already and i hurt them worse to the point where my left calf did not work at all. so we set up an appointment for my doctor back in salem 2 months in advance so i could get right in and get the process going because the likelihood was i needed surgery. i was only home for 6 weeks which isn't much time to do something like that. my doctor even said that she would get my referral to the neurosurgeon so she could've already seen my prior MRI's and have the appointment set up because of the time constrictions. so i went and saw my doctor and she said that yep i needed surgery but she had never called the neurosurgeon. when i went to make the appointment i couldn't get in until january 3rd! and that was just for the initial consulation...after that they would schedule the surgery (which they couldn't do until that first appt) and then at least 2 weeks of bedrest after that! i tried every other neurosurgeon in town and no one could get me in any sooner. there was no other options. i talked to my base and they weren't stoked on me coming super late cuz i would miss all the initial intern lectures, orientation, and other things that were important when first joining staff. but they said if it has to be than ok. there was no way i was gonna be back on time. just no way. i remember praying to God and just saying "look, i realize that i am not gonna be back on time. it just can't happen. but ya know, if you wanna get me back there that would be cool. i'll give you all the credit cuz there is no possible way that it is gonna happen. it just can't." one or two days later i get a call from the doctor's saying that they had a cancellation and i could get in on the 26th of december. that's cool. sure i'll do that. i go in and they need a new MRI which i was able to get in later that same day. the next day the doctor calls me and says i need surgery and she went ahead and scheduled it for the the next day. wow ok...something is happening here. I go in, have it done and it went great. the doctor said i can't sit for two weeks though. she said after that i should be fine.....

by getting it done at that time....two things happened. i got the surgery done in december instead of january which meant my insurance covered it without a huge deductible. and....i was able to fly back to australia and arrive on the day before the lectures and everything began. i made it on time. that was exactly one day before my two weeks of no sitting was up.

so when people ask if I am sure this is where i'm supposed to be...I just smile.

thanks God. and yeah....i give Him all the credit.