OK--my night was comical. Seriously. Every stinkin' 10 minutes between midnight and 1:30, the sirens would go off and the public service announcement would come on. There was an older couple who came to the area where I was, crowing about finding a quiet place. They made no attempt to be quiet themselves, however and seemed oblivious to the fact that others were trying to sleep. They weren't lying down five minutes when the sirens and flashing lights started up again. The older man got so mad that he abandoned all attempts to sleep and sat up to play with his iPad.
With the sound on.
I glared at him.
He didn't notice.
I glared again and rustled my fabulous mylar blanket.
He noticed. He silenced his game. {OK--the hilarity of an aging gentleman playing some type of computer game in the middle of the night does not escape me but I have no sense of humor in the middle of the night.}
Gah!
I drifted off and was awakened over and over by the weirdest noises. People yelling, vacuums, and the funniest one was the guy with the broom and dustpan. Sweep, clunk, scrape...sweep, clunk, scrape. All.the.way.across.the.room. I was lulled to sleep by the garish sounds of 'hits of the 50's and 60's.' If I hadn't been so exhausted, I think I would have been laughing hysterically.
However, I didn't laugh because I'm not nice when I'm sleep deprived. I'm not proud of that. It's just what it is.
The big news is that Jeff and I both woke up with the same thought. That I should push on and continue with the trip. I know it doesn't make sense. All rational minds would say, "Go home." But that is not what God said to my heart. And He confirmed it with this verse of Scripture that was in my daily devotional "Jesus Calling" phone app: "We live by FAITH not by SIGHT." The 'not by sight' part hit me really hard because I had been praying that God would show me what His heart was for me--not by way of circumstances that I could SEE, but that He would speak directly to my heart. I woke up with a very strong thought to GO. I went back to sleep and awoke again with the same strong impression to GO. I texted Jeff to see what he thought and he said he felt the same way.
For the past year I have been praying that God would show our family a ministry we could be involved in that we could all do together. No small feat for a family with a large age range! A few months ago, a friend at church started a ministry to the homeless in our area. My heart has been soooo THERE. We haven't helped a whole lot yet as they try to figure out a way to include us. Last night, all I could think of was how I felt kinda homeless. I had no place to sleep. No blanket--unless you count that mylar thing that held in moisture and rustled loudly with every movement. I had to sleep with my purse under my body so that no one would steal it. I had no clothing because my checked luggage was still out in Never-Land. I was dragging all of my worldly possessions behind me in a small suitcase. No one could help me and I felt all alone. At night. In a strange city. Of course I had it much better than the homeless because I had a roof over my head, a cell phone and a computer. But as I laid there in extreme discomfort from the hard chair I was in, I felt like God was showing me a glimpse into the lives of those He has been laying on my heart for the past few months.
And I guess that isn't too much of a sacrifice. After all, my 'homelessness' is temporary.
And you know what else? God sent a friend this morning.
In person.
To this very airport.
A guy from my parents church who I have known since I was a teen, saw my Facebook post and told me he was going to be at the Philly airport this morning. He hasn't been here in 20 years and I have never been here. And yet, God put us both here on the same morning. We connected and spent an hour at a restaurant exchanging stories about our kids. They have adopted from China, too, so we have a extra connection there. I was acutely aware that it was God--sending a friend just to let me know that He was fully aware of all the rotten circumstances yesterday. He had seen every tear, every snotty thought (ahem) and He cared. He had arranged the circumstances to teach me something I couldn't have learned a different way.
And then God provided again.
Jeff told me to go see if I could get into the 1st Class lounge since I have been upgraded to first class for tonight's flight. He said they don't usually allow it but it was worth a try.
And guess what? I'm in!
SCORE!
So I'm sitting here in front of a window on a nice soft chair with my own outlet. But I couldn't get my computer to work. It would not connect. I had been trying it downstairs in the airport--and continued to try with a different carrier in the lounge. Nothing worked. Finally, I prayed that God would tell satan to flee because I was just totally sick of him. I took the computer up to the service desk. They tried the same things I had done and nothing happened. Then...all of a sudden...it just clicked itself into the Internet. We had not done anything different. It just suddenly worked. Hmmmm..... I think God answered my prayer.
However.
My hair.
It's just not good.
And I've been wearing the same clothes for more than 24 hours. Be happy you aren't nearby.
But back to the hair.
It's not good. You know what I'm sayin?
