A Series of Seemingly Unfortunate Events...

Hello once again lovely people!  I know it's been about a week, so I thought that it might be a good idea to bring about another post for everyone to see what's been going on since last we met.  And, a lot has happened in the last week.  So, bear with me.  Here's another peek into the life of Zach.

The day before I was supposed to go to the airport, a major snowstorm hit Indiana, one that pretty much shut down the entire state for a couple days.  Now, for a person who is supposed to leave the country the next morning on three connected flights, a snowstorm of gastronomic proportions is not exactly something that one wants to hear about.  But, alas, it happened.  And naturally, I kept tabs on the status of my flight that next afternoon.  Surprisingly, it was still on schedule!  WOW!

Well...it didn't last.  When I got to the airport, I found out that all of the flights for monday had been cancelled.  And, being a first time flyer and never had experienced the joys of an airport, I panicked.  A lot.  And it didn't really stop for the rest of the day.  After getting in contact with the AHA program directors and finding out that many of the students were in fact going to be late as well, I tried to reroute my flights, and I did (luckily it didn't cost anything!).  But...the next roadblock hit.  The roads all throughout the state were shut down and no one could make a long trip to pick me up just for a day, only to have to go back the next day.  So...I was stranded in the airport...all day...with only my thoughts of panic and stress as well as the other stranded passengers.  Monday just wasn't a good day.  I had a lot of stressful tears falling and a lot of worry.  But after talking with family members and AHA program coordinators, the night got better.  I spent the night sleeping in the middle of the Indy airport.  Great introduction to flying, am I right?

Tuesday was a lot better.  And it was also the day that I started to realize just how subtle God had been throughout the entire experience at the airport.  My flight was supposed to leave at 7 that night, so I spent the majority of that day in the airport as well.  This time was different though...flights were actually taking off from the airport!  It was quite fascinating to watch the planes come in and out.  Along with that, I was able to pass time talking with all kinds of wonderful folks, getting to know them, and sharing life together through a very tough experience.  To top off the whole experience, I got two interviews: one for Indy Channel 6 News and the Indy Star Press.  Wow.  But God brought a lot of grace that day through these conversations: Austin, Guillermo, Maddie, and Ed.  They all had great positivity and I even got to have a conversation in Spanish (WOOT).  I spent a lot of the time in between wrestling with God, asking that I may just trust Him in all things, but especially in this rough series of events.  I also prayed a lot about gaining clarity about the lesson that I was meant to learn in all of this.  I will get to that later.

But...the night took another turn.  After actually making it through security check and getting to the departure gate I was supposed to board, the flight that night spontaneously got cancelled.  Oy. Apparently Washington, DC got slammed by the very storm that we had experienced two days before, so everything was again backed up.  So...I panicked yet again.  Not only was I missing another flight, but I was going to be even later to my program and classes, and I also had nowhere to go AGAIN.  It was not good.

But God rocked my world yet again (don't worry, this is a very reoccurring theme in this post and in my life in general).  I spoke with an attendant at my departure gate and she was able to again redirect my flight.  This is where the silver lining arrived.  Even though I was going to be late ANOTHER DAY, I was able to get a flight that only had one connecting flight, not two.  So...it was less to worry about.  the other big shock was this: I got a voucher for a hotel for not just one, but TWO nights (my flight was supposed to leave two days later).  And, it was a nice hotel, breakfast and everything.  It was mind-blowing.  In the blink of an eye, everything changed.  And God really showed me.  The lesson I was starting to learn was this:  God's got this.  I could hear him saying the same thing over and over, "Do you trust me?" It's like that scene in Aladdin where Aladdin is trying to get Jasmine to board the magic carpet.  And I finally started to say, "yes."

Fast forward two days.  I get back to the airport, breeze right through, and sit by the gate to board.  The flight was actually on!  So I sat, wondering what my first flight was going to be like.  And, there ended up being a delay.  But at this point, a delay was SO MUCH BETTER than a cancellation.  Soon after though, something really cool happened.  Instead of having to sit around for two more hours, the flight that was before mine ended up being shifted to after mine, so the Newark flight could leave on time. That was my flight!  Weird, huh?  Yeah...I thought so too.  So, I boarded the plane.  And the plane took off.

So exhilarating, and I can't tell you how beautiful God's creation really is when you're looking down on it.  It is quite a spectacle to see, and I'm super thankful that I was able to experience that.  Here are some photos I shot while on the plane:

All I could really think during this was: "God, you're just showing off.  But I love it!  Keep it up."  I landed in Newark, traversed through the airport, had a nice cup of coffee, chatted with family, and waited for the next flight to board.  By this time, I was feeling super comfortable with the whole idea of a long international flight.  The only issue I faced with the first flight was a plugged left ear.  While I waited to board, I had a conversation with another guy that was going on the trip to Madrid as well. This was another God moment.  Not only was he going on the same flight, but he was also going to the same city I was when we got to Spain.  And he offered to help me navigate to the city after we landed! WOW.  I definitely couldn't have asked for anything more perfect in such a tough situation.  That international flight felt so much shorter after that.

But then it actually happened.  And the flight seemed a lot longer than 6 hours.  Probably because of the fact that I was sitting next to a lady who had her four-month-old son in her lap, and I didn't get any sleep.  And I was in the middle seat of three, so I never got up to move around.  But the food was good and the entertainment was helpful.  I got to enjoy a nice hour of Whose Line and part of Man of Steel before landing in Madrid.  Here are a couple photos for you to view:

Alright everyone, I'm almost done.  I promise.  But after I got off the plane, I tried to find John (the guy I met beforehand).  But, after struggling to find my luggage and get through the customs line and find the exit terminal, it became impossible to catch him.  Something you should know about this airport is it's huge.  You would think I could have just given him a call right?  Wrong.  I didn't have phone service because I landed in Europe.  My phone plan doesn't work outside of the United States.  The other difficult part was that there was no internet connection that was free.  So...I panicked yet again.  I didn't leave the spot I was in for almost an hour, because I had no idea what to do.  Eventually...I prayed and attempted to ask questions in Spanish to navigate from the airport to the metro, then the metro to the bus station in Madrid, then the bus station to my host family in Segovia.  Picture all of these places, but with two suitcases and a backpack filled with electronics that weigh a ton.  Yeah...the struggle was definitely real.

Something I realized after all was said and done was that despite all of the struggles I faced in traveling from the United States to Segovia, everything I did was completely out of reliance upon the Lord. Kelly Clarkson said it best: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."  This trip was pretty much that in many forms.  And finally, after 4 long days, I made it to Segovia.  The director of the program, Marian, came to meet me in the bus station in the heart of Segovia (after fumbling through the process of using a Spanish payphone).  She gave me a hug and a pep talk, and waited with me until I finally got to meet my host family.  And now, I am here, preparing for my first day of classes tomorrow, and wondering just what is going to come next.  I have been adjusting, getting to know the city, my fellow AHA students, adapting to the life of a Spaniard, and trying to overcome the jet lag I experienced during the flight.

As I get ready to embark on the next phase of this trip, one verse keeps ringing in the back of my mind. It is a verse that pretty much has summed up most of my experience so far as a world traveler, and it also reminds me that everything in this world, though seemingly impossible and even unfortunate sometimes, can truly become a gift from the Lord.  Because in those moments, we learn that God's power trumps our weakness any day.  We just have to learn to trust him.

"I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens me." -Philippians 4:13