Day #3 in Miami!! (The Blessing)

When I got to the elevators in the airport, I checked the signs for the Restaurant. I saw it listed on the 7th floor. But then I also noticed that on the 4th floor there were some offices... managers of the airport. Hmm... maybe they can help me . . .


I got on the elevator and decided to try. I went to the 4th floor and walked off onto a dark, quiet hallway. Outside of a locked set of doors was a phone with names and numbers of the managers. I found the name of someone I thought would be best to help me, and called her number. No answer. Ok, its still early. I'll just lay down here - its dark and quiet... And NO lady on the loudspeaker!

I rolled out my blanket, laid down and quickly dozed off. I woke up a bit later, hearing someone walk by. I wondered if they would call security on me. About 15 minutes later two people got off the elevator, and I felt like I should get up. "I'm sorry to be sleeping in your hallway, but I was trying to call Ms. Dickie (the manager)." The girl told me to wait there, she would go in and see if Ms. Dickie was here yet. Two other people came then, and one of them was Ms. Dickie's secretary. She was really nice. She invited me in, told me to have a seat, and could she get me something to drink?

After she left, tears started to come down my face. I couldn't seem to help it. It was the 1st person that day who was really kind to me. She came back in a few minutes to tell me that a manager was coming from across the airport to talk with me - he would be there soon. Thank you so much!!

I tried to wipe my tears away. I was so tired.

Just then a security guy came in and seeing me, started asking me questions, to find out if I was the girl sleeping out in the hallway. I explained my situation to him and started tearing up again. The secretary came back and told him not to worry about it; I was with them. Thank you, God!! He left, and I think felt bad for me, so told me to "keep smiling" after he found out my last name was Smiley. I gave him a half-hearted one.


About 10 min later, a manager came in - his name was Roy - and he had walked across the airport to listen to me. I was really touched. I told him my story, with some tears - although I really wasn't trying to cry, and just said, "I'm so tired, I just would like a quiet place to sleep until my flight hopefully leaves tonight... and maybe to use the Internet to try and write some emails to make connections for my travels." He said he would help me; and then left to see what he could find.

He came back in less than 10 minutes, bringing with him a lady. He told me, "You won't believe this. This lady is NEVER on this side of the airport. She just walked in the door 1 minute ago. She is the head of American Airlines (my airline company)."

MY JESUS IS MIGHTY!!!!! HE IS ABLE TO DO ANYTHING!!! HE HAS THE KEY AND THE CONNECTIONS TO ANYONE AND ANYTHING!!! wow.

I started to cry again.

She listened to my story, and said, "Didn't we put you up in a hotel or get you vouchers for meals?" "No, they said it was not a mechanical problem, so they couldn't do that." "Oh, well, we'll find you a room. We'll take care of you." Thank you, Jesus... "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble... May He send you help from the sanctuary and sustain you from Zion."


They left to try to figure things out, and meanwhile the secretary let me use her personal computer to type some emails to contacts in South America. When Roy came back, he told me that they couldn't find any hotel rooms anywhere, because of the SuperBowl. (It was Friday, and the game was Sunday.) He was really sorry, but offered instead the use of their private conference room - where I could sleep undisturbed. I would love that! Thank you. He told me the secretary could help me find it when I was ready to come down, and he gave me his card to call if had any more problems.


I did a little more work on the Internet, and then the secretary took me down. We went back by a place I had been the day before- the Lost and Found office. The conference room was in a hallway behind it. The secretary took me into the Lost and Found and told the gentleman there that I was going to be resting in the back conference room, so to let me in whenever I needed. I looked more closely at him; it was the same guy from the day before who had given me back my journal - the one who heard me say, "Praise Jesus!" when it was found. I asked him if he was the guy, he said yes. I smiled and said hi, then left to go to the restroom.

When I came back, I saw another guy in the Lost & Found, talking to my helper. They looked my way. I didn't think anything of it, and kept walking back to the hallway towards the beautiful, quiet conference room. All of a sudden, I heard the door open behind me, and a voice say, "Praise the Lord! Praise God!! Isn't God good!! God is SO good!!" What???

The other guy from the Lost & Found was coming in the hallway behind me, and he had a HUGE smile on his face! "Praise God!!" How did he know I loved God? I looked at him with questions in my eyes... "You're a Christian, right? ", he asked me. "Yes, I am..." ?? "The man in the Lost & Found told me that you loved Jesus! I love Jesus, too!! You're my sister!! I'm a manager here! I'm going to take care of you!!!" What?! This was almost too much. It was as if Heaven itself had opened up, and the Blessings were pouring down, faster than I could believe or imagine. The man asked me what my story was, but I started to tear up, I was so overwhelmed with thankfulness. He told me not to worry about it, to go and get some sleep and he would take care of me!!

I went into the conference room, amazed. My God had shown up. And He was able to open the most amazing doors - even at the Miami airport. I stood in awe of Him. Barrett's prayer from the night before was coming true. God's presence was here and He was taking care of me, His girl. He knows how to take care of His kids. Wow.

I slept for a few hours, and woke up to the sound of the door opening. It was the Praise God manager; he was bringing in a HUGE green blow-up mattress, and had his 2 assistants in tow with blankets and pillows. I started to cry again. Thank you so much. "You get some more sleep, and when you feel rested, come over to my office; I want to hear your story." I lay down on the comfortable mattress - it was the "green grass" spoken of in Psalm 23... "He makes me lie down in green pastures..." I slept for a few more hours.

When I woke up, I walked down to Praise God's office, and the assistants were glad to see me! Go on in, they said. In his office, I shared a bit about where I was coming from, and where I was trying to go... and about my around the world adventure with Jesus.

He had to run an errand and took me with him, so we were able to keep talking. We walked past a shoeshine booth, where he stopped and introduced me to a man named James. "James, I want you to meet our sister." James looked at me with kindness and like he was glad and privileged to meet me. He asked me if I had had lunch yet. No. "Can I buy you lunch?" Uh... sure. Wow. I am SO amazed at God. He walked me into the little sandwich place at the airport, and said to get whatever I wanted, and don't forget to get a drink! (I normally get water, to save money, but it was like Jesus was BLESSING me. Extravagantly.) The boy behind the counter was very nice, and James told him he was paying. I got my sandwich and a fruit drink. James pulled out his hard-earned money and paid for all of it. I started to tear up again.

He led me over to a seat, wiped off the table in front of me, and laid out a napkin and straw. I was so blessed. He told me, "The Scripture says that when we serve others we are serving our Lord, isn't that right?" Yes, it is. "I'm serving my Lord." Thank you, Jesus, for this man, and for his blessing and serving me... and serving You.

I ate my sandwich in awe. I couldn't believe what had happened in the last 5 hours. Where I had been; discouraged in the bathroom, trying to believe in God's goodness... to now, experiencing more of it than I could have imagined.

The Praise God manager and James came back in and we had a wonderful sharing time and then prayed for each other. One thing James prayed for me was that the flight would be open tonight and I would get to my desired destination. That time was such a blessing.

Afterwards, Praise God and James had to leave, I thanked them so much. Before I went to the ticket counter again, I met one more blessing - Rosie, James shoeshine partner. She was also a lover of the Lord, and she told me stories about trusting in God... even when we have to get out of the boat and walk on the water with Him. She also told me that many times she will just curl up with Jesus in the boat, in the midst of the storm, and go to sleep with Him. She trusts Him.

Back at the ticket counter, I found Barrett and Bill again, and told them of all that had happened that day. They were blessed. They helped me find the last seat on the still open/not yet cancelled flight to Bolivia that night. By that point, I was thinking, Lord, you have taken care of me so well, if you would rather I stay in Miami for another night, just let me know. You are good and I trust you.

I went back to the conference room and wrote some notes, and made some phone calls - Barrett had given me an American Airlines calling card! About 2 hours later, I had to pack up to get to my gate. I said goodbye to my wonderful shelter - the conference room, and walked out with a smile on my face. There was lots of activity in the airport with the SuperBowl... they actually had a band and singers to welcome the people right in the airport! (Plus there were lots of police and dogs, and some of the police had some BIG guns on them! Wow.)

I stopped by to say goodbye and thank you to Bill and Barrett. They said they would be praying for me.
I headed to my gate, amazed that I would maybe actually be leaving Miami.

After finding out they switched the gate to all the way across the airport, I walked with a huge crowd, all trying to get on the flight... I was thankful that Barrett had gotten me a seat, and that I wasn't going to have to fight for a seat on standby.

When we got to the new gate, they asked us to volunteer to give up our carry-on bags to help with room, because it was a packed flight. I had the thought that I shouldn't give up mine. (I'm really thankful I didn't - later, I found out that my other luggage was misplaced, and that people who put their luggage under at their request, their luggage was misplaced, too... so I wouldn't have had anything.)

I sat next to 2 other gringos (Americans); a doctor and his friend who were flying down to do some volunteer work with some native Indians; we had a nice conversation, I was glad to be sitting next to them. We finally lifted off at 1:30 in the morning, of Saturday, Feb 2; I was so excited! It was really happening! We were really heading to South America!

It had been 3 days and 2 nights in Miami... but God had shown me so much about who He is... and how I can trust Him. In everything. Even in my stupid mistakes of leaving a journal behind.