The Time Has Come

The time has nearly arrived. I can feel my stomach tensing. On my last flight, the combination of excitement/anxiety and the change in pressure while we were flying was too much for my stomach. I was so bloated and in pain, I really just wanted to lie on the floor in order to find some relief. I prayed that God would help me and curled my legs up onto the seat. My back twinged as the muscles by my neck tightened and I reached up to massage where the muscle hurt. Moments after I began massaging my neck, my stomach seemed to relax slightly and the pain lessened. I wondered if I had found a pressure point... The rest of the flight I struggled to find a comfortable position in which to sleep. The tiny pillow which my Mom had sent along was of great assistance as I turned my head this way and that. I stuck the pillow between my head and my shoulder, I held it in front of me, and I found myself wishing that I was as comfortable with leaning my head on someones' shoulder as the military man was next to me. The young man had arranged his head very comfortable on the young woman's shoulder in the next seat over, not too much more than a half hour into our flight. He slept in a what seemed solid sleep until we arrived in LA. I was told by a military friend of ours the next day that, when you are in the military, you lose all sense of what is the "socially accepted norm". Perhaps that is why he was so comfortable sleeping on her shoulder, but at that point in time, I was slightly jealous that I am of a more reserved nature. I maybe was able to catch a half-hours worth of "winks" and arrived in LA at 1:30 EST. I was exhausted,but eager to meet my hosts for the night. As I entered the lobby, I quickly scanned the crowd and saw no familiar faces. I turned toward the baggage claim and peeked back over my shoulder toward the group of people waiting for their loved ones. It was then I saw her. She stood up and held a sign that read "Welcome Bethany". I grinned and headed for the couple who had so willingly come to pick me up and open their home to me. We exchanged a friendly hug and I knew that this was going to be a good visit.

A couple specific prayer requests for the next couple weeks.

~For my stomach during the long flight overseas.

~For safety traveling and the health of our whole group.

~The we would be a blessing to the children at the centers and to our sponsored kids.

~Language difficulties.

~That the Holy Spirit would overflow from our lives to those we meet.

~For God-given opportunities to witness and to minister to those around us.