Well, I am finally on my way to Honduras for the next 3 months and am on a plane right now, crossing over the Caribbean Sea. These past two days have been enriched by God’s providence and engrained in a search for purpose.
On Sunday, June 8th I started out by waking up earlier than usual, taking a shower, and packing all the luggage and clothes that I laid out the night before. Unfortunately, this took longer than expected and my mother and I did not leave the house until 8:15 am; mind you my flight was at 10:35 am, so this was cutting it close already. Then along the way to the airport we had to drop off my support letters at the post office, go by the ATM to get some cash, and stop at the gas station to fill up half a tank. Definitely not the most ideal situation to start a morning when trying to get to the airport for an international flight.
We finally arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport at 9:15, which was pretty good time considering our prior circumstances and all the errands we had to previously run. As our car approached the drop-off point on the north side of the airport, I noticed a United Methodist Church van coming up behind us and I thought to myself they are probably going to Honduras as well. So my mom parked the car briefly, and I collected all my luggage and headed to the international check-in area to get in line.
Upon arrival, I ran into my boss for the summer and founder of Destino del Reino, Rhonda Jackson, who gave me a big hug and talked with me briefly. As she left to go through security and head to the gate, that church group by no surprise came rushing in and were put in front of the line by a Delta agent to be helped promptly. At this point a light bulb should of went off in my head, getting me to think, “Maybe I should get someone to help expedite my check-in process?”
However, this was not the case, and I decided to wait it out, thinking the church group was simply put in front of me because of their size and not their time constraint. So after a while of becoming impatient with the pace of the line and getting anxious about boarding my plane, I decided to get hold of an agent walking about and sought to see if he could help me. I told him where I was flying and he tried to scan my passport at the kiosk to get an e-ticket, but it was not working, which was not a shock because I had the same problem trying to check-in online the night before. It simply left a message saying it could not process my request and I needed to contact an agent. Therefore, he sent me to the kiosk ticket counter to check-in personally.
Then a nuclear bomb of the most disastrous words fell upon my ears from the ticket agent, “You are 5 minutes late and you cannot receive a boarding pass.” Trying to process this in my mind at first, I questioned, “Are you serious?” The lady continued, “You have to be checked-in at least one hour before your flight, otherwise the computer takes your name off the list of passengers and there is nothing I can do to change it because of TSA regulations.”
Attempting to argue my case, I projected, “Listen, I will grant you that I should of arrived earlier, but I was here before an entire group of 20 people who you placed before me, which caused my delay. On top of that, your online check-in and your kiosk only provided me with error messages and strife.” Nonetheless, the agent could only transfer me over to a special ticketing desk, where I tried to get the help of another agent while she was trying to assist an entire team of paraplegic women who played wheelchair basketball for the Netherlands (By the way they were quite nice and inquired into my situation because they saw me praying and having a look of desperation, while I sat in between the ticketing desk on the luggage weighing machines).
As the minutes slipped by, I could feel the plane creep farther and farther off the runway and knew there was no chance for me making that flight on this particular day. My options became a decision between paying $1,300 to fly American Airlines to Miami and then to San Pedro Sula, or paying a $400 fee to get on the same flight for tomorrow. An easy choice when you consider the economics of it. So kids here is a little lesson for you; don’t let 5 minutes cost you $400!
Despite my circumstances, I became more at ease as time progressed and I kept trying to convince myself that maybe their was a reason for all this. Possibly, I could share the gospel with someone on the plane the following day who I otherwise would of never ridden with, or maybe the flight I missed will crash into the ocean and God saved my life. I basically tried to justify in my mind that there had to be some purpose for all this. None of those prior notions occurred, but I finally did discover the glory and significance behind the apparent disaster.
I was finally able to get my ticket for a flight on the following day and rode Marta all the way to the end of the line so my mother could pick-me up. Later that evening, I rode back up to Athens to retrieve my cell phone, which I left there accidentally as I moved all my things back home. Even though it’s considered to be a vital part of living in the 21st century, I didn’t care too much about leaving it behind. Mostly because I figured I couldn’t use it while I was abroad anyways. However, my mom convinced me it was a good idea to have just in case and it would make it easier when traveling to and from the US, which she was right since I had to borrow random peoples’ phones multiple times earlier that day just to notify her about my situation. So I figured the hour drive back and forth from Athens would be a good time to reflect and focus on God. Something I had not done much of the week leading up to my trip.
As I drove the notorious long and boring road up to Athens, Highway 316, I played a podcast from the Passion World Tour, where Louie Giglio was reflecting on the past two events that took place in London and Paris. He shared audio clips of up to 4,000 students praising the name of Jesus with shouts of acclamation. It is amazing to hear the roars of fellow believers from all over the world, and it gives me tremendous excitement to see what this generation is doing and will continue to do for the Kingdom.
Later along the way, I started playing a 3-part series by Ravi Zacharias, a phenomenal orator and apologist (If you don’t know what that means, it is simply a person who defends the faith or offers an argument for the faith. It is not someone who apologizes for what they believe in). Moving on, Ravi spoke about God’s calling in each person’s life and how many people choose to ignore it for their own pursuits. There are essentially two types of people in the world: those who bend their knee to God and say, “Thy will be done,” and those who don’t bow down and God says, “Fine, your will be done.”
In order to discover our calling, we often have to escape the distractions, static, and noise. I have realized God often works in the whispers of the Spirit, instead of the shouts of individuals or society. Ravi challenged the audience to acknowledge what they were not leaving at the alter of Christ; whether it be wealth, power, or love. He also shared stories of missionaries who fully surrendered their lives for the glory of God and the spread of His renown.
On the way back home, I pondered whether God orchestrated this entire day just so I would have an opportunity to listen to Ravi’s message, and provide me with an affirmation and calling to the mission field. Even more importantly, I have realized that His calling is not about a place, but about a purpose; one of loving Him and and loving others. A simple concept to understand, but one that takes a lifetime to ever come to fruition.
My entire experience reminded me of a scripture passage out of Matthew, discussing the insignificance of being worrisome. Jesus states, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” There are so many things in this mundane world that capture our attention and cause us grief. But for what reason? If we believe in an omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent Creator, than we have no reason to worry about anything that is temporal.
Jesus later goes on to say in the book of Matthew, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” So always remember that the worries of this world might be too hard for you to handle, but not for God. May you find faith in the Father, salvation in the Son, strength in the Spirit, and wisdom in the Word.
For His Name and Renown,
JD
(Matthew 6:25-34)
(Matthew 11:28-30)
