Will the Real Mustafa please stand up?

To get from Marrakech to Fes we had to take a long bus ride. The plan was to take the bus, arrive at the bus station in Fes, get connected to the Internet and let Mustafa from the hostel know we've arrived as arranged. 

Upon arriving at the bus station there he was - Mustafa was waiting for us, welcoming us with such overeagerness it was convincing. Being confident this was it we followed Mustafa, got in a cab and next thing we found ourselves in very fancy hostel. Beautiful patterns lined the walls of the Riad and comfortable couches invited us to make use of them.

All was going well until the negotiating started. The "owners" wanted more that was agreed upon because, "It's so beautiful place." The "owners" also didn't want to give us the WiFi password and told Stian to delete the number he initially communicated with. Realizing this deal was going to go south Stian told these men that the price they're asking is not what was agreed upon and that we're leaving. At this the men gave in. One room meant for four would now be inhabited by ten. We didn't mind that - this is Global Challenge and well, it all was beautiful and inviting.

However, behind the scenes and once connected to the WiFi messages started pouring in from the Real Mustafa. Where were we? Are we still coming? Then in those nightly hours Stian walked all the way to the hostel we originally had to be and sorted everything out, came back and explained to Marié what had happened.

Ladies and gentlemen - we were scammed. And most of this was going on while half of us were sleeping. The next morning our Cappie woke us up and explained what was going on. Her words (and I quote), "Ok, guys... We're leaving now. What happened was we were part of a mini mafia (laughs nervously) and we've been scammed."

In a few moments we were geared to go. In complete silence we marched out of that place. It felt a little bit like a movie. 

Stian and Ghian stayed behind to get the money back.

God's goodness is so evident in all of this. We got all the money back - meaning we slept for free and got free rides from the bus station. 

The Real Mustafa explained that we were poached but that it's not a regular occurrence. To us this was God having a sense of humor, but also Him displaying His goodness and protection toward us (who knows what these men are capable of). 

His grace is sufficient and it will always be enough. He is our covering and He did not give us a spirit of fear but rather He called us into His marvelous light and fellowship with Him. 

He has turned what should've been a loss into a glorious gain and a testimony of His goodness, protection and provision along with a dash of humor. 

He is a good, good Father.