Life is a series of journeys. A cumulative sum of the beginning and end of each mini-journey. But most of all, it's about the middle part of each individual journey. That's when you don't ask questions about life, but life questions you.
I am constantly asked by well-meaning friends if moving to Sydney to study at Hillsong is the best option for me. When I made the decision to move here, it came with a thought that if the move was easy, maybe I'm not meant to be here. It was difficult. For starters, given that there was a huge mistake in the processing of my residency application the last time, plus the lost passport saga - there had to be a question mark around my return to Australia. I withdrew my court case against the Immigration Department back then because it took so long just to get a hearing. Then, I found out that they made another error and forgot to extend my bridging visa while I was in Australia. In effect, due to not much fault on my part, it would be almost impossible to come back.
The visa took long enough and was finally granted a month later than expected. Three weeks after Orientation at College.
The visa took long enough and was finally granted a month later than expected. Three weeks after Orientation at College.
Two days later, I was all packed and on my way to the airport on a rainy day. Traffic was blocked on all sides and after driving on the wrong side of the road, I found myself in a very sticky situation. My family was in the car with me and we'd traveled 6 Km in almost two hours. The mass of vehicles lining the roads in all directions hardly budged. On a whim, we decided to take a small by-lane and luckily spotted an airport cab. My star of the east. He led me back to the highway that leads to the airport through roads I never knew existed. I lost him at a road that was blocked with water, but managed to make it back on the highway and eased behind an ambulance which made it possible to reach the airport with just over an hour before my flight took off. My sister called me the 'last minute man' and 'God's blue-eyed boy'. That's the way my life has played out so far. I am made to wait, but God's goodness always comes through, just in time.
Because I'd already missed two weeks of college, the immigration officials should have asked me for a letter with an extension of enrolment. I didn't have it with me. Instead, one of them, after studying my face for a while, decided that I looked a lot like his boss. Then they started calling me 'boss' and let me through with no hassles.
At the Sydney airport, I had one last heart-beat skip as they pulled me aside and asked me to wait. Ten minutes later, the lady walked out with my passport and said, "It's all good." No more issues. It's great to be back.
It's easy to give up, rather than passionately pursuing what you believe life should be and most of all, believing that it is possible. I'd rather give up all the things that look rosy to seek that which fulfills. For now, I have learned that it is far easier to settle for a normal life, rather than wanting to take a risk because you believe you were made to transform lives. I'll have the latter, even if there are times of difficult struggles. Life is about legacy. I'm here to build a legacy, not just to have a good time. To do that, sometimes you need to press on, through the difficult parts of life. When you get to the light at the end of the tunnel, you'll realize just how sweet life can be and it makes you that much stronger before you start on the next amazing mini-journey.