Never Alone
Note: My desire for this blog is to fill you up with HOPE! One way of doing that is by sharing true-life testimonies of what Jesus has done for others. Revelation 19:10 says, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” When we hear about what Jesus has done in the lives of others, we are actually being prophesied to. Just like the Word of God is a mirror showing who we really are in Christ, so testimonies show us what God is able to do in our lives. May you be encouraged as you read this testimony! What Jesus has done in my life, He is able to do for you!
Between 11th and 12th grades, I had the most amazing privilege of going on a mission trip – the first of what would be many more to come.
It had all started six months earlier at a dynamic youth convention in Toronto. I loved the electric atmosphere – a huge conference hall filled with passionate youth and fiery leaders. The worship was powerful and the message penetrating.
What took place there within my heart, came home with me and I was compelled to go on a mission trip the following summer.
With the approval of my parents, the application process began. I was more than elated the day I received the acceptance letter. Friends and family were soon on board and compassionately embraced the opportunity to help make my dream a reality.
In the summer of 95 – just 17 years old – I hopped on a plane for the first time – ecstatic for the adventure that lay ahead.
Our team, among many, met up in Miami for orientation. Within a few days, we were on our way to our long-awaited destination: Venezuela.
There, it was a whirlwind of excitement! As our leaders poured into us, deepening our walk with God, we were able to pour ourselves out for the Venezuelans through drama, testimonies and one on one ministry. We persevered with much enthusiasm, despite the sweltering heat, as we saw many eagerly choose to follow Jesus.
All too soon the month closed in. We had to make our way back to Miami for debriefing. Teams who had travelled all over the world gathered together and shared what God had done.
The night before my departure back to Toronto, I was invited to partake in an all-night recording of a worship CD. I called my parents to see if I could delay my trip home but at their advice, I stuck with the original plan … and, participated in the all-night choir.
Needless to say, by the end of the night (which was actually 5 am the following day), I was exhausted. There was no time to rest as I had a plane to catch. Thankfully, unlike my solo trip from Toronto, I would be traveling back with another Canadian whom I had met during our pre and post trip time spent in Miami.
After taking the shuttle, Randy and I, tired and overburdened with luggage, rushed through the busy international airport with what little energy we had remaining. Trying to make our way to the gate in time, I cried out with a touch of humor, “Jesus, please send an angel to help us!”
Within moments of my prayer, I heard someone calling out behind me. I turned around to find a tall, fit African American man vying for my attention. He stood out from the bustling crowd with his pilot’s attire – a crisp white uniform with gold and black trim. Together with the captain’s hat atop his head, he carried a confident disposition as though he were sent on a mission.
Looking into my eyes, he said in a deep bellowing voice, “I believe this is yours.” I looked to see what he might possibly have that would be mine in his outstretched hand. As I reached out to take the item, I recognized it was my passport with the boarding pass tucked within. I thanked him with utmost gratitude and just as swiftly as he came into my life, he promptly disappeared.
I looked at Randy. He looked from me to the passport in my hand and back again and stated without the skip of a beat, “Well, there’s your angel!”
My passport must have dropped as we were rushing along and somehow that man had seen what had happened and picked it up and chased me down. Or, perhaps it was an angel sent on a mission to come to my rescue. Whether a genuine angel in the form of an African American pilot, or an African American pilot taking on the role of an angel, I was convinced that God had my back and for sure never ever leaves us nor forsakes us.
Randy and I made it to our gate in time and boarded the plane without a hassle – thanks to the mysterious stranger God sent our way.
While on the plane, I pondered about what I would have done at the boarding gate ready to pull out my passport only to discover it missing. As tired and as young and rushed as I was – I had no clue what I would have done or where I would have even begun to look in that fast-moving crowd of people.
True, I had asked Jesus for help – but I was thinking help in the form of someone to carry our luggage – like someone zooming by in a cart and offering us a ride to the gate. But, God knew better and answered in the way I needed most. He gave grace for Randy and I to continue on our way with the luggage, and, He sent someone with my passport – the passport that I didn’t even know had disappeared.
Our flight home went smoothly and we were soon greeted by our families who had been eagerly waiting for us by the arrival gate in Toronto Pearson. Randy and I said our farewell to one another then departed ways. I went home with my parents, and quickly settled in for a much-anticipated sleep in my own familiar bed.
In the days ahead, overwhelmed with excitement – I shared with my family and friends all about my adventures abroad. But like Mary, I treasured within my heart what had taken place at that busy international airport in Florida. Little did I know that the adventure had not ended in Venezuela. God had shown me, through the mysterious stranger, that my adventure with Him, had only just begun.
I finished my final year of secondary school more passionate than ever to share about my Constant Companion. I then entered the missions program at a Bible College the following September – and through all the travels and experiences since, I found it to be true again and again that there is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother.
