Count it all joy | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Count it all joy | Previous Challenge Entry
By NNEAMAKA NZERIBE
11/12/14
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I had never taken a vacation in my life so as a treat to myself I decided to take one to a place I have always dreamed of visiting: Paris in France. I even went a step further to invite all my close friends and two actually conceded and we started the process together.

I was enthusiastic about the vacation; about a week to the commencement of my vacation I noticed a slight challenge. I was suddenly short of money due to the demands of my dissertation, and I had already booked my flight. I turned to my friends and noticed this was a very common problem; pay day was still 2 weeks away and my Visa would have expired then. I decided to take a step of faith.

I talked to my friends and we decided to still embark on the trip so we put together a tight budget which we had to stick to and cut our trip duration to a meagre five days. The first order of business was to look for a really cheap hotel room in the city with three beds which we found after two hours on the internet, little did we know this would be the easiest part.

The journey started with our bus from Aberdeen to Glasgow having a blocked toilet that resulted to a smell so bad that just after 15 minutes in the bus I began to feel bloated. The rest of the journey itself was not so stressful; but as soon as we arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport I started having a sick feeling. Locating the hotel took us about 2 hours of asking questions in both English and our limited French, by this time all the excitement was gone and all I wanted was to crawl into a warm bed and sleep.

As the bus driver pointed to the hotel across the road, my heart began to beat faster and the closer I got to the hotel the faster my heart beat. The walls were faded with overgrown grasses everywhere. My first instinct was to look for another hotel but our tight budget permitted no such luxury, so we bravely walked in. The receptionist we met did not understand English at all and we only knew pleasantries in French, so checking in took another hour since we had to wait for an English speaking manager.

Our room reminded me of a house I once visited in the village, stark with only the basic necessities present, enough leg space for just one person, not three. I was so tired I just lay down and slept. I abruptly woke up as I was so uncomfortable and decided to go take a bath. I found the rest room easily and once I opened it I found myself, frozen in shock for minutes. A drop of tear on my face brought me back to reality as I knew this toilet must have been washed last over a month ago.

As I unpacked my things reluctantly late at night I realized my international passport was not in my bag. I woke my friends and asked them if they had seen it but they only had theirs; in a growing state of panic I began to shiver though the temperature remained normal. My friends tried to comfort and encourage me that we would search and find it tomorrow. My vacation was gradually turning into my worst nightmare. All through the night I stayed awake playing and replaying all possible scenarios that tomorrow could bring.

Finally at about 3:00 am I found myself praying and finally seeking Gods face on this matter, then I remembered this bible verse “My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” Immediately every anxiety faded and I even caught a little sleep.

At exactly 8:00 am as we got to the bus stop a good looking stranger handed me my passport. In clear English he explained how he had noticed the passport as he was getting off and remembered my face, he went further to say that he had been at the bus stop since 6:00 am hoping to see me. Tears of joy flowed freely from my eyes as I thanked God and the stranger. It never occurred to me that a lifetime friendship had just occurred; only God the master builder knew the plans of good he had for me.

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