Worst Customs Experience Ever!

During our training in Dallas this week, we were told to go pack an overnight bag for a "mystery trip" we were about to take. We all fussed over what to pack and what to leave behind--should we bring blankets, shampoo, Bibles, journals, etc.? All we were told was that we needed comfortable clothes, a photo ID, a water bottle, and our immunization records (something most of us did not bring to Dallas!). Where could we possibly be going?!

The frustrating experience began before we even left. We were given a visa application for China (of all places!) and told to fill everything out before we got to the airport. (Airport?!) We rushed through the application, filling in every blank we knew off the top of our heads and frantically asking each other for answers to the unknown information. Before we could finish, we were told that we needed to leave if we were going to make our "flight."

Piling about 12 of us into the back of a pickup and another ten or so into a mini-van, we discussed where we might be going. "Riding in the back of a pickup isn't legal in Texas, is it? Could they really be taking us off the campus?" We didn't have too long to wonder as we rounded the corner to the other side of the campus and unloaded in front of a warehouse. "Okay, so we are pretending to go on a trip in a strange kind of simulation..." This relief didn't last long.
 

We were handed mock passports and told to hurry up and finish filling out our visa applications if they were not done. Entering the building, we found ourselves standing in a long line, waiting to be cleared by "customs." This may have been a PRETEND trip, but this is where the REAL frustration began.

The customs lady rejected most of us once or twice for some minuscule reason that we could barely make out in her half-Tok-Pigin-half-German language. As each of us were sent to the back of the line, we started to compare notes. "What were you sent back here for? What did you do wrong?" We gained a little knowledge each time as we were sent back to try again, making us a little more knowledgeable each time.Some were rejected because they marked "tourist" but had no camera. Others were sent back because they didn't write their names clearly or hadn't signed their passport. One woman in our group refused to pay a bribe for her visa and was promptly sent back to rethink things. Some even were sent back because they were blacklisted (their photo was found in a confidential file) and were escorted out with security.

All of this was compounded by our leader telling us to hurry up because the plane was about to leave!...and this was only the FIRST table we needed to pass through before boarding.

This frustrating process continued through the whole warehouse as we had our immunization records checked, our luggage searched (or stolen), taxes paid, beggars bugging us constantly, and over six languages being spoken to us. Needless to say, we were getting the point! Eventually they called everything to a halt and we returned to the classroom.

Here we debriefed the experience. What was it like? How did we feel? What frustrated us most? How would we handle this in real life? Was paying a bribe okay? How would Wycliffe want us to act? How can we sidestep some of these frustrations?

I was surprised at how insecure I felt during this process, even knowing it was all a set-up. As you might expect, I left with more questions than answers from this experience. However, I had been shocked out of my naivety just a little and humbled in prayer once again. I really will need the Lord every step of this journey. There are things I just won't know how to handle and there are things I cannot be prepared for. Thankfully, my Heavenly Father does know everything ahead of me and He has promised never to leave me (Matt. 28). I'm so glad I am in His hands.