Aaron vs. Canada (with Special Guest Referee, American Airlines)

Wow...

There is just so much to write about right now.

The first is how good it is to get in front of a computer. I know it sounds silly... but the 36 hours or so it's been since I've been on the net have made me feel very disconnected. No way to check on news, no way to email, no way to blog. And I'm not even a big blogger... but when so many thoughts have happened to me in such a short time... that I actually have something to say...
So yeah, I'm in Canada, sans passport.

All I can say is... God is awesome and Canadians are nice. I'm on a business trip up here, filming for a missions video for Centri-Kid/Crosspoint. My boss told me I wouldn't need a passport... but the American governement and American Airlines seem to think differently. Suprising, Canada seemed just happy to have me. ;-)

AAirlines let me on the plane with the warning that Canada could, if they wanted, fine me up to $10,000. And I may still get fined that much when I come back through customs, I think. So the first thing I did was the only thing I new to do - call a representative from each of my three groups of friends (Tasha from my core group of friends, Daphne from RCKTWN and Thomas from MOSAIC) and ask for lots and lots of prayer. And I knew that it would be alright.

So I get off the plane... knowing fully well that I could become the subject of mass interrogation and financial penalty... only to have a sudden confidence. When I got to customs, I literally/honestly felt directed to the last agent on the house right. Sure enough, when I go to the line he was the one to motion me over.

Now let me just say how comfortable I felt at this point that God had taken care of me. The only thing running through my head at the time was not to be professional, not to be worried... but that the agent looked like, acted like and straight sounded like my friend Tom from Campbellsville University. I had to contain the laughter... because we always ribbed him about being from Canada.

So that was just a part of my Canadian experience... not to mention the heart attack at the church or the french fries with cheese and gravy on them. I'd write more... but I need to rejoin my host.

Please pray that my visit with customs going back to the US is just as smooth... and that we hit the $0 fine mark again...