Strangers in the Air, Angels Unaware

After a whirlwind trip to Seattle to celebrate the goodness of life I have been struck by the way the Lord provided for my every need. He held absolutely nothing back from me and spared no expense. 

Since the day I heard about people that would go on wild trips around the world without a dollar to their name and see God provide for them miraculously, I wanted to go on a faith trip and see those kinds of things happen to me. Little did I know what He was planning for me...

This whole business of me flying back to the mainland started in a rather odd way. After Jonathan and I returned from India, we found out that my brother was graduating from school a year early. I hadn't planned on being in Seattle until September. I had no idea how this trip would even be possible. There wasn't any way I could see to make it happen. But then I checked how many miles we had on our credit card.. and found out I could get a $10 flight to Seattle. Woo hoo! That kind of thing NEVER happens to me! Crazy!

The week before I left, I told God that I really needed some cash for the week I'd be gone as I didn't have any to spare for this family trip. To be honest though, He and I had been having quite a few conversations about the needs in my life recently, and how I was (once 100x's again) telling him that I did indeed trust Him, in spite of the doubt that kept creeping into my mind. The day before I was leaving (my last day teaching 2nd grade), a student handed me a sweet thank you card. Inside the adorably decorated card, a check slid out. $50! Thank you, Jesus! Spending cash for the trip! WHOA! Later on that day, another parent came in a handed me another card. Inside was more than enough to pay our phone bill that was due THAT DAY. No way! Our needs were met, in such a beautiful way, highlighting the blessings that we have in Christian community. At the end of the day, another student handed me a card, and a gift card for Starbucks popped out at me, like they knew I was just about to fly over to the land of Starbucks! Turns out I was able to use that for airport food, breakfast, and a coffee date. Let me tell you folks, about the goodness of the God I serve...

So the trip began, and everything, from our flights, to travel arrangements with 3 people sharing 1 vehicle, to traffic jams, sleeping arrangements, and crazy jam packed schedules went so incredibly smooth. There is just no way that our planning made any of that as smooth as it went. We experienced such joy and peace at every turn of our trip.

The last part of this story I'd like to recount is my flight back to Kona. 

I was blurry eyed and dizzy tired from everything that had happened in the past week. I just wanted to sleep and be home as soon as possible. Honestly, I'm not really one for talking with strangers on airplanes. However, if they start a conversation with me, I'll engage them. On my first flight back home I sat next to a local Hawaiian who had been visiting family for a graduation. He just wanted to be back home eating Hawaiian food and got really excited when I mentioned "loco moco." On my last flight from Honolulu to Kona I sat next to a guy that had an Australian accent and was on his way to visit his mom who had recently been injured and was in the intensive care unit in the Kona hospital. This man started sharing with me details of his work and where his travels have brought him around the world working with impoverished people. I was able to share with him my experiences in India. I had told God early in our conversation that I didn't want to share my story with him, just because I was getting tired of repeating the story over again. But of course when I mentioned that I had been in India, this man wanted to know what had brought me there. So I figured God wanted me to share about what Jonathan and I do. That naturally led into all the supernatural provision and answers to prayer we've seen. He then shared with me that he too works with Christian organizations around the world and was familiar with YWAM. Before we landed I asked him if I could pray for him and his mom. He said yes and we bowed our heads and prayed. When we landed we wished each other well and parted ways.

Jonathan called me when we were in the terminal to meet us with the vehicle. I found my dad and briefly mentioned my conversation with the gentleman on the plane. Suddenly I heard a man's voice trying to get my attention. I turned around and saw that it was the same guy that I had sat next to on the plane. He walked over to me and said "I want you to do me a favor." "What's that?" I replied. He reached out to shake my hand and said "Keep the faith." When I opened my hand, I couldn't believe it. I said "Bless you, sir!" and he turned to go. In my hand was a $100 bill.

This family trip was not just about celebration and reunion--it was about seeing the real life faithfulness of God at work in my life. I watched God take my worry and turn it into contentment and generosity, while giving me the desires of my heart. I felt him give me such love for my family, I never knew I could possess.

It's amazing to see how God is providing for our needs, even as we are currently living on less than $400 a month. I suppose I would be a bit more shy with disclosing that information, but that is $400 that God is giving to us through generous donors and He deserves the praise for this provision. Our hearts are full, and we eagerly await the next miracle that He will do in our lives. There's nothing like living on the edge of your seat seeing God move mountains right in front of your face. It's nothing short of an adventure, that's for sure!

Much love to you all!