Back in the summer of 1985, I was flying back from the country where in I was born. My parents had just both passed away a month and a half apart. I went there to see my mother before her passing, and was left to watch my father, until he could pay for the tickets for us to return to the states. He had planned to stay with my eldest brother when we moved back there. Unfortunately, he suddenly passed away.

That left me scrambling to try to get back home. I had no money, they left no money, I had to begin to sell things in the house to make money to get back to the states. Once I purchased the tickets, my eldest sister was supposed to pick me up at the airport. She had agreed. But having known her, on the plane trip back, I prayed that if she not show up, which I expected, that He make a way home for me, for I had no money at all on me. Not even for a phone call.

When I arrived at the Airport, I went to the baggage claim, and I could see no one I knew that came for me. I tried to make phone calls, but collect calls were blocked from going through when I tried to make a collect call. But it was yet still early enough where I had not begun to fret. And as I waited for the luggage to come around on the carousel, a woman comes up to me and says, “What happened honey, did no one show up to get you?” And in my head I thought… how would she know that? I kind of politely dismissed her. Then she insisted… “Where are you from? What city are you going? Perhaps we can find you a ride.” Again, I said thank you, but politely declined and dismissed her. Then she asked, “What city do you live in?” and I felt no harm in telling her, so I told her the city and she said, “Oh, ok, you see those 2 guys over there?” and she pointed to two guys standing by the other end of the carousel, then she continued with, “I overheard them talking earlier, they are from there too. They can give you a ride home, I am sure it will be safe. Go ask them” I politely declined getting into a car with 2 strange guys, thank you very much. Where in she then proceeded to ask them herself on my behalf.

I recall cringing as I overheard her telling them that no one had shown up to pick me up and that I lived where they lived. I wanted to fade into the woodwork I felt so uncomfortable and humiliated for some reason, even more when she pointed me out to them. Then they began to move towards me and I wanted to disappear. One of them began to speak with me when suddenly small children began to gather around him and hugging him, and then women appeared afterwards. Apparently they had been on the same plane I came off of a d the 2 men were there to pick them up.

The one guy asked me, “Where do you live?’ I told him the city, and he asked, what street? and when I told him, he said, oh, we live on the cross street to your street. Then he asked me if I had a brother with 2 dogs, because he though I looked like my brother, and described my brother and I said, yes, that is him. And he was like, yeah, I know exactly where he lives, I will take you. With him seeming to know my brother, and with the women and children, I felt much safer riding with them. So I accepted the ride. They had enough space for one more person and one suitcase… and that was all I had. They dropped me off and didn’t even need to ask which house. They already knew.

But before I left with them from the airport, I remember how I had turned to thank the woman that had spoken up for me, and found she was no where… she disappeared, just as she appeared. You cannot convince me that 1., she was not an angel, and 2., that God had not already pre planned for them all to be there that same day, that same flight. I mean what were the chances? To live in the same city is one thing, but to live on the cross street where they lived, and for them to know my brother and where exactly I was going? And for the angel, ahem, I mean for the woman to know that I needed help, and I sure would not have asked for it. You cannot convince that that was not all preordained because He knew I was going to need help getting home from the airport which was a half hour ride away. #NothingButGod
The next day in the afternoon, I was stopped by my friends saying, “Oh, you’re home, your sister came by earlier to see if we could pick you up from the airport.” I told them I got home the night before, when she was supposed to pick me up. Am so glad God provided.
Praise the Lord! Amen!

ADDENDUM:

I was just chuckling to myself as I recalled this story… Here I was, on the plane, asking God to make a way for me home if my sister didn’t show up; all the while, my ride home was already on the same plane with me. Go figure! This is partly why I love Him! His sense of humor is unparalleled. Plus He also knew that I would never have asked anyone for a ride home that I didn’t know, so He sent me an angel to intervene, so that I wouldn’t miss my ride home. Ha! Boy, she sure had her work cut out for her with me though. But she was persistent! She definitely earned much bigger, better wings and or halo. Ha ha!

God is so good! When I think on Him, sometimes I can’t help but smile hard. Even during my most painful times, In hindsight, I can often see how He carried me. I am sure that there is nothing in this world or out, like the feeling of being carried in God’s arms. And that is what He did for me that day… He carried me… Amen and Amen.