What? I’m an Illegal Alien?

It’s 3:50 in the morning here in the Guayaquil airport... wait what?? Guayaquil? Weren’t we supposed to be in Quito by 11:00pm?

Well, God had different plans. Bad weather forced us to divert to Guayaquil. The pilots were maxed out on their flying hours so we were told we would have to stay here until

2:00pm tomorrow. Then we found out we can’t get our luggage and go through customs because, “technically this was not our declared port of entry.” We can‘t leave the airport terminal because of this. As one other passenger stated, we are technically illegal aliens. So here we sit.. or sleep.

Now, are we truly illegal aliens? Technically... maybe, but in reality, we received a pillow, a blanket, 3 meal vouchers and are with great group of compadres that we can rely on.

But it does make me think about the Venezuelan refugees that we will be serving in Ecuador. They truly are aliens in a foreign land, fleeing oppression and struggling to make ends meet.

Maybe God is giving us an extremely small taste of what those we will be serving are going through? I know I already have a larger heart for those we will be serving just from what God is showing me through this very small hiccup to the trip so far.

God is good. Praise his holy name.

-SW