Adventures Arriving To Conference!

Hi Everyone,

God took care of me in a huge way when I was supposed to be going to conference. I had arranged with a co-worker to be picked up at 8:15 from a certain restaurant. I didn’t expect any problems, and therefore left the cell phone at home (my mistake). This co-worker is very timely. Sounds simple, RIGHT?

WRONG! All of the sudden I realize it is 8:45 and my co-worker has not arrived. I realize I need to get to conference and begin thinking “What is the best way to get to a place that I have never been?” “Should I try to take the bus? A taxi?” I had to make a decision. {I didn’t have an address-just the name of the place which our team leaders had said was a little more than an hour’s drive away.) I began to pray and I guess more than anything get nervous. I wish I could say I calmly trusted God throughout the whole ordeal---but that wasn’t true. And I think that Is what frustrated me the most!

A taxi had pulled up and I thought, “I’ve only been here a week” “Is it the right thing for a single girl to take a taxi such a long distance when I don’t even know where it is?” “What if I don’t make it to conference or the driver can’t found the place?” “Uggg---Lord just help me to trust you!” Isn’t it funny that sometimes out minds just jump to the worst scenario? (Oops! Stay away from the “what if’s.”

I got in the taxi, and said, “Look, I am looking for this specific place. I don’t have an address—I don’t know where we need to go but I have to get to my conference!” By this point I was almost crying—and then I thought, “Crying is not going to help the taxi driver’s job of finding this place!”

He asked a taxi driver that was nearby and the other driver said that the place was in a town called Cuautla-an hour away. I wasn’t sure if that was right or not. “It’s okay,” he said, “you pay me 300 pesos (about 29 dollars) and we’ll get there.” To my surprise I had exactly the right amount to be able to pay him. (The amount of traveling in the taxi would have cost over $100 in the United States.)

In Mexico, it is a “saving face culture”----which means, for example, that if people don’t know where something is they would rather just make up something rather than tell you they don’t know—that would shame them. My taxi driver asked another driver down the road and the driver also said that it was towards Cuautla. We went to Cuautla—an hour’s drive—me sitting somewhat nervous in the back seat. (A side note: You never ride in the front seat of a taxi as a woman-a male driver (because a male taxi driver would take that as you “wanting more than a taxi ride"—not good.)

He started asking in Cuautla where the certain water park was where I were suppose to gave conference. No one knew-NOT A GOOD SIGN. I began to get nervous again. And then someone more official said that it was back from where we had come. He confirmed it and drove all the way back another half an hour.

By this time I am late for conference! My heart sinks! But yet there is nothing I can do about it.

He drove back towards where our property is at and headed towards the town where the water park was. It was another 20 kilometers—over half an hour away according to various police officials he asked.

I finally arrived at the park-quite shaken up and near crying after 2 and a half hours in the taxi. After numerous hugs from my team, assurance that I was ok and, tears on my part as I told the story, I discover that my co-worker was unable to make it to conference because she was not feeling well. I never got the message from everyone else, although many people had tried to contact me. There was miscommunication about the whole thing…..and people felt so bad for that. It all really reinforced to me how much my team really loves me when I walked in the door.

I don’t think anyone was happier to be at that water park than I was! It will definitely be the conference discussed for years to come, “Oh yes, that was when Crystal took the taxi……”

And the best part was that conference ended up starting later than planned-it started officially ten minutes after I arrived!

God is so good! Praise Him for his care! In a way I am glad that it all happened because it was a good “trust lesson” for me----and something to remember in the challenges that will come in the future. I am grateful!

Thank you Lord for a team that loves me and a committed taxi driver that did the right thing and stuck it out!

Lord, you have proved Yourself faithful yet again!