Chattanooga to Dubai: The adventures have begun!

In my last entry I wrote “Let the adventure begin.” Little did I know that it would begin in Pittsburgh. Due to weather—then traffic build up, our plane was delayed 3 hours (1 spent on the runway). We finally took off, but once near New York, the JFK traffic controller told us to circle a bit because he could not let us land, (either due to weather or traffic--never figured out which one). After circling for a while, our pilot decided we didn’t have enough fuel to continue waiting, and so we turned around and went back to Pittsburgh!

I was sitting next to a musician who was traveling with 2 other girls from his band. Since there were no more flights going out that evening, we decided to rent a car and drive to NY (6 hours). It was, of course, too late for me to catch my flight at JFK—but I figured I’d at least be there already.

A further complication: my bag was sent to La Guardia instead of JFK. We arrived at JFK at 3 AM and I did the “tour” of the airport to find which terminals to go to for my missing bag and the Emerites Airline desk. By 8:30 AM I was put on standby for the 11:20 flight to Dubai (along with 40 other people!). Then I went to get my lost luggage. I waited a little over an hour until the lady returned from lunch; she could not locate the bag at all even though the computer stated it was in La Guardia. I was really praying, I tell you. Finally, she was able to get a delivery number—we went to the baggage drop off area, and there it was, sitting in front of the door (we were both surprised—what an answer to prayer)!

I got my bag at 10:15, the time I was supposed to present myself at the Emerites counter to see if I could get on the flight. When I arrived, some passengers informed me that they had called a bunch of names already (and mine was not among them), and apparently everyone else had to be rerouted via London or Amsterdam. At that very moment, an agent called out and said that there were 3 seats left. They called a couple’s name and then a few other people who did not respond or who were traveling with someone. Finally, they called my name. All this last minute stuff, and the Lord managed to get me on!

A funny side note: I was in a real rush to get to the gate before it closed—ran the whole way. At security check, I first stood in a shorter line, but a worker informed me that they were closing. Standing in the other line, I glanced over and watched the last person go through the closing line. Then the man behind the machine waved me over. I looked around to see who he was calling—there were people all over the place—and discovered he was really calling me. I grabbed my stuff and got through immediately (which made the original worker mad—oh well). Needless to say, I was the last one on the plane just before the flight was closed.

Worried? Nah! With all these experiences, how can I doubt that the Lord’s watching over me! In Chattanooga, I expected to pay $50 for a weight overage of 20 lbs, but when I told the agent the reason for my trip to Uganda, she didn’t charge me a dime. Also, re the car rental to NY, we were going to split the cost 4 ways. Well, the boss of the other three travelers told them that he would reimburse them, so I didn’t even have to pay for gas or toll roads! And I was supposed to pay for weight overage at the Emerites, but because it was so last minute, they did not weigh the bag, but took it personally down to loading area! The Lord has saved me some money today—and is giving me some serious training for Uganda! On top of this, I’ve had some incredible witnessing opportunities. How can I doubt that He is in charge and that everything else will somehow turn out (for the best)!

I’m on standby for the flight to Entebbe, Uganda tomorrow morning—they only have one flight a day, so I’ll be there early to get my name on a list. I’m taking a hotel in Dubai—it’s now June 2 at about 10 AM, and I am looking forward to sleeping in a horizontal position (the first time 2 days). I hope to post this tomorrow from the airport.

Btw… Thanks so much for your prayers. I covet your prayers! (And thanks for the comments guys! They mean a lot, too!