After 10 days of training camp, meeting a new team of people, spending 3-4 hours in sessions, worshiping with the body of Christ, feeling God’s presence, hearing His voice, trusting Him, releasing control, seeking time with Him daily, trying various foods from around the world, sleeping in a tent, walking through field scenarios, and learning each day – I was heading back on a bus to the Atlanta airport to fly back to Baltimore, MD.
I was leaving two weeks of truth, teaching, and new community and heading home to my normal, comfortable routines of life – having so much to process. It has been about a month since coming home to Pennsylvania, and it has definitely been a transition. Processing life, sessions, hope, and experiences in the midst of coming back to family, Messiah College, and the holiday season arriving.
I’m continuing to process but am reflecting back on the plane ride from GA to MD. I boarded the plane and found an empty row. At first, I sat myself down in the aisle seat like the patterns of people in front of me – blocking off the row as if to say please keep moving towards the back of the plane. As I sat there, I thought about my other team members and the conversations they’d had with people on planes on the ride here or the conversations people had through evangelizing in the neighborhoods – how with trust and faith in the Lord, I don’t have to live in fear but can hold steady in Him.
I decided to move by the window seat – it felt more inviting to see who’d move into the row, and I’d get to see what was going on outside the window. I sat and had my journal out as I continued to process. Eventually, the rest of the plane finished boarding, and my row was filled with two other plane riders. As we took off, I noticed the man beside me put in headphones and the woman on the other side of him was doing her own thing. I thought oh my, I guess I won’t be able to talk to people on this ride. My flesh was content with being comfortable, but something inside me was a little disappointed.
We went on with the rest of our flight – plane instructions, take off, drinks, and then complimentary pretzels (so thankful for those, even with a short flight – so good!). Everything seemed fine, routine, and normal. About half way through the flight, we hit some unexpected turbulence. It was a few bumps at first, and then it started to feel like a roller coaster. We had a few fast dips down that felt like we were falling. I heard gasps and saw drinks rise above people’s heads as they raised them and soda spilled around. This happened for a minute or so and then again a few minutes later. The man next to me and I handed our napkins to the lady on the end whose drink had spilled all over her and the seat table.
This chaotic moment with its little bit of worry and fear changed the atmosphere around. Our row checked on each other to make sure we were all doing okay, and this sparked a conversation between the man next to me and myself.
Meet Harold. Harold lives in Maryland and was traveling to Atlanta for a business meeting. He shared about meeting his new coworkers and how different they were from what he expected – much more into video games and arcades rather than business dinners for meeting up. He asked about my time in Atlanta, and I shared about being from PA and about training for my missionary position next year. We ended up talking about the traveling – the countries I’ll be going to, where I’ve traveled to in the past, and his experiences traveling.
Our conversation shifted as he shared how his family is from Puerto Rico and his story of working in the states the last twenty years. I shared about being half Canadian and how I’m hoping to take time to learn more about how the different values and cultural factors impact how I’ve grown up in mix with American values. This created such a beautiful shift as we talked about family and culture. He shared about what that has looked like for him being in the states as a Puerto Rican as well as his wife’s experience as a Dominican. I loved being able to listen to his story as he shared about meeting his wife through salsa dancing in the states and how their upbringing and experiences have shaped how they come together and celebrate cultures then model that for their children.
This conversation was such a blessing for me. Sometimes sharing faith and truth is as easy as having a conversation with someone – meeting people, having a curious heart, learning to listen and ask questions, being vulnerable with your own life story, not doing life on your own, and genuinely getting to know people. I believe there are some internal needs that we each hold – to be loved, heard, known, and seen. In recognizing that each of us was made by the Creator God and so loved by Him, we can see beauty and experience peace in interacting with the people around us. Each one with a story and a purpose. Each one is valuable.
Thank you God for Harold, may you continue to bless Him and teach Him more and more about how you’ve created Him and the plans you have for Him. Thank you for his family and for his wife and children. I pray you draw them in and show them who you are and share with them how beautiful you see each and every one of them. Thank you for genuine conversations and for opportunities to hear the stories you are writing in peoples’ lives. I’m so grateful for the ways you continue to move and show yourself in this world.
Amen
