If you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains. We have a lot of people praying for us and this trip, and today, God moved mountains. Mountains of people, as far as Avianca Airlines is concerned.
You see, in talking with the airline staff and supervisor at Avianca yesterday, there was little hope to get more than two or three of our people on flights today. "The flights are oversold," they said, "we can't confirm you all until August." Those are not the words that fifteen people need to hear. No, not words that fifteen people who have prayed up and saved up so they can pay up and go want to hear. (Yes, fifteen! One of our team members flew to Bogota, spent the night, and arrived in Barranquilla early this morning.) We were now a large mountain of fifteen people.
We got our standby tickets for the flight and made our way through security and to the gate. The first person I spoke to at the gate looked at me like I was crazy. Fifteen people? There's no way. She then proceeded to ignore me completely, without even acknowledging I existed. We moved on to the next agent and kindly explained our situation. It didn't take long, and to our amazement, she gave confirmed boarding passes with seat assignments for six of our people on a flight to Cartagena. Cartagena is less than an hour travel time from Barranquilla where we would be working. A ride was arranged for them to get to Barranquilla, and they would arrive by 7 PM at the hotel. Almost half the team down. Go God!
Then we waited...and waited. It was looking good. First, we had confirmed reservations for everyone but me on the direct flight to Barranquilla. "No, there was a mistake. You must give us back two of those boarding passes." We shuffled the seats and the boarding passes for a moment, and the decision was quickly made. Everyone was now on their way to Barranquilla except for our team leader Sam, his wife Vicki, and me. We would try to fly standby through Bogota and connect to Barranquilla tonight.
Odd combination, one might think. I had someone tell me, "What? Sam is the team leader! He has to get down there." But no. God has given such amazing leadership in Barranquilla in Mildred and Bernardo Gonzalez and the Hope for Today team. After our morning devotions this morning, Sam knew...we all knew the order everyone should be put on the plane today. We all agreed, and somehow I knew in my heart this morning that it was unlikely I would be arriving in Colombia today. The waitlist did not clear for us, and here I sit, back in the same hotel I was in yesterday. Waiting. Praying. Loving God more.
God has a plan for everything. Nope...I can't really say for sure I can see the "why" in this situation we've experienced...not yet anyway. But I do know that Sam needed me on this team to help him with the travel situation, waitlists, and working with the airline staff. Not only that, but I have some amazing friends who live five blocks from the hotel. After we came back from the airport tonight, it was my friend Doug Reynolds to the rescue. He was our personal chauffeur. He took us to K-Mart to buy some necessities, then drove us to get dinner. I might add, I think it's no coincidence that I know these friends because they were the leaders on my very first international mission trip in 1988. No, God doesn't make mistakes. There has not been a doubt in my mind that God has orchestrated every move we've made.
So today, God moved mountains. Twelve big mountains. Tomorrow, there's just a couple of pebbles in the way. Surely He's capable, and hopefully He will choose to move these three pebbles, Sam, Vicki, and I, on toward our goal of Barranquilla. I don't know His plan, but I've got peace...and faith. I know God has called me there...and somehow He's gonna get me there. Ready or not, Barranquilla, here I come! (Prayerfully said, of course!)
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com