First day of the trip to Malika and I’m so excited to get going I wake up at 4 am even though mom isn’t going to pick me up until 6:30. After making sure the pictures are backup up on my computer from my phone, I sit down to read Mere Christianity and then take a last couple minutes to talk to my beautiful wife.
We head out to the airport and stop at Denny’s for breakfast on the way. Got to the airport in just enough time to see the horrified look on Keri’s face. They said they won’t let her, or me for that matter, check-in unless they physically see the credit card in their hand. Since I am such a concerned traveller, I left it at home so nothing would happen to it. Come to find out that wasn’t such a good idea. I then called Keely and luckily she was able to make it all the way from Hermann to St. Louis in time to hand over the credit card to me.
I raced with the credit card to Rashod; the awesome attendant who tagged our bags and got us all checked in so we could rush to the boarding gate. The best part was that one of us needed to sit in a wheelchair in order to make it through security quicker. I volunteered but Keri “stole” my space too quickly. =) We raced through security and made it to the gate just in time for the flight to start boarding.
The plane ride was pleasant enough. Not much turbulence, much to Keri’s delight. Once we landed in JFK in New York we had about 30 minutes to kill before we met up with Dany and Mark and Wendell; two of Dany’s friends from Grand Junction. Wendell was supposed to have a friend of his from New Jersey meet us at the airport except he told her Newark, instead of JFK. So we took a taxi that drove much different than I’m used to. Racing and weaving through the streets we made it to Queen of Sheba; an Ethiopian restaurant in the heart of Manhattan.
We were treated to a large platter of a bread that was flat and spongy filled with many different sauces, chicken, beef, and even a conglomeration of raw meat that was dee-lish!!! We topped off the meal with a rum cake and a flaky sweet cinnamon treat as well. After our stomachs were completely full we walked about 9 New York blocks to the bus station but missed the bus that would have gotten us to the airport on time. So we hailed another cab and braved the streets of New York one more time.
Sitting here at the gate waiting to board our plane for the 7 hour flight to Senegal. I realize that although plans don’t go perfectly the way I want them to, God still has me tightly in His grip. Things work out exactly how they are supposed to and I’m grateful that He’s in control. I am excited for this journey.
Although we had a rocky start with the credit card issue, I realize that it wouldn’t help to get mad or irate with the people enforcing the rules. They are there for our protection. I look at God in the same way and the rules He has laid out for us. I am far from a person who beats a list of rules into others because I think Jesus’ words were very accurate when he said that the greatest commandment was to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and the second was like the first; to love our neighbors as ourselves. But the idea of a list of rules comes into play because it shows us how to practically live out our lives. The fine print is still there in the scriptures and important for us to read it all because it shows us a better way. Luckily, we, who have faith in Jesus Christ, are blessed by a relationship that guides us and forgives when needed.
Leave a Reply