Overstay

Out of our busyness and my forgetfulness (can I blame my C-section operation?) we didn't realize until last week that Tricia and I were supposed to exit the country on Nov. 26 for border run. It was a good thing that Jesu was going to the border for some transactions on that Saturday, so the night before that we were talking about his trip. While we were talking, he thought hard and with a worried look in his face he asked me, "When are you supposed to do border run?". Then without answering him, I immediately got up and looked for my passport, my heart was already beating fast. When I was going up, I vividly remembered that the last time I went to Malaysia was in August of my brother in laws wedding and haven't gone out ever since LYle was born. That means we've overstayed for almost a month!

I searched for my passport upstairs and couldn't find it. When I came down, I already saw my Hubby looking at my passport and Tricia's passport. THen, he said, "I think we're in trouble." Without any word both of us went to the living room and were silent for several minutes. Both thinking deeply.

Tricia and I overstayed the country for 23 days!!! And if you're in Thailand, you have to pay a big chunk of money per day times 2 ( for tricia too) for overstay. And when we calculated it, it was so huge!!! The amount totaled MORE than our month's salary. whew!

I thought that will be a long night for both of us. So many thoughts already ran through my mind. So, what will happen to our planned Noche Buena? What about the buying of gifts for the kids and family? Will it be a lonely Christmas for us? Most importantly, how to pay our house rental, bills and what about our daily needs, our FOOD and etc. if all our salary will be paid for the fine.

After all these doubtful thoughts, I prayed and entrusted everything to GOd. Like a little child, I even told God, "Lord what will happened now to all our Christmas plans?" I was really like a small girl who was so excited for Christmas (more excited than Tricia) And immediately, it was impressed in my heart as if God was saying, "Isn't Christmas is not all about parties or even giving of gifts but Christmas is about ME." And like a child, corrected by the Father, I just said, "Yeah, that's right. I'm sorry." And with that peace flooded into my heart.

Then before I slept, I read my devotional book by C.H. Spurgeon. And wow! It spoke right through my heart. All my doubts, all my anxieties was revealed and rebuked ( ouch!) but at the end I got strengthened.

Here is an excerpt of my reading:

If the disposal of the lot is the Lord's, whose is the
arrangement of our whole life?If the simple casting of a lot is guided by HIm,
how much more the events of our entire life- especially when we are told by our
blessed Savior, "The very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matt.10:30). IT
would bring a holy calm over your mind, dear friend, if you were always to
remember this.

When a man is anxious, he cannot pray with faith. ...Be wise,
attend to obeying, and let Christ manage the providing. Come and survey your
Father's storehouse, and ask whether He will let you starve while He has laid up
so great an abundance in HIs garner. If He remembers even the sparrows, will He
forget one of the least of His poor children? " Cast thy burden upon the Lord,
and he will sustain thee. He will never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Psalm
55:22)

With all God's assurance and promise. I slept peacefully like a baby.

THen indeed true to God's word, he sustained us and He provided for us. When we went to the immigration the following day, the officer only asked us to pay half of the total amount. He did not charge for Tricia's overstay anymore. WOw! So, it means we still have half of our salary left! So, at that time, my HUbby and I decided to cancel all our Christmas plans and stick to just spending the necessary things to make ends meet. But two days after, our friend told us that there is this group of people who wants to transfer money in our account. Realy?!! And you know how much? Almost the exact amount that we paid the Thai immigration! Wow! God is truly amazing isn't He? I'm always amazed with the way He provides and His grace for us.

So, that's our overstay experience. Once again, we experienced God's hand move in our lives and we're forever grateful and humbled. Glory to God!