After a 4:20am wake up call at the Project
H.O.P.E. compound, the team gathered suitcases and loaded the bus for the
airport to head out of Nicaragua ... or so we thought :) ...
A flight attendant was unable to make it due to a back
injury leaving the plane short a crew member, which delayed the original flight
for over seven hours.
The team joyfully passed hours of time by hanging hammocks
in the airport for more comfortable seating (why not?! J), playing cards and
reflecting on the awesome week the Lord allowed us to have.
Because of the delay and the large size of our team, half of us ended up getting re-routed through Houston instead of going to Atlanta as originally scheduled.That meant going back out of security to get new boarding passes and then through again to get to the gate for boarding.The plane we boarded in Managua ended up being delayed over an hour due to plane maintenance, meaning we landed in Houston with very little time to spare to get through customs. Despite our best efforts, we ended up missing our connection as all members of the team were unable to get to the next gate before they closed the doors to the jet way.
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We were so thankful the Lord gave us perspective and a sense
of humor amidst the craziness. We were
able to take a picture by the huge astronaut in the airport and joke that
“Houston, we have a problem.”
When placed in circumstances we wouldn’t necessarily have chosen, we were able to step back and trust that God’s plans are better than our own and that He was simply giving us a practice opportunity to live out what we believe, and to offer grace to those He put in our path along the way. I had a chance to sit with a man from Taiwan on the plane from Nicaragua to Houston who had never read the Bible and scarcely heard of Christ. We talked much of the flight through broken English and Spanish and an app that translated from Taiwainese to English and back. The next day, from Houston to Salt Lake, Daniel was able to share the Word with a Sikh man for much of the flight, while Mr. May also had opportunities to engage in gospel centered conversation on two flights. Clearly the Lord knew our team needed to “divide and conquer” on the way home. He is so gracious to us in each circumstance.
Because of the delay and the large size of our team, half of us ended up getting re-routed through Houston instead of going to Atlanta as originally scheduled.That meant going back out of security to get new boarding passes and then through again to get to the gate for boarding.The plane we boarded in Managua ended up being delayed over an hour due to plane maintenance, meaning we landed in Houston with very little time to spare to get through customs. Despite our best efforts, we ended up missing our connection as all members of the team were unable to get to the next gate before they closed the doors to the jet way.
From there, we spent a long time at the Delta ticket counter
as the agent graciously tried to figure out how to get us home. The best solution was for all to fly to Salt
Lake the next morning, then from there nine would fly into Butte and shuttle
home on a bus, while two would fly straight into Bozeman.
After a dinner at Waffle House, we headed to the hotel for a
short night’s rest before heading back to the airport and towards home.
When placed in circumstances we wouldn’t necessarily have chosen, we were able to step back and trust that God’s plans are better than our own and that He was simply giving us a practice opportunity to live out what we believe, and to offer grace to those He put in our path along the way. I had a chance to sit with a man from Taiwan on the plane from Nicaragua to Houston who had never read the Bible and scarcely heard of Christ. We talked much of the flight through broken English and Spanish and an app that translated from Taiwainese to English and back. The next day, from Houston to Salt Lake, Daniel was able to share the Word with a Sikh man for much of the flight, while Mr. May also had opportunities to engage in gospel centered conversation on two flights. Clearly the Lord knew our team needed to “divide and conquer” on the way home. He is so gracious to us in each circumstance.
The “Butte/Bozeman team” (aka Houston Group) arrived
back in Montana on the 11th. A couple landed at 12:30 pm and the rest made
their way home from Butte via family members. Many on this team returned to the
airport later in the evening around 11pm to greet the “Atlanta” half of
the team. We wanted to start and finish
together as a team.
We rejoice in all the Lord did throughout the week and will
treasure all He allowed us to experience the rest of our lives!
Miss Lundskog
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