A, B, E, F – good F is a window seat I can get some sleep… 12…. 14….18… 21… 24.
“Excuse me sir, that’s my seat.”
He gets up, lets me in – he has kind eyes.
I’m exhausted. We packed, and giggled, and laughed till long past midnight. Woke up at 1:30, left at 2 am. Flight at 7, boarding at 6:30. Squad leader’s Chick Fil A accidentally got tossed, someone’s neck pillow went missing.
I can’t wait to get on the plane to Miami so I can pass out during the flight.
But God has other plans. 24F is special. There’s probably 150 seats on the plane, maybe 130 passengers. I’m the only racer that speaks French. The man with the kind eyes, his wife and children have filled the row in front of him – he choose to sit by himself in my row.
If you know me you know that I love speaking French, and you know that I traded Madagascar for obedience. But I continued to hope… God answers prayers in the strangest places sometimes.
Our mentor told us to be bold. I was exhausted. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t find the middle ground and be kind.
“What’s your name?”
“Vilmer”
“Sorry say that again?”
“Vilmer and you?”
“Liz – where are you from?”
“Haiti”.
You know what I did next. It was just the challenge I needed. It’s been awhile since I’ve conversed in my 2nd language about different cultural perspectives on Catholics and Protestants, politics in the US and in Haiti, and in the DR, and in France. I told him about my missions work, he was so interested. He thought it was wonderful. He would love to see us when we go to Haiti in month 10. And then he told me about his work.
The man with the kind eyes has a kind heart as well. He’s a pastor in Haiti. He heard how many kids couldn’t go to school in his country, so he got his church to start one. When they started, he had 38 students. They now have over 700. He’s smart too, he’s studied in Mississippi and New York – he has multiple degrees. Some study math, French, English, science, etc. Other’s learn how to work with wood or do mechanics so that they can make a living. We talked in depth about humanitarian efforts, the processes, the upsides, the downfalls, the mistakes. This man knows that education opens doors to independence in Haiti.
I didn’t get a wink of sleep on that flight. But I got so much more. God provides rests in ways we often can’t imagine. But I can provide something more too. I can get the word out.
Many of you have been so generous to fund me in my missions work. This man has broken ground on expanding his school. He, like me, is in the process of support raising. If you are reading this on Facebook, I ask that you would share this blog post, and this video, and the article about Vilmer Paul – share what this man is doing. And don’t hesitate to email me for his contact information if you would like more.
– Courageous in Christ
Ps. We have arrived in Lisbon Portugal safely. We make our way to Budapest in a few hours where we will take a bus down to Novi Sad, and then will spend the night. My team and another team will then take another bus up to Sombor. It will be two straight days of travel. The 3 all girls teams flying to Albania had an 11 hour lay over in Miami, and are currently in the air on their way to Turkey. Please be praying for safety in our travels!
