--------(BOI)
"There are air traffic delays in San Francisco today, so you won't make that Tokyo flight. It's looking like tomorrow morning will be the earliest we can get you out . . ."
That was the FIRST thing we heard as we endeavored to make our way to South Thailand. I immediately grabbed my phone and enlisted every social media venue I could conjure, asking people to pray.
"Breathe, Tammi, breathe," I told myself, "The whole point of this is to stretch your trust level and follow the Spirit in each moment. He's got this." Breathing exercises don't seem to lower my stress level, however, and I didn't have any chocolate handy (future note to self) so I just smiled and prayed. Smiled and prayed.
Within about ten minutes the AMAZING United clerk had us completely rebooked for THAT day on a different airline (all four on the same flights, even) through Taipei rather than Tokyo. Dusty and Brittany were a little sad to be missing Tokyo this year. Dax and I were blissfully ignorant. And all of us were asking, "Where in the world is Taipei?" Apparently our world geography classes had been less than compelling.
--------(SFO)
"Are you going to Bangkok?" I figured she had picked me because I looked like the only one most certain to speak English. Her sweet face lit up at my affirmative reply, and we chatted about our problems getting to SFO, the brevity of our layover in Taipei and our hopes that we could catch our continuing flights to South Thailand. "Shaabshom," she replied when I asked her name, "But you can just call me Shabby." I'm having this funny feeling we will see Shabby again while we are here.
--------(Somewhere over the Pacific)
"What was your first name?"
"Just call me William," he smiled knowingly as he continued to tell me about his emigration from Taiwan, his journey to belief in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit and his purpose in going back to set up care for his ill father. Surprise crossed his face when I told him I would be praying for his dad.
"You're a minister," I said, "You will be ministering to him, and you never know where someone's heart is." We blessed one another as we parted ways.
I thanked YHWH for the change in plans. I never would have met Shabby. I never would have met William or sat next to the Air Force Doctor who encouraged my son. I would not have bumped into the hurting couple who "happened" to show up in the lobby an hour after we checked in. (Jesus how would you have us minister to them?)
Long flights. Little sleep. Strained tensions. Massive God. Huge Opportunities. Great blessing. Mammoth hope. Skyped with my little family back home and now to rest in anticipation of how He might use us tomorrow. Blessings to you who are praying. He was moving even before we took the first step.
1 comment:
Haha... Yeah. Giddyup!
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