The sun was barely hovering above the horizon as the plane crept slowly along the tarmac awaiting take-off. In the 45 minutes it took to make its way to the runway, I dozed in my seat, my head bobbing involuntarily toward my chest. In my half-conscious state, I realized we were finally gathering speed. 40, 80, 100 mph… And then just at the moment when my stomach would normally be leaping into my chest as the plane leaves the ground, it happened.
The pilot slammed on the brakes and we came to a screeching halt. (At least as fast as you can get a several hundred ton hunk of speeding metal to decelerate from over 100 mph…)
It took me a few moments to fully wake up. And a few more to appreciate the severity of what had just happened. Aren’t we supposed to be in the air right now? What on Earth is wrong?
A low rumble of frantic voices slowly erupted throughout the cabin. Flight attendants gave shoulder massages to a few distressed passengers, and I made nervous eye contact with my hubby and 3 kids several rows away. We collectively exhaled relief.
The pilot finally informed us there was an air speed indicator malfunction and we’d be returning to the gate to check it out.
It was then I calculated the time we’d sat on the runway and the delay we’d likely experience resolving this issue, and came to a disappointing conclusion. We weren’t going to make our connecting flight in Miami to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Ugh.
As one of the 2 Team Leaders escorting a team of 14 people from the States to Haiti, I was in a panic. What could God have in mind leaving me stranded in Dallas, TX while my 9 other team members were getting ready to board a plane in Miami bound for the mission trip we had been planning for over 9 months???
Staying positive, I figured God would make a way, because He needed me in Haiti.
I guess neither the airlines or God got my memo.
We soon learned we were not only going to miss that sacred connection in Miami, but also there was absolutely no way we could get to Haiti until TOMORROW.
What?!
As we boarded a new Miami-bound plane an hour later, I remembered our original flight’s gate agent made us check our carry-ons – all the way to Port-au-Prince! What would my little crew of 6 do when I told them we’d have no suitcases? I could hardly sleep as I worried about my co-lead (who I was to be training) being left in the lurch with me stateside overnight, and all that we’d be missing, including our luggage.
I silently prayed for a better outcome as the miles soared past.
On the ground in Miami, I figured out God wasn’t on the same page with me regarding this whole getting to Haiti today thing. Seems I sorely overvalued his need for me to be there.
Armed with just the clothes on our backs, meager airline toiletry kits and a pile of vouchers, the 7 of us made our way via shuttle to our hotel for the night. Knowing we should be positive, knowing we should be grateful to not be sleeping in an airport, knowing (hoping!) we’d get to Haiti first thing in the morning, knowing the rest of the team would be fine without us for the night – all offered little consolation to me.
What was God thinking? I needed to get to Haiti today. Instead the song lyrics, “Welcome to Miami” were stuck on repeat in my frazzled, overtired brain. All I wanted to do was cry.
Hours later, in my sufficient, yet stale hotel room, I connected with my co-lead in Haiti via video FaceTime. When I saw the rest of our team sitting in the colorful, Haitian guest house without me, I finally did cry.
“I should be there!”
It was then my sweet new friend and co-leader, Raena asked me the question we often pose to our mission go-ers, “What’s God trying to teach you?”
I defensively replied through my narrowly suppressed tears, “I don’t know!”
Then she said tenderly, “Maybe God’s trying to teach you patience.”
I know the fruit of patience is sorely lacking in my life. But at that moment, I wasn’t really loving God’s method of teaching.
That night our little beleaguered group sat in the hotel restaurant processing the day.
I’d had a bit of an attitude shift after my mini-meltdown earlier. Instead of complaining and being mad, I knew I should be counting our blessings. After all, not only did I have a huge opportunity to learn patience, but also, we had seen God answer prayers for our safety when he spared us from taking off in a plane not fit for flying! We were safe, warm, fed, and we had tickets for Haiti tomorrow.
I fell asleep that night praying God’s lesson wouldn’t be wasted. Maybe I could grow in this fruit of the Spirit after all.
[reminder]Has God revealed a deficiency of patience in your life? [/reminder]