Desert Destiny: Asia to Africa

On the last episode of Travel the Road, "Desert Destiny: Asia to Africa":

Disaster Strikes

Before leaving for India on their way to Ethiopia, the missionaries received a phone call from Michael Scott, Executive Producer of Travel the Road in Los Angeles, California. The news was chilling as Michael shared, "Will, I've got some bad news. There was a plane crash in Taiwan. A lot of people died. There's one other thing. You know all the footage you guys shot? The package that you shipped back, it was on that flight". Receiving the haunting news and its deep impact, Tim recalled, "Hearing the news was devastating. All those people who lost their lives, and our small package of film that carried the testimony of the Lord was gone also. You try to understand why things like this happen. But a restless mind can never give answers. You have to trust the Lord and believe even in the darkest hour. You must have faith and grab hold of the assurance in Him".

See a clip from the show: "Disaster Strikes"

Moving on in Faith

Having received the news about the airplane crash, the missionaries had a choice, as Tim described, "You can either fail or decide to press on". So press on they did, as they boarded a plane to New Dehli, India, the next stop on their way to Ethiopia. Describing their arrival in New Dehli, Tim said, "it smacks you right in the face when you arrive". The hustle and bustle of a country with over one billion people was apparent, as was the pollution, the poverty and the cows that roamed freely on the streets. Needless to say, their arrival in Ethiopia the next day brought with it some much welcomed relief from the crowded and filthy streets of New Dehli.

See a clip from the show: "Moving On in Faith"

Ethiopia - The Experience Begins

The missionaries were energized and ready to minister after attending services at Winners' Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the packed-in congregation showed no restraint in praising God. Before setting out to the deserts of northern Ethiopia, things seemed to get worse before getting better when Michael called with an update on the crash. Michael related, "Will, I talked to the airline. They said our package was completely destroyed". Despite the bad news, the missionaries' faith remained strong, remembering they had recently put the crash and lost video footage behind them. So they set out to the northern deserts, a land ravaged by war in recent months. After meeting resistance from the people in Dido, they moved south toward Samara and later to Serdo, where they came across the Afar people (an unreached group). The highlight of their ministry was sharing the Gospel with a young boy named Abraham, a local interpreter. The seed of the Gospel was planted in this young mind and prayers were lifted that Abraham would become a spiritual leader among the Afar people.

See a clip from the show: "Ethiopia - The Experience Begins"

A Miracle in Their Midst

Having traveled out of the deserts of northern Ethiopia, the missionaries wondered about the contents of the letter that awaited them at the post office in Addis Ababa. It was the first letter they had received from Michael Scott in quite some time. Anxiously, they read the following words that left them speechless:

Dear Tim and Will:
You'll never believe this. One week ago, I was called by the airline. They asked me to describe the package you shipped home. When I told them what to look for, they suddenly said 'we have your package'. They sent it to me. Even though every tape was wet and covered in jet fuel, they all played fine. In short, every tape and film for the last four months has been recovered.

Your brother,
Michael Scott
Travel the Road

Tim recalled this pivotal turning point on their mission stating, "Even in sight of certain disaster the footage had been recovered, and God had restored all that we had labored for". The fact that this package was the only cargo salvaged from the crash was a defining moment for the missionaries and represented a time when fate met destiny. Their travels from this point forward would never be the same.