As you might have seen on social media, I’ve arrived in Uganda
safe and sound and without luggage!
Praise God!
Yes, I am actually praising God for my delayed luggage because
if I had to choose between myself and my luggage, I would choose leaving the luggage
behind every time if it meant I would arrive on time.
It really was nothing short of God’s provision that I am in
Uganda right now, instead of still sitting on a plane. Due to some technical
difficulties, my plane from Atlanta was delayed, (and of course it was after we
were already sitting on it) so for two hours they repaired a faulty light box.
Well, my layover in Amsterdam was only two hours, so I’m sure you’re seeing why
this was a problem.
When we arrived in Amsterdam it was 9:55 a.m.; that is the
same time my next flight was to depart. Myself and a Ugandan mamma with her
three-year-old boy were discussing our plan of action while we waited for the
plane to taxi. We decided we would simply grab everything and run to wherever was
closer, be it the gate the flight was at or the ticket agent to figure out when
the next flight was.
Well, the airport didn’t have room for us at a gate since we
were past our arrival time. Another fifteen minutes later, the captain finally came
over the intercom, “Ladies and gentlemen-- lucky you, you will get to step foot
on Amsterdam! Unfortunately, since we don’t have a gate, we have to taxi here
on the tarmac and you’ll have to walk down some stairs and across the tarmac to
the shuttle, which will then take you to the airport building.”
Mamma Micah looks at me with wide eyes and laughs, “Are you serious?!
But, no problem, I have faith! God will cause the plane to delay for us! He
knows how important it is that we get back home!”
I wish I could say I believed her. I was already thinking about
how to contact my ride from the Ugandan airport and let her know I would not be
there on time. And, because there is only one flight to Uganda from Amsterdam
daily, I was already praying I had everything in my carry-on for an overnight
in Amsterdam.
As I rolled Mamma Micah’s two carry-on roller bags, along with
my own, and she pushed Micah in his stroller, we walked into the airport and
were stopped by a KLM agent, “Those of you on the flight to Entebbe, we have
delayed the plane. But you only have ten minutes until it leaves. It is leaving
from gate F9.”
We quickly said a prayer of thankfulness then looked at the
map and saw F9 was literally the furthest gate from where we were—all the way
across the airport! Mamma Micah and I exchanged glances and I laughed and said,
“We go?” and then we took off running.
I’m sure we were quite the sight to see; three-year-old Micah
laughing uncontrollably in his stroller as his mamma zig-zagged in and out of
people, myself right beside her pushing my roller bag in front of me and
pulling her two behind me. I’m sure we looked nothing short of a circus act!
We turned the final corner and saw the most beautiful sign: “F9”.
As we dashed up to the gate attendant, the all-call came over the intercom, “Final
boarding call for flight 9812 to Entebbe. The boarding doors are now closing.”
We nearly threw our passports and boarding passes at the
agent for her to scan and ran down the tunnel to the plane. We reached our
seats, which we had just realized were next to each other, and collapsed into
them, while the stewardesses went to seek out overhead bins for our bags.
We made it!
We didn’t know what else to do but to thank God for hearing
our prayers and actually delaying the plane for us!
The flight itself was, thankfully, uneventful; just another
long eight hours in order to reach our final destination: Kampala, Uganda.
Upon arrival, however, Mamma Micah, myself, and other passengers
I recognized from our flight discovered we had one thing in common: our bags
were not at baggage claim.
“Yes, your bags did not make the short connection time. Yes,
they are still in Amsterdam. They will arrive Thursday morning. Please fill out
these forms,” the unapathetic attendant at the lost baggage desk told all approximately
twenty of us.
Another three hours later, at 2:30 a.m., I was finally able
to leave the airport and begin the hour drive home with my oh-so-wonderful new
friend, who waited the whole process out while standing in the passenger pick
up area.
So, yes, I did wear the same dress today, after two days of
wearing it during all my travels, making it three days in the same outfit. And
I had to improvise my sleep wear last night. But, thankfully, I did pack some
{ahem} necessary clothing items in my carry on that I was grateful to be able
to change.
Thankfully, I also left almost all of the clothes that I had
brought during my last trip in October, at the organization that I was with,
knowing I’d wear them during this trip and would have to pack less if I left
them here. This morning, I walked just a few minutes down the road and saw all
my friends there, but also returned home with a space saver bag filled with
some outfit changes for the next few days.
While the days didn’t go exactly as planned and many things
were less than ideal, there were so many things and situations where I said, “Thank
you, God!”
This week, I’ve already learned how important and influencing
your perspective can be to both you and those around you.
I can choose to complain to my fellow passengers about the
delays in flight and problems with baggage. I could be upset that I am without
my bags and most of my worldly belongings and, likely, no one would blame me
for feeling that way.
Or I can choose to laugh and run next to a mamma and her son, who I wouldn’t
have had the chance to meet, as we see a mutual, answered prayer coming to
life. I can be joyful that I miraculously made the connecting flight and am now
sitting in my Ugandan home- how permanent or temporary of a home it is has yet to
be determined. And that it is after a day filled with new and familiar faces
and undeniable evidence that God is up to something bigger than I can even
imagine!
Today, as your day in America is about halfway finished,
take a moment to evaluate the perspective you’ve carried into your day. More
importantly, does your perspective need to be shifted to allow you to see the
provisions in today instead of just seeing the things that didn’t seem to go “right”?
“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my
heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my
right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue
rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the
grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the
path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal
pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalm 16:7-11
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