Ready for Take Off...

Day 1:

Another night of little sleep.  The excitement was too much and I got in a power nap of about 20 minutes before my alarm woke me up at 2:30am.  I met the Harvey’s at their home and we were off to the airport.  Debbie and I checked the bags full of Christmas presents for the kids and sached through TSA rather quickly.  We were just about to settle into our seats at the gate when a man approached me and told me that I left my phone at TSA.  Awesome.  He proceeded to explain that a man behind me told the guard he would find me and give it to me.  I feared that someone had just picked themselves up a new iPhone at my expense but when we called my phone, a man did answer and said he was trying to find me.  He was afraid he would miss his flight and was pretty far away so he said he would take it back to TSA.  I had about 20 minutes before the flight left.

I felt like I could make it, so I high-tailed it back to the shuttle and then back to TSA…but to no avail.  It wasn’t there.  I began the full out sprint back to the terminal.  I knew in my heart that my phone would be turned in so I wasn’t worried anymore about having to replace it.  Now my focus was on making my flight.  As I turned the last corner, I could see Nelson (the man who told me about my phone) and Debbie standing at an empty gate waving at me.  When I saw them, I breathed a sigh of relief but judging from the empty gate, I knew two things: 

1 - Debbie was not going to miss her flight waiting for me.

2 – She and Nelson were the last two people standing at our gate, so that meant I had better step it up if I wanted to make my flight.

Unbeknownst to me, they were calling our names as I was rounding that last corner and telling Debbie they were leaving now.  She had to be on that plane, so she had already left my passport with the staff at the gate so that they could give it to me when I made it back.  But I made it on that plane without a second to spare…literally.  

As I settled into my seat and wiped the sweat off of my forehead, I wanted to reach for my phone to text my daughters about what had just happened…oh yeah.  I felt a bit uneasy about leaving the country for the first time and not being able to communicate very easily with my loved ones.  I knew I would have my laptop to use at night when we were at the hotel, but it wasn’t the same and I couldn’t text or face time anyone unless I used someone else’s phone.  It didn’t help that the only phone number I remembered in my entire contact list was my ex husband’s because my parents and daughters recently purchased new phones.  I was mostly upset because all of my GROOVE and drumming music and playlists was on my phone and now I had no music.  As I thought about all of this, I became frustrated and I quickly gave myself a spiritual slap in the face…”You are NOT going to let this jack your Haiti GROOVE!”  I told myself.  “You are finally on your way, so stay in THAT moment instead of being pulled down by the negative energy of wanting something you simply were not meant to take with you on this trip.”  I loosened my grip on it.  And that’s when I felt it…A sense of calm and confidence that the only phone I was going to need on this trip was the one that dials direct to The Source.   The more I let go of my worldly phone, the more clearly I could see that the enemy was on my back trying to keep me off that plane.  But here I was, watching DC grow smaller and smaller while God grew bigger and bigger.  And before I knew it, I was birthing a victorious laugh that kicked up from my belly and plowed its way right out of my mouth.   I’m not even there yet, and this is getting good!

“For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?" – Isaiah 14:27