Several years ago when I was the pastor at Marlow, First, the church made an important decision to commit to mission work in the beautiful country of Ecuador. We took several trips there throughout multiple years. If you haven’t been there, you should go. It is beautiful.
There was one trip in particular I often think about. We flew from Oklahoma City to Houston and then from Houston to Quito, Ecuador. That was back in the good old days when you could actually count on connecting flights to be relatively on time and get you to your destination.
I guess I should admit that I don’t fly well. In fact, I walk better than I fly. It takes me longer, but I can usually get to my destination. For those of you who are wondering, I actually walk better than I run unless there is a bear chasing me. In fact, there is a direct correlation between how fast I can run and how big the bear is. But I have digressed…
We were on the plane in Houston waiting to take off for Quito. I was sitting towards the back of the plane next to one of our medical doctors from church. Across the aisle from me sat a wonderful Ecuadorian couple.
We hadn’t been in the air very long when we began to encounter a little turbulence. There is nothing like turbulence to sharpen up your prayer life. So, I prayed. Then I peeked with my left eye at the Ecuadorian couple setting across the aisle from me. The little lady was reading from a pocket New Testament. I remember thinking that was so cool and, wouldn’t you know it, before long, the turbulence stopped.
We flew for a while longer and suddenly got into some real turbulence. The Ecuadorian man pushed the button to summons the flight attendant. She came back to where they were sitting, had a short conversation, left, and, quickly returned with one of those airplane-sized bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey. The little lady got the bottle opened and swigged the whole thing down in one swallow. I have often wondered if she decided since the Holy Spirit might not be able to get her back home, if some spirits might be the help she needed.
Oddly enough, the plane didn’t calm down. But the little Ecuadorian lady went smooth to sleep. That is until we were ready to land in Quito. At the time, Quito was one of the most dangerous airports in the world. And the landing that night did not disappoint. We hit the runway pretty hard and bounced back up in the air. I didn’t know if I needed to ask the Holy Spirit to help me or have a snort of some Jack Daniels. About then, the plane hit the runway a second time. It was then that little, inebriated Ecuadorian lady, reached across the aisle, grabbed my hand, and we held hands all the way to the terminal.
When we got to the terminal, she turned me loose and said, what I think was “Thank you.” I am not sure what her husband said, but I don’t think it was thank you. But we all made it there alive, ready to walk or run (you have to keep your eyes on those Ecuadorian bears) to our next destination.
So, here’s the deal. Adult alcoholic beverages don’t solve turbulence in our lives, but the Holy Spirit sure can. If you are coming in for a hard landing, it is always nice to have someone to hold your hand. Not everyone appreciates hand holding, especially among strangers. Terminals sure are misnamed.
