On the way to Mexico

I love to travel. Getting there is a definite plus, but the time spent “en camino” (on the way) is the best part. I bought a ticket out of Charlotte for two reasons:
1) it was cheaper and
2) I knew it would be an adventure.
I have not been disappointed. Three days ago, I had no idea where I was going to spend the night in Charlotte, but I had a feeling God had something in mind. He did. Through a new friend, Rod, I got connected with an even newer friend, Patty, who lives outside of Charlotte. She is the caretaker of an elderly missionary couple who have a house on the shores of Lake Norman. They retired from the mission field and built a large home with the purpose of continuing to be in ministry through hospitality. Unfortunately, Blair (the wife) suffered an illness that has left her paralyzed and they needed someone to help with the responsibilities of the house. God sent them sweet Patty and she is incredible. She cleans the house, makes meals (and brownies!), does the laundry, and just brings light wherever she is. They welcomed me into their home and sent me out this morning feeling very loved. As an added bonus, I finally saw the movie “Once” last night and loved it. Patty has seen it many times, but didn’t seem to mind seeing it yet again for me. AND…each room in the house is themed after a different country. I stayed in Mexico…duh.

This morning I arrived so early to the Charlotte airport that I was able to get on an earlier flight to Atlanta. They even bumped me to first class. “Because of your smile,” the man at the ticket counter said. I didn’t tell them that they actually did it because Jesus and I have a little “contest” going to see how much we can make each other smile on this trip. He started it and He’s winning.
While it was a gift to get out of Charlotte early and be in first class (which I took advantage of by eating lots of chips and taking little bottles of water with me when I left!), I have been sitting in Atlanta for 7 hours now due to bad weather. I’m sure there’s a reason beyond what I see. I have certainly not been bored!
They are sprawled out on the floor, sitting in little groups, talking on the phone, saying goodbye. I witnessed one of their goodbyes in Charlotte this morning that was heartbreaking. I decided to try to thank as many of them as I could. They are soldiers and today is deployment day. A few are seasoned old guys who seem to be indifferent (or maybe just resigned) to the fact that they are shipping out again. Then there are some that look like boys to me, who are just headed back for the second half of their first tour. I’m guessing the guy in Charlotte was one of them. I ate dinner with a boy from Minnesota. He asked if I wanted to switch flights with him. No, but thanks for going.
Now I’m sitting in a group of colonels and generals and CW 4’s. They’re explaining how the Army is organized, what they do over there, and what their patches and symbols mean: Eagle = colonel, Oak leaf = major, etc. I’m overwhelmed by what I didn’t know that I didn’t know. Colonels Johnson and Johnson are sitting across for me. They’re not related, but the go to the same church. They love Jesus, too. Yet another gift.
I’ve moved over here to the Army guys because my other friends, the Catalans, have fallen asleep. They are a sweet older couple from the Mexican state of Hidalgo where I now have an open invitation to come and stay whenever I like. That’s just the Mexican way. After an hour’s conversation with Don Francisco Catalan, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on most aspects of the education system in Mexico. : )
When our flight was announced “delayed” for the third time, I went to get something to eat. In the food court, Earl (I don’t know his last name) was playing Amazing Grace on a grand piano. Amazing grace, indeed. Our plane is here.

Later:
I think there may be a secret rule among the airlines that the wait on the tarmac must be proportional to the delay in the airport. True to form, we waited on the tarmac for a good while, but by that time those of flight 8087 had become good friends, so we made the best of it. The flight was practically empty, so I sprawled out across three seats and enjoyed a stupid movie, a light dinner, and a stunning sunset. I have never seen a sunset so beautiful. The colors changed so quickly and the clouds were so gorgeous that I just sat with my mouth open for a full half hour. That was another gift that made me smile. Our descent into Mexico City was breathtaking as well. I certainly would never choose to fly into Mexico at night, so this delay was a nice opportunity for me to know this lovely city at one of its loveliest hours. It’s a massive city and as we dipped down below the clouds to see it with all the lights on, it looked as if someone dumped a bucket of sparkling diamonds across the landscape. Then to top it off, we swooped around in time to reveal a little train of airplanes following us for their landings. They looked like a string of lightning bugs across the horizon.
Arriving in Mexico City, I met the most pleasant immigration officer, said goodbye to my flight 8087 friends and ran to buy my bus ticket. I couldn’t find the Catalans to say goodbye, but just as I was getting on my bus, I saw them on the bus next to me. They came running out and repeated their invitation for me to come and stay with them in the future. Don Francisco squeezed my hand and told me they were happy to have been delayed in order to get to know me. They saw Jesus in me, I think.
Now, I’m on the bus to Cuernavaca and should get there in about two hours. Our bus driver was making me nervous until I realized that his normal breathing pattern sounds like snoring. Now we’re cool.