I Had Everything Planned... Except the Part Where They Let Me Into the Country.

Before leaving for my recent trip to Ethiopia and Kenya, I thought I had everything under control.

✅ Passport
✅ Flights booked
✅ Travel insurance
✅ Vaccinations
✅ Accommodations
✅ Transportation
✅ Schedule coordinated

I had lists for my lists.  This was going to be an epic mission trip—returning to Ethiopia and Kenya and reconnecting with friends I had met the year before.

What could possibly go wrong?

As we were landing in Ethiopia, my friend Solomon casually asked:  “Did you have any trouble getting your VISAs for Ethiopia and Kenya?”

“Nope. No problem at all,” I confidently replied.   Then came the awkward realization.  The VISAs I had gotten the year before were no longer valid.

How does someone plan an international mission trip, coordinate flights, transportation, accommodations, insurance, vaccinations...nd forget one of the most important requirements for entering the country?

Fortunately, I wasn't the first traveler to make this mistake. The Ethiopian airport had an entire section apparently designed for people like me—the “You Should Have Planned Better” section.

A few forms, an application fee, and some humble pie later, I was officially in Ethiopia.  But Kenya, that was another story.

I applied online for my Kenyan VISA while in Ethiopia. The process was easy.  The approval process?  Not so much.

Emails. Calls. Checking my phone. More checking my phone.  Then came travel day.  Still no VISA.

I could picture the scene in my head: arriving in Kenya and being escorted away by security officers who were not impressed by my carefully prepared packing list.

Thankfully, my friends kept reminding me:  “God’s got this.” And apparently, He did.

Literally 30 minutes before my flight was scheduled to leave for Kenya, an email appeared.

VISA APPROVED!

Whew! So yes...I made it to Kenya.

And judging by this picture with these two Kenyan security officers, I decided it was probably best to stay on their good side.  😊

The lesson?  Planning matters. Preparation matters.

But sometimes, even when you think you've planned everything, you discover the one thing you forgot.

And when that happens, it helps to have good friends who encourage you, people working behind the scenes, and a little faith that somehow...

God's got this.

Although next time, I'm putting “CHECK THE VISA EXPIRATION DATE” at the very top of my list.