"Ella-Jean, I know you can hear me. We are at the dinner table, please take your headphones off right now. You can listen to your music when we are done eating and talking. So, how was your day?"
This time last year we were living in China.
One night while embarking on our journey homeward, we caught a ride on a bus that drove us 12 hours to Hong Kong. There were no seat belts. We laid there helplessly as the driver recklessly sped in and out of oncoming traffic, through the dark of night, past the Chinese countryside, along the edge of terrifying cliffs, through torrential downpours; as he sipped on something I was convinced was liquor.
I thought for sure we were going to die, there was no way we could live through this. My friend layed in the bed next to me, as we shared horrified glances at each other with stone white faces. My precious baby layed in the aisle between us on her makeshift bed of backpacks and sweaters, and she screamed from exhaustion. I held her hand and prayed for safety and protection.
"If I live through this night," I whispered to my friend, "this will be a memory I won't ever share with my parents."
Yes, I was scared, I knew we were in a very dangerous situation. Yet, despite it all I had peace because I knew we were in the center of God's plans for us. Not that that means something terrible couldn't happen, but if it did, He would somehow see us through it.
As I was reminiscing tonight on how frightful that bus ride was, I decided regardless of how much "danger" is involved in what God has called you to do, there is no place safer than the center of His will.
Us on a Chinese sleeper bus.
Last summer, atop an overlook, somewhere in China.
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