From snow to sun, from cedars to Spain

I'm back in Spain... before I even had time to write a blog post about our time in Lebanon. My original plan for this month was to be in the Middle East for ten days, but the rapidly evolving coronavirus situation around the world meant that emergency measures had to be taken and my trip was cut short after only six days.

Airlines were cancelling tickets, especially to and from Europe, and then I got word that the Spanish government had declared a state of emergency and would be closing everything down for a period of two weeks. This meant I needed to find a way of getting back to Spain, or perhaps getting to Scotland instead, before European nations started closing their borders and shutting down airports.

As my airline had cancelled my homeward ticket without offering me an alternative, I spent hours on the phone last weekend, trying to get hold of the airline so that I could be rescheduled to fly on Sunday. Despite hours on hold (being told for more than two hours that my call would be answered "very shortly") I never did manage to speak to anyone, and it seemed there was a distinct possibility that I could be stranded in Lebanon for several weeks.

I sent out a request for prayer and I decided to go to the airport on Sunday - to ask to be put on the afternoon flight to Paris and the onward flight to Malaga. As Spanish airports were due to close at 8 am on Monday, it was imperative that I arrive back in Malaga by Sunday night. 

I arrived at Beirut airport before noon, only to discover that there were few airport staff around. They had already begun talking about closing down the airport within the next few days. Amazingly, a real answer to prayer, we somehow found a hidden Air France office in a back corridor. They told us we weren't meant to be back there, but they were very kind and they managed to put me on to the same flights that I would have been on later in the week. They even upgraded me to Premium Economy so that I had a bigger seat with more legroom. What a prompt and encouraging answer to prayer!

However, things still weren't smooth sailing from there on out. Once we arrived in Paris, I discovered that my connecting flight had a 2-hour delay, because airport disruptions meant that it hadn't arrived in Paris yet. When it finally did arrive, the pilot said that he thought there was no point heading back to Malaga at such a late hour, because there might be no ground staff on duty to receive the plane. (I only know this because I overheard Paris gate staff having an anxious discussion in French.) It was time to send out another request for prayer....

God answers prayer and the story ended well. We were eventually given clearance to fly and finally arrived back in Malaga at 2.30 am. I was back in my own house, being welcomed by the cats, at around 3 o'clock in the morning. Meanwhile, other members of our ILT team that had been with me in Lebanon were experiencing their own miracles to get back to the USA, the UK, Switzerland and Hong Kong.

So now I'm back in Spain, which has shot into fourth place worldwide in terms of new incidences of the virus being diagnosed. (Friends of mine arrived home from Madrid last weekend, and are currently suffering the symptoms of corona, as are other friends who recently celebrated a family wedding.) For this reason, the Spanish government has followed Italy's example and announced a state of emergency (un estado de alerta) to be enforced immediately. This basically means that the whole nation is in lockdown for the next two weeks. No one is allowed to leave their home unless they have a legitimate reason for doing so. (Legitimate reasons include going to the doctor or going to a supermarket to do your shopping. Taking your dog out to do its business is also considered a legitimate reason, but some people have been stopped by the police, checking that they are genuinely close to home and not using their dog as an excuse to go for a longer walk or run. There are very hefty fines if you do.)

France has now also announced lockdown and curfew, which means that if I hadn't managed to fly from Paris to Malaga on Sunday night, I would not be back home in Spain at the moment. I am so thankful for the people who were praying and for our God who answers prayer.

It seems strange to realise that last week I was visiting Kurdish refugees in Lebanon, walking on snowy peaks among ancient cedars and eating fish in the old city of Sidon.... This week I'm sitting by my fireplace in Spain or I'm buying my groceries in a supermarket that has security guards in the aisles and tape markings at the checkout to help you maintain at least one metre distance from the customer in front of you.

What security there is, however, in knowing that, when the whole world is being shaken and fear is running rampant, we serve a God whose kingdom is unshakeable and who tells us, "Fear not!"