Are We There Yet?

So, things today haven't gone exactly as planned. I mean, it seemed like this was going to be a flawless traveling experience . . . until that one time, when we hit a little bit of turbulence and felt the whole plane turn. Odd.

I had been distracted for a good stretch of our journey by a friendly drunken man that was standing up taking selfies while simultaneously fighting the turbulence and loudly proselytizing the entire plane. At one point, when our tipsy preacher was trying to get the cabin to 'clap for Jesus,' I realized we were a little less than an hour away from Monrovia. That giddy I-get-to-see-my-people feeling was just starting to take control of my tummy, when the crackly voice of the pilot came over the loudspeaker letting us know that we were rerouting to Dakar. Giddy was quickly replaced with 'huh?!?" Apparently two of the four layers of the cockpit windshield had cracked and, for that reason, we were going to have to land using autopilot at an airport that had the technical support to figure things out. Enter: Dakar.

Kristi, Dia, and I deplaned with the masses, receiving our very official laminated "TRANSIT" card and went to claim all 300 pounds of our additional luggage. We schlepped that stuff along with our combined six carry-ons out of the airport to partake in a 3 hour bus loading extravaganza. Did we know where we were going? Negative. But we were told we would have a place to sleep. Food to eat. A shower to clean up in. Don't mind if we do, Brussels Air. Merci.

Well, turns out, they were putting us up in the King Fahd Palace Hotel. This isn't your Holiday Inn Express or Motel 6, people. This is a place for fancy folk. As I hang out in my own room, resting up for tomorrow, I'm grateful. Grateful for a safe landing. Grateful for a plan. Grateful for a buffet fit for royalty. (Sure, I like cream puffs. Yes, I'll have another. Fresh mango juice? Well, twist my arm.) Grateful for flexible travel buddies and new friends to navigate this with. Grateful for a hot shower, superb toothbrushing facilities, and a comfy room. Grateful for patient Liberian friends that are rearranging their schedule to make a second airport run tomorrow. Grateful that God is slowing me down a little bit--that I get to rest my voice for one more day.

Am I sad to miss a day with so many loved ones at the Children’s Rescue Center in Liberia? Absolutely. But God's got plans for this. I'm not questioning that . . . just waiting to see a clearer picture of what that might be! Until then, I have my suspicions. ;-)