I was so excited. I’d booked a post-Christmas/pre-New Year trip to Paris for a few days with my sister on a travel site. As of the time of writing this, our trip is scheduled for the 27th of December. About a week after making the payment I realised that my first name was missing from the booking so I checked on the British Airways website and learnt that only the travel agency could request my name change. So I contacted them on the 11th of December, and was told that it take 7 days to action my request. I called again on the 18th when I hadn’t heard back from the travel site, and was told by the travel agency that it’s actually 7 business days as the BA Trade Support office do not work on weekends, and that they were working on it. (Not true, by the way). Then I was told to wait another 2 days, which I did and surprise, surprise they didn’t contact me.
Then it was, “someone will call you in 4 hours”, then in “2 days” and then in “2 hours.” This went on, up until Friday, the 22nd. Meanwhile, BA told me that the only request they’d ever received from the travel agency came in on the 22nd. I’m sure you can imagine the level of my frustration. The final straw occurred that Friday, when someone at the travel agency came back to me saying that BA asked them to make the request again on Monday (Christmas day) as their systems were down! But I knew the BA Trade Support office would be closed on both Christmas and Boxing Days and my trip was the day after!
To some of you reading this, it does seem trivial. And in the grand scheme of things, it is. But in the moment I was really stressed about it as I would not be able to travel if my ticket and passport names don’t match. Anyway, in the early hours of Saturday (23rd), in those first few moments of lucidity, just as the realisation that this was the last day that this issue could be resolved I heard in my spirit the words from 1 Corinthians 10:13:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
The words “…but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it” jumped out at me. And I felt a peace and assurance that everything would be fine. Regardless. And it all is. Sometimes we go through things that are beyond our control. Some big, some small. Some life changing, some not. There may be times when it seems like so many things are coming at you at once and you feel like life is dragging you around. Just as many families are revelling in festivities during this Christmas/New Year, there are many people facing many challenges. Jesus did say that in this life we would face trials, but that we should be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. Despite what we face, as believers in Christ we are assured that He will never leave us and that He would strengthen us and give us the grace we need to face life. He is our peace.
So did you get things sorted out? Were you able to take your trip? I've come across this sort of issue before. It's a real shame.
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