The Passport

“And he said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.’” Luke 18:27, KJV.

Bi-vocational pastor, Daryl Hannah from North Carolina was challenged to participate in a short-term mission trip to a Last Frontier area of the Pacific Rim. Daryl did not see how he could make the trip, but he agreed to pray about it, and to let his church, Crossroads Missionary Baptist Church, know so that they could pray with him.

After several weeks of praying there was no financial support or other indicators that he was to go. Roger Knight, a deacon at Riverside Baptist Church in Waynesville, North Carolina, who had asked Daryl to go, asked what he had decided about the trip. Daryl shared that he didn’t see how he could go. Roger wrote out a check to Daryl and said, “Here is your first donation, so what’s your excuse now?”

Daryl commented that he thought it was too late to arrange travel. Again he was assured that the tickets could still be purchased, but that a decision needed to be made soon. With building excitement, Daryl agreed to go. “Buy my ticket,” he said. “I’m confident that God wants me to go, and that He will supply a way.”

Almost as a parting comment Roger told Daryl to get his passport in process as soon as possible. The very next day Daryl filled out and submitted his application for a passport. Once the commitment was made the money for the trip started to pour in. “It seemed as if God had rolled up His sleeves and gone to work for me, as soon as He knew I was committed,” said Daryl.

One afternoon Daryl was talking to his father, Richard on the phone. As he shared about his upcoming trip his father got real quiet. He said, “Son, when did you say you put in your application for your passport?” Daryl repeated that he put his application in just a few days ago. “I don’t want to disappoint you, but I don’t think you’ll be able to get your passport in time to go on your trip. There was a big story in the newspaper. Because of passports being required for Canada and Mexico the passport department is backed up on applications by at least 12 weeks.”

It was Daryl’s turn to be quiet for a moment. Then he said, “Dad, that may be true about the passport department, but I believe God is bigger than this problem. He’ll make a way for me to get the passport before I leave, and I’ll call you when my passport gets here.”

Exactly 12 days after Daryl had submitted his application for a passport he walked into his home and his wife asked, “Did you get your passport yet?” Daryl explained that it would still be several weeks before he expected get the passport, and that he might have to contact their congressman for help if it got too close to time for the trip.

At that point his son entered the conversation. He said, “Dad, you won’t have to do that.” Daryl became concerned thinking that something was wrong. His son smiled. “I think your passport is sitting on the kitchen table right now!”

Daryl ran to the table and tore open an envelope from the United States Passport Bureau. Sure enough he had his passport! Immediately, he picked up the phone and called his dad. When his dad answered Daryl said, “Remember what I said about God being bigger than the passport department?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Guess, what I have in my hand right now?” said Daryl.

“Son, it’s just not possible for you to get a passport that quick.”

“That may be, but I have a passport in my hand. I told you dad,” said Daryl triumphantly. “Nothing is impossible for God!”

Daryl got his passport, and he did travel to the other side of the planet and shared the Gospel with an unreached people group in a Last Frontier area of Southeast Asia. Daryl’s story reminds us all that God still delights to do the impossible in response to simple faith!

Pray that:

Believers will answer God’s call to follow Him on short-term mission trips to the Pacific Rim region regardless of the seemingly impossible obstacles.

God’s demonstration of power will draw Daryl’s father back into an active relationship, and that he will start going to church again.

The Gospel seeds that Daryl planted among an unreached people group will grow unto a spiritual harvest of souls.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.