I was in seat 57G- it was an isle off of the middle column down the plane. He was assigned to 57F. At first, I felt a little bad for him. He was caught up in a section fully dominated by fresh World Racers, pulsating with excessive energy and anxiety, calling to one another from across sections, passing around snacks, capturing every moment with iphones, go-pros, and DSLRs. As I settled in to my seat, preparing to camp out for the next 16 hours in a 2.5 foot wide seat with a broken seat pocket flapping into my already-limited leg room, he and I interacted courteously. With a language barrier, the impending doom of being locked into the stiffest of positions for a journey from LAX to Guang Zhou, and my own cloud of nerves strangling around my throat, we didn’t really have much to say to one another. We exchanged polite smiles. We each giggled awkwardly when our seat belts tangled. My touch screen entertainment source on back of seat 56G, of course, was impossible to operate and didn’t seem to recognize my contact. “Great,” I thought, “My seat is a concentrated 2×2 foot square of failure and disappointment…” Over-dramatic, I know. But, at this point, my 11-month commitment to serve and love across 11 nations – away from home- really started to settle into reality. I was questioning my decisions, rather- GOD’s call. Surely, HE made a mistake. I don’t think I can do this…
As I began to more forcefully tap on the screen, increasingly careless about the exact position and accuracy of my thumb’s contact, my row companion reached over and gently selected the movie browse button for me. The screen complied. Partially embarrassed and recognizing my neighbor as a hero, I bowed my head several times and laughed nervously. “Oh! Thank you!” I exclaimed, simultaneously shrugging my shoulders to indicate my incapability of operating the very system I had just witnessed a 5-year old passenger dominate. He laughed a little and said, “OK.”
Several hours into the flight to China, our first meal arrived in tiny, condensed servings on a sectioned tray. Generally, I love airplane food, but my nerves and exhaustion had woven together into my stomach and prevented any appetite from forming. I picked through the meatballs for green bean pieces and soon covered it back up with the foil. The man beside me finished his meal and pulled out a grapefruit, already prepared with the skin removed. He divided the sphere in two and held out the other half to me. Part of me was so moved he would want to share, the other part of me was horrified at the look of any food. I declined his offer with a kind “No, thank you,” and he again replied “OK.”
Meanwhile, one of my squad-mates, Kristen, had taken on the challenge of conversing, relying on a translating app on a phone. It was a rebellious move, as the flight attendants were very strict with the phones being utilized at all. With pantomiming and lots of slow pronunciation and repetition of words, the two were making progress in exchanging stories. He asked if we were all traveling together, gesturing to the rows surrounding him. Kristen confirmed and went on to explain the purpose of our travel. She tried to communicate that we were about to travel across several continents, to serve through 11 nations. I watched curiously, admiring Kristen’s persistence in speaking with the man seated between us. She continued to use various words, “missionaries”… “volunteers”… she typed in the phone to try to present our purpose. The man gestured to borrow her phone and she handed it to him.
He typed slowly and I watched the screen reveal his message. “L-O-V-E”, he typed and nodded, smiling excitedly at Kristen. She bobbed her head up and down to confirm with an excited grin. “YES!” she exclaimed, “We’re sharing love!”
I was convicted in that moment; disappointed in myself for not being more determined to carry on a conversation with my neighbor, for allowing my exhaustion to trump my investment in a chance to meet a new friend. I was simultaneously inspired and motivated by my squad-mate and the way she set an example to me that every moment can be an opportunity to minister, to exchange, to befriend.
And I was encouraged by the concept of LOVE- the way it is universal. Love spills over borders, it carries beyond time zones and nations. Love breaks though language barriers, is unstopped by contrasting traditions and practices. It is a power that reaches all; experienced by every human, deserved by every person. And GOD’s love is available and accessible to everyone. And I am motivated by HiS love for me to share love with others.
Qiang Quan Rao and Kristen reminded me of that somewhere over the Pacific Ocean on China Southern Flight CZ328. I smiled at my seat neighbor as he opened another grapefruit and handed me a slice. With a sweet taste on which to chew, Qiang and I giggled over my failure- again- to have the touch screen in front of me recognize any of my instruction. He reached over and helped me select another movie to watch- and as the credits rolled, I reflected on how my upcoming year would be flooded with little moments to make an effort to connect with others and anticipated all of the instances that GOD would use to remind me of the universal spirit of love.
