Wow, what a first 24 hours it has been! I, alongside many of my squad-mates, posted my final social media posts while sitting in the Atlanta airport mid-afternoon yesterday. “So long America”, “Catch ya in 11 months” and so many more were the remarks of W-Squad. I called and FaceTimed all my family members and good friends, bought my favorite candy one last time, and was emotionally prepared to board this huge airplane for the next 14 hours.
Little did I know…our flight would end up being canceled a mere 5 minutes before the scheduled boarding time.
As you can imagine, it was pretty chaotic after that. There were multiple people yelling at the Qatar Airlines workers: trying to figure out how they were supposed to get back to their homes. But honestly, I just laughed. It didn’t surprise me in the slightest that this was happening, and it did’t surprise God either.
Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps”.
My heart, and my team’s hearts were ready and excited to be in India. We were prayerfully expectant for all that the Lord had for us there. But God had already established a different plan.
Because of this flight cancelation, we were able to meet and minister to people that we never would have crossed paths with otherwise. We were able to give a smile and say an encouraging ‘thank you’ to exhausted airline workers who had heard nothing but angry complaints for the last 3 hours. We were able to come together as a team and pray over a lost piece of our squad-mates luggage. We were able to see some amazing leadership qualities come out of our logistics team. We were able to learn first hand what it means to forego personal comfort for the betterment of the group.
I don’t think I would trade this first 24 hours of the race for the 24 hours we had originally planned. Nor do I worry about the other times our plans will fall through because I rest in knowing that the almighty God of the universe is the ultimate life planner, and where he directs us will no doubt be in our best interest.
I’ve been learning what it looks like to truly just be along for this ride that we call life. I’m learning how to look at each schedule change as an opportunity to touch more people’s lives with the truth of the Gospel. I’m learning how little it really is about me, and how much more it’s about the Kingdom. It is a little bit frustrating at first (for a planner like me), but in the end, such a rewarding heart posture. I am merely a vessel that is free to be used by the Lord wherever he may direct me.
I am excited about what these next 11 months will hold! Continue praying for me and my team as we fly 14 hours to Qatar, and then on to India tomorrow. We are so grateful for all of you!
This is only the beginning. 🙂
