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Several years ago I had the opportunity to serve as a student missionary in Thailand, “The Land of Smiles.” Others who had been there before gave me all sorts of tips and assured me that I’d love it; but really, nothing could have prepared me for the unique adventures and challenges that awaited me. My most exciting adventure happened one sunny day as I was on my way to Laos to renew my visa. I eagerly boarded my bus to Vientiane, and soon I was lost in reverie as I gazed out the window at passing temples (wats), roadside shops with exotic fruits, and rolling farmland, broken up by small towns along the way. My eyes strained to decipher the funny-looking characters on the street signs we passed. Will I ever master this language? I mused. We exited Thailand and crossed the Friendship Bridge into Laos without any problem. However, when my bus stopped at the Lao immigration checkpoint, I discovered I hadn’t been given a document I needed to fill out. By the time I had gotten the document, filled it out and turned it in, my fellow passengers were nowhere in sight. They must have stopped somewhere up ahead to wait for me, I thought. Tuk-tuk drivers eagerly offered their assistance, but I replied confidently, “I came on the bus from Khon Kaen,” and continued walking up the road. Suddenly, one of the men stopped me. “Bus from Khon Kaen already gone!” he insisted with a wave of his arm. I froze, scanning the road ahead. I desperately hoped he was wrong. The bus couldn’t just leave without me! My luggage was on that bus! My brain launched into panic mode. “Two hundred Baht,” the man offered. “I take you there! Hurry!” and he broke into a run. Not knowing what else to do, I hurried after him. I barely kept up as he bolted down the street, around a corner and through a parking lot. Finally, we reached his pickup truck. We jumped in, and he took off down the street, weaving in and out of traffic, even swerving onto the sidewalk once in a desperate attempt to catch my runaway bus. I held my breath, gripping my seat. Would we make it? Excitement overrode my anxiety as my driver took me on the ride of my life. Finally, after about ten minutes of wild pursuit, my driver turned to me with a grin and pointed ahead. “Khon Kaen,” he announced triumphantly. Sure enough, there a few cars ahead of us, was my bus. We pulled up beside it, and my driver motioned to the bus driver as if to say, “I have one of your passengers!” But we were now too close to our destination to bother pulling over, so we just followed the bus to the station. The bus driver seemed embarrassed to have left a passenger behind. He asked to see my ticket to make sure I was telling the truth. I was just happy to be reunited with my luggage! (The next time I took that bus to return to Khon Kaen, I had the same driver. He must have remembered me, because he was extra careful at the immigration checkpoints. Every time the bus stopped, he would walk up and down the aisle counting the passengers. He didn’t want to leave anyone behind again!) I had a wonderful short vacation in Laos, and I am so thankful to God for taking care of me. So many things could have gone wrong, but God protected me from danger and reunited me with my luggage. He is so good! I know now, even more than before, that I don’t have to be afraid in any situation. My God is faithful and able to deliver me out of any trouble. Thank You, Lord!