Well, I can't say that I'm surprised to find myself at the airport with flying issues... a delayed flight. I have grown accustomed to the ebb and flow and unexpectedness of travel, I think. It helps that I have had great traveling partners in the past, I think. It also helps that I have had some pretty powerful experiences this past year in forfeiting control to God. I certainly can't make the plane get here on time...would be pretty cool if I could!
But being forced to take a time out at the airport gives me a little bit of time for reflection. I was just on the phone with a missionary friend of mine, and she was saying how cool it was that I am going to the Philippines alone, to a place I've never been before, where I know hardly anyone and I don't know what I'll be doing. And as I heard her say the words I've been playing around in my head but never heard out loud (you know there is a huge difference between something you hear in your head and something said out loud...it becomes real when you actually hear yourself or someone else say it...strange!!) I started a mini freak out. It's pretty crazy, in this day and age, to skip out into the world without a ton of information. After all, we are in the information age. The internet and cell phones make sure we can live in a world without surprises, that we are ultra informed and therefore have a sense of security about where and how we live. However, it is a false sense of security. No matter how much information we have, things can and will happen way out of our control.
And after a teeny weeny frantic moment, I remembered a conversation I had with someone this morning after mass. I said to my cool new friend that God has sent some major powerhouse praying people into my life lately. I don't think it can be a coincidence that in the past few months I have met some of the most prayerful people I have ever known. And over the past few days, I've heard from all of them that they are praying for me. I think that is why I am not having a mini freak out session right now at the airport where because of my delayed flight I will probably miss my connection to Seattle so I'll spend the night in Boston where I will hopefully take the morning flight instead and hope to get me and my luggage on the flight to Manila before it leaves Seattle.
Prayer is a major powerful thing. No fooling. I am extremely grateful for all the people praying for me right now and during my mission trip with the Oikos Sisters. Extremely. How lucky I am!! xoxo
