One last hurrah!

When we got to know that we were expecting our third child this year, we knew life was about to be flipped upside down — in a good way! Amidst the global pandemic and the lockdown, we were excited and so were our two girls. Both my previous pregnancies involved international travel from the US to India-at 25 weeks for the first pregnancy and at 32 weeks for the next (You can read it here).

When my cousin's wedding was fixed on December 4th, I really wanted to go but wasn't too sure about the travel. It was to be a lockdown wedding and would take almost 12 hours by car and I would be 36/37 weeks pregnant, almost full-term. I did not want to risk my health or the baby's but this was probably the last but one wedding in the family and I so wanted to go! Let’s be honest, once a baby arrives, there are often few opportunities to enjoy a getaway. Between the excitement of the wedding and the nervousness of a long travel, I was a bit worried. I went to the Lord in prayer. I told Him I needed a word from Him before we could plan our travel. I was reminded of Psalm 23. God assured me that he was my Good Shepherd and that he would take care of me. And so began our travel plans. We booked a flight from Chennai to Tuticorin so that I could rest a bit  at my in-laws place before making the three-hour car journey from Tuticorin to Nagercoil, the wedding destination.

Travel day came. Weather wise, it was a typical day in December, cloudy and moist. Only half an hour into the drive, we saw cops posted along the road. Few minutes later, before we could realize what was happening, we were stopped and a large group of protesters rushed into the middle of the road, sat down and blocked it. We were just a few meters away from the protesters with only a truck in front of us. My husband turned off the engine and we waited to see if the police would clear them up, or if the rioters would give way. Nothing happened. Realizing we were getting delayed for our flight, we made a U turn and took an alternate route to Chennai. Google maps took us through villages and narrow roads and when we finally caught the freeway after an hour of driving, we were disappointed to see that it was jammed. Traffic had come to a standstill and there was no way we could go. We were losing time. We prayed for the traffic to clear up and when it finally did after about 30 minutes, my husband turned into an F1 racer. We literally 'flew' to our home in Chennai, parked our car and waited for our cab to take us to the airport. When the cab finally arrived, we were relieved. But our relief was short-lived when the cab driver refused us to take us to the airport since the road to the airport was blocked due to the riots. We told him that we will show him an alternate route and even pay extra to which he finally agreed. A usual 20 minute drive to the airport took us 45  minutes and we reached the airport just 5 minutes before boarding closed. We had made it! What a relief!

The very next day a cyclone with heavy rains was predicted in the very place we were headed to. We all prayed that it would never happen. After a day of rest, my parents arrived at my in-laws place with my girls to pick us up for the wedding. Both the girls had caught a cold and my 7 year old seemed too tired and sick. She slept on my lap through the three hour journey to Nagercoil. The rains or the cyclone that was predicted never happened- an answered prayer. The journey though, was a bit hectic and my legs and lower tummy ached. I just wanted to lie down. The engagement night went off well but with my aches and pains I didn't even take a pic with the couple and went straight to bed. 

That night I couldn't sleep. I had caught a cold, my body ached and my throat hurt so bad. My kids were not doing well and I wasn't even sure if I could stay for the next three days as planned. I wanted to go back home and was mentally making alternate plans. I went to the Lord in prayer. Our God is faithful and when his children come to him he is always there to help. The Lord assured me that if he could stop a cyclone, how much more would he take care of me! I also realized that I needed to operate in faith and not in fear.

On the day of the wedding, my aches and pains had gone and my kids were doing well, despite their cold and cough. We finished the wedding, stayed as planned, enjoyed our time with our family and made the long journey back home by car. We reached home safe and sound. My heart was filled with  gratitude for the Lord's goodness and his faithfulness!

And I know that the Lord who brought me safe thus far will strengthen me in the days that lie ahead as we eagerly await our newest addition to our family!