Travel Musings

Preparing to board my London bound flight from Los Angeles on British Airways, I stood in the long line of passengers at the gate, clutching my passport and boarding pass with white knuckles and great anticipation. I remembered how my late Grandmother Williams would always call me before any trip and quote “the travel verse” to me. I could hear her saying: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!” (Joshua 1:9). With renewed confidence I boarded the Boeing 747 and made my way down the aisle to my seat. I quickly stowed my carry-ons and sat down next to a very tall Italian man wearing orange jeans. His knees were pressed into the unreclined seat in front of him. It wasn’t long before the plane pushed back from the gate and we began to taxi. “Flight attendants prepare for take off” came the voice of the pilot. The engines began to rev and I felt the power of this behemoth aircraft build as we took off into the night sky. Praying this would be an uneventful and smooth flight I settled back in my seat for the 10 hour journey to foggy Heathrow International Airport.

About three hours into the flight my Italian seat partner decided to stretch his long legs and started making his way up the aisle toward the “water closet”. He had barely walked five rows when he collapsed, falling backward onto the ground. Startled passengers hovered around him and I ran to get a flight attendant who rushed to help. I awakened the man’s traveling companion and began to pray. With assistance he was able to stand after a few minutes and was directed to the emergency exit area outside the galley where he lay down for awhile. I was relieved when he was able to return to his seat for the flight’s duration.

Upon arriving in Heathrow I made my way to Terminal 4 where I checked into my Yotel room for my 10 hour lay-over. I was grateful to have a bed, a shower and free wireless internet access! Who could ask for anything more! You can check out the rooms Yotel.com. There’s one in Amsterdam, Heathrow and Gatwick airports. I highly recommend it! Before long it was time to head back to Terminal 5 for my eight hour flight to Entebbe, Uganda. The British Airways agent examined my passport and boarding pass and then click, click, clicked on her keyboard. “You have an upgrade” she said in her charming British accent. I stared blankly at her wondering if I had heard correctly. “Yes, you’ve been upgraded from coach”. Your new seat assignment is 13J have a good flight”. I wish I could have seen my astonished American face. I would have clicked my heels if I could. I texted my parents: “Did you guys do something to get me upgraded to business class?” Their reply came quickly: “Wow! That must be Jesus! We nevah do nutting!” My Dad observed: “The ‘J’ in 13J stands for Jesus!” And then I remembered, and I’m a little embarrassed to admit, that I had actually asked the Lord a few weeks ago for an upgrade. With all the profound needs in Africa I felt a little sheepish for making such a request and then promptly forgot about it. I am overwhelmed by the goodness and grace of my God who delights in blessing His children with good things. He knew I needed some comfort on this flight to prepare for my final leg of the journey: the crazy drive from Entebbe to Kampala and then to Fort Portal. “My soul shall make its boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear of it and be glad” (Psalm 34:2).