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The day I had to get a new passport.



My alarm went off at 4 am. I snoozed it because my body was screaming to me that it most certainly wasn’t time to get up, and I really was meant to continue sleeping. That feeling. However, after wrestling with the urge to keep sleeping for just a few more minutes, I got up and got ready. I was traveling back to Amsterdam that morning, and the on to Kansas City the next day. Well, that was the plan anyway.

At the airport things started to not go quite as smoothly. Problems with check-in machines led me (and most of my fellow passengers) to stand for what felt like forever in a queue that seemed to be mostly at a standstill. My flight was due to leave at 6 am. At 5.45 am it was finally my turn. I gave my passport to the man at the counter, and that is when my day took a very unexpected turn.

“I’m afraid this passport isn’t valid”, he said. Not valid? How could it be? I was sure it didn’t expire for another two years. How could it not be valid? He showed me a tear in the plastic and informed me that meant it was invalid. Suddenly I didn’t know what to do anymore. He assured me that there was no way I could fly to the USA the following day with this passport. I felt like everything just crashed in that moment, and I dragged my luggage to a little bench a bit out of the way and sat down. Tears started streaming down my face; a combination of an invalid passport and not enough sleep made it hard to remain unaffected. And you know the feeling of really not wanting to be in the moment you are in, and want to quit, yet there is no way of doing so. That was how I felt.

I called home for my parents to come pick me up, and then went over to the SAS service desk to see if there was a way of rebooking my flight. The lady at the counter was very sympathetic and a small consolation was that this had happened to others before me. It didn’t help much, but she was being nice. She advised me to go see the airport police. They would know the best way to proceed. And I wasn’t to worry about the flight- she would sort that out when I knew what the plan was.

The plan. Well at that point a hundred different scenarios were going through my head. I pictured having to stay another two weeks in Norway to wait for a new passport, or maybe getting one in a few days and just re-booking my flights… or just cancelling my trip to the USA. The “maybes” were many. But I realized that in moments like these the best cause of action and best plan is: one thing at a time.

My mum came to pick me up and together we waited for the airport police to open. Nothing was open at that time of day, so we couldn’t even get a cup of tea while waiting. Finally at 7 am I was able to talk to a very kind gentleman with the police. First great move of the day! He explained that if I ordered the passport in the morning, I could pick it up in Oslo that afternoon. That would be the only way to make my USA flight. I asked him how likely it would be that the passport would be ready, and he assured me that it was a standard procedure. With renewed hope, I re-booked my Amsterdam flight for the following morning at no extra cost, and we drove home to start the passport acquiring process.

I was at my local police station when they opened to process passports that morning. Being the only one there I didn’t have to wait long. However, it seemed for a moment like it wasn’t going to work out after all. The woman at the counter wasn’t familiar with the information I’d been given, and pointed out all the impossibilities. I shared what I’d been told and my situation, and she did some investigation. A few minutes later she called me back, and yes, she could order the passport there, and I could fly to Oslo and pick it up between 1 and 2 pm that afternoon. “Let’s do it!”, was my response. I knew that it wasn’t 100% certain, but I had to try.

The next challenge was getting a flight that had space and would get me to Oslo in time. Only one flight was a possibility and I managed to buy a ticket for it. Probably my most expensive flight ticket ever for that distance, but at least I was on the flight! At the gate the flight was delayed, and we ended up landing about 40 minutes late. What seemed like plenty of time, was suddenly significantly less. The suspense was almost too much, but I decided I just needed to keep with the plan: one step at a time.

I jumped on Flytoget (express train to the center of Oslo) and got into Oslo S at 1 pm. I knew the police station, according to google maps, was a 20 minute walk away, so I started walking. But you know how an unfamiliar city can feel very confusing, and even a printed out map can make no sense? I found myself at a crossroads outside the station, realizing this was not the time to “wander around and eventually get where I am headed.” So I asked a lady who seemed like she knew her way around for directions. She asked me if I had a card for the bus, and I said no, but that I knew it wasn’t too far of a walk. “But my dear, you will surely get lost if you try to walk”, was her response. But she explained that there was a bus right there that would take me to right outside the police station, and that I could get my ticket at Narvesen which was right next to me. I thanked her, and sure enough, the bus stopped right below the place I was to get to, and I arrived shortly after that.

Despite my efforts to make sure I was there in time, the passport delivery ended up not coming till 2:45 pm. They were supposed to be delivered at 1:30 pm, but were late. So I had an hour and a half of sitting in the waiting hall doing just that, waiting. Waiting and praying my passport would have been produced. Waiting and thinking about what I would do if it wasn’t there. Waiting and thinking how the day had been a bit too action filled for my liking.

Finally the moment had arrived. The passports were there, and nervous I gave my name for it to be got. I could see the woman look through them, and I braced myself for the “if it’s not there”, just in case. But there was no need to worry. My brand new passport was there. With no rips and with everything the way it should be. I was so relieved and thankful; and quite impressed with the efficiency. There are not many places I imagine you can get a brand new passport in just 6 hours.

As I walked out of the police station my heart was thankful, and I took in some of the beauty around me. Everything covered in white and just beautiful with the light of the sun starting to set. It was a good moment.

Waiting for my flight back to Sola (home) from Oslo, I continued with the plan and sorted out my online travel authorization for the USA- which technically needs to be completed 72 hours in advance. It was now much less than that, and I felt worry start to creep in. Thoughts of “what if it doesn’t work?”, “I have a passport, but what if this is what prevents me from traveling?” filled my mind. Did I mention that I worry a lot? And research shows that 95% of all we worry about never happens anyways, and Jesus said to not worry. Anyways, this fell into the 95% as the authorization came through straight away. One step closer to traveling.

When I finally go home that evening I was exhausted. Exhausted from getting up at 4 am and running on an adrenalin rush most of the day. I had some food and set about repacking my bags. You bring different things for two weeks at home in Norway and 3 weeks in Kansas City, but when things like this happen, you just have to make do. I emailed a friend in Amsterdam to meet me at the airport with a few essentials and repacked some stuff for her to take back to my flat in Amsterdam for me. I was a wee bit sad to not have had a day to shop for gifts for friends in Kansas City, yet my thankfulness that I was actually going to be able to travel was a lot stronger.

So here I am. Typing this on my final flight from Philadelphia to Kansas City. I got up at 3:30 am this morning and have soon been traveling for 24 hours. But I am traveling! And my journey today, although long, has been so peaceful and stress free.

And I am excited about the next three week. Excited to see friends again. Excited to go to some of the onething conference and the Abolition Summit. Excited to have time in the prayer room. Excited and expectant for what God has for this time.

And thankful to God for making this trip possible, and thankful for life.

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