At the Las Vegas airport, on the second leg of our journey, the person at the airline desk announced that our flight to San Francisco would be delayed in boarding for about thirty minutes. "No big deal," we commented after we called our daughter and told her about the delay since she and her family were going to pick us up in San Francisco.
However, after boarding the plane and taxiing for a short ways, the pilot came on the intercom and said that we would be waiting on the plane another hour before taking off due to weather at the San Francisco airport. No problem for us since we're flexible.
Again we make the call to our daughter about the delay.
Fortunately our seat mate was a talkative gent, eager to pass the time in conversation. He asked about our children, told us at length about his family and his business adventures in construction. We were delighted to converse since it passed the time quickly. By the time the hour in delay passed we were old friends with Jerry, knowing lots about him and his family.
Clearance from the tower came after an hour, and we made the much anticipated long taxi down the runway and the plane took off an hour and a half later than the scheduled time.
Steve began reading his book and I finished reading mine. Soon after departure the plane ride began to be unusually bumpy and rain began to streak by the windows in great force. That unpleasant ride continued for a long time and other passengers began to get jumpy and concerned.
I commented to Steve that this experience reminded me of our airplane trip to Houston eightteen years ago after learning that I had breast cancer and a lesion in my lung. On that fateful trip I was scheduled for an early appointment at M. D. Anderson the next morning with a world renown breast cancer specialist and we had to get to Houston that night. We were scheduled to land in Dallas and take another plane to Houston Hobby Airport. The skies around Dallas were unsettling and the plane was being tossed around like a toy by the turbulence. Since it was expedient that we get to Houston that night so I could make the appointment the next morning, Steve and I started praying that God would make a way for us to get to Houston. After circuling Dallas for a long time, suddenly the pilot came on the intercom and said that the plane was not able to land in Dallas because of the weather conditions, so the plane was going to go to Little Rock, Arkansas, and land there. Since we had to get to Houston and we were unsure if we could make connections in Little Rock we continued to pray amidst the griping and groaning of the other passengers. They had other plans also, and Little Rock was not in their plans, nor was it in ours. About thirty minutes into the diverted flight to Little Rock the pilot made another announcement, that being that we could not land in Little Rock, so the only other place we could land would be Houston Hobby, exactly where Steve and I needed to go. It was a miracle for us, that God could divert the plane to where we needed to go so that I could make the difficult-to-arrange appointment the next morning.
That was the story I told Jerry, our seat mate, about our experience nineteen years ago. He was delighted with the story and grinned from ear to ear.
Jerry began to tell us some fabulous testimonies. One involved a nine million dollar spec house he had built right before the bottom fell out of the housing market. It would not sell and would not sell. Jerry related to us that he fell flat on his face before God one night and asked for help in selling the house. Sure enough, a few days later he had not only one but two offers to buy the house. He sold the house to the highest offer, of course.
As we were approaching San Francisco, in the landing pattern we could see the ground getting closer and closer. The ride became even more bumpy and jerky. Suddenly the engines roared and the nose of the airplane went up in a steep climb for a few miutes. We were above the clouds again. As we leveled off the pilot came on the intercome and announced that we couldn't land in San Francisco because of weather conditions, so we were going to land in San Jose. That announcement was met with more gripes and groans from all the passengers.
The delay in landing gave us opportunity to hear another of Jerry's testimonies. He told us that after the sale of the house, he decided to do some charity work since God had answered his prayer for a buyer for the house. He began to work at restoring a camp for disadvantaged and abused children. At the camp the pipes carrying water from the springs to the swimming pool and pond were full of sand. Jerry told us that he worked one evening until almost midnight trying to clear out the pipes so that the swimming pool and pond could fill with fresh water from the mountain springs. He was not successful and left for home having failed in his efforts. Jerry told us that the next morning someone called him and commented that Jerry was a miracle worker. Jerry answered the young man, saying that he was in no mood for sarcasm. The young man told Jerry he had to come see the swimming pool and the pond, which Jerry did. He couldn't believe his eyes, the pool and the pond were filled with fresh, cold water from the springs. God had performed a miracle for Jerry. He commented to us that he is still wondering what happened to the sand in those pipes which had previously stopped the flow of any water.
We rejoiced with Jerry, exclaiming about the wonders of God.
Then Jerry noticed the book that Steve was reading, The Shack, which is about having a one on one relationship with God. Steve gave the book to Jerry and told him it is a good book, which Jerry had already heard that critique from other people.
Our plane landed in San Jose and passengers who had carried their luggage onto the plane began to rush down the aisle to get off, while the pilot and flight attendants cautioned them to get back to their seats. The pilot apologized for the rough ride and the sudden climb, explaining that his notification of a dangerous wind sheer necessitated the maneuver.
Eventually 45 passengers were released from the plane while all of them complained and griped, hurling insults about the airlines, etc., not realizing that their lives had been saved.
Jerry and Steve and I were excited about God's activities in our behalf, so we were laughing and talking. Standing in the aisle, pushing to exit the plane, one woman commented, "You're the only happy people on this entire plane." She didn't know that we know the Rescuer and Savior so we weren't worried.
Another young woman noticed the book, the Shack, in Jerry's hand and commented what a great book it is. Steve told Jerry, who agreed, that he certainly needed to read the book since there was a confirmation from another person.
Jerry had contacted his son, who met him in San Jose instead of San Francisco, and he was able to exit the plane with the others. He was very generous to offer to take us to San Francisco to our daughter's house about two hours away. We declined his offer, knowing that we could fly back to San Francisco on the same plane and take a taxi to our destination.
Jerry exited the plane after graciously accepting my card bearing the web sites of my blogs and my YouTube reading. On his way off of the plane, he waved a loving gesture, smiling a huge smile, knowing that God had arranged the encounter, making a celebration out of the chaos.
Brother Jerry, I know you're out there telling people about the way God arranged your steps, as well as ours, so that we could hear your testimonies and celebrate them with you. and you could hear our testimonies and celebrate them with us.
God has a way of doing that, bringing creativity out of chaos.
