"Cj's body is not here...the escort has arrived, but, his body isn't here and we don't know where he is..." This was the dreaded phone call that I received Friday afternoon.
My worst nightmare about his transportation to Nigeria was playing out!
"...what happened...where is he now...who do I call...Lord God, this can't possibly be happening, right?!", These thoughts and questions whirled through my head as I listened to the anxious voices on two cell phones as I juggled talking to multiple people, trying to assess what had happened, what the airline was saying, what to do next and...where in the world was my husband's body?!!
The next few hours were full of high emotion and anxiety as we waited to find out where the airline had left him, why and what was going to happen next...
Two days before this we had checked Cj's casket into the airport and entrusted him into the care of the airline (which shall remain nameless!), little did we know that after starting off right and shipping him to Atlanta, they left him there for the next two days because "somebody" at the airline didn't do what they were supposed to do, "human error", is what they termed it...
I don't think they fully appreciated the emotional trauma and havoc that was caused on both sides of the globe because of this human error!
But, that evening as I drove to the nigerian wake that was being held in honor of Cj, I felt the Lord speaking to me (we still didn't have confirmation of what had happened at this point) and my devotional reading for that day came to mind...
"Not as I will, but as You will." Mt 26:39 "Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me..."Ps 131:2 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Is 26:3
and then,
"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done" Phil 4:6
I still didn't have answers, for me or the numerous people calling me, but I knew that God was taking my burden and carrying it for me! I was able to breathe a sigh of relief and allow God to "worry" about it for me.
That night we went to the wake that the nigerian community put together to celebrate Cj and show support to his family. As I sat in the hall filled with people, music playing loudly and people eating, dancing and celebrating - I felt almost as if I could see Cj there - laughing, dancing and just celebrating in joy. It was a very special time and yet very hard emotionally as his presence was so real and almost tangible to me.
It was also a very long night, we ended up getting home around 5am!! My kids did well though... and they enjoyed the night, Christian and Andrew got to be part of the men's dance for Cj and Cadie couldn't wait to get on the dance floor during the women's dance!!
So, in ending, Cj's body did arrive in Nigeria late Saturday and his family was able to complete his burial this weekend. I am praising God that He worked out the details and nothing further went wrong with the transportation. I have learned a lot through the various challenges and trials associated with navigating a multi-cultural funeral and burial process. A lot of prayer was necessary and God is working it all out, all glory be to His name!
Prayer Requests:
1. This next week is full of getting the kids enrolled and ready for school! Prayer that all goes smoothly and without major hiccups as we get all the necessary stuff in order...
2. Still peace and guidance for me as I navigate choices and decisions that are continuing
3. Wisdom on where to seek assistance for, what options to pursue for family/personal grief counseling - I tend to be more of an "internalizer/inner strength" personality, but I am learning that sometimes I need to seek outside assistance and godly help, especially during these circumstances.
My worst nightmare about his transportation to Nigeria was playing out!
"...what happened...where is he now...who do I call...Lord God, this can't possibly be happening, right?!", These thoughts and questions whirled through my head as I listened to the anxious voices on two cell phones as I juggled talking to multiple people, trying to assess what had happened, what the airline was saying, what to do next and...where in the world was my husband's body?!!
The next few hours were full of high emotion and anxiety as we waited to find out where the airline had left him, why and what was going to happen next...
Two days before this we had checked Cj's casket into the airport and entrusted him into the care of the airline (which shall remain nameless!), little did we know that after starting off right and shipping him to Atlanta, they left him there for the next two days because "somebody" at the airline didn't do what they were supposed to do, "human error", is what they termed it...
I don't think they fully appreciated the emotional trauma and havoc that was caused on both sides of the globe because of this human error!
But, that evening as I drove to the nigerian wake that was being held in honor of Cj, I felt the Lord speaking to me (we still didn't have confirmation of what had happened at this point) and my devotional reading for that day came to mind...
"Not as I will, but as You will." Mt 26:39 "Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me..."Ps 131:2 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Is 26:3
and then,
"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done" Phil 4:6
I still didn't have answers, for me or the numerous people calling me, but I knew that God was taking my burden and carrying it for me! I was able to breathe a sigh of relief and allow God to "worry" about it for me.
That night we went to the wake that the nigerian community put together to celebrate Cj and show support to his family. As I sat in the hall filled with people, music playing loudly and people eating, dancing and celebrating - I felt almost as if I could see Cj there - laughing, dancing and just celebrating in joy. It was a very special time and yet very hard emotionally as his presence was so real and almost tangible to me.
It was also a very long night, we ended up getting home around 5am!! My kids did well though... and they enjoyed the night, Christian and Andrew got to be part of the men's dance for Cj and Cadie couldn't wait to get on the dance floor during the women's dance!!
So, in ending, Cj's body did arrive in Nigeria late Saturday and his family was able to complete his burial this weekend. I am praising God that He worked out the details and nothing further went wrong with the transportation. I have learned a lot through the various challenges and trials associated with navigating a multi-cultural funeral and burial process. A lot of prayer was necessary and God is working it all out, all glory be to His name!
Prayer Requests:
1. This next week is full of getting the kids enrolled and ready for school! Prayer that all goes smoothly and without major hiccups as we get all the necessary stuff in order...
2. Still peace and guidance for me as I navigate choices and decisions that are continuing
3. Wisdom on where to seek assistance for, what options to pursue for family/personal grief counseling - I tend to be more of an "internalizer/inner strength" personality, but I am learning that sometimes I need to seek outside assistance and godly help, especially during these circumstances.
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