“I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.” Psalm 4:5

Summer has begun, and has surprised me at every turn. I finished my last final around 9 PM on Friday and quickly packed up and left for home the next morning. I loved seeing my family and spending some time together before leaving for England. Upon arrival in O’Hare everything went smoothly and I watched as Chicago disappeared from view. However, only 15 minutes into the flight a flight attendant informed us of a medical emergency, calling for doctor on board to help if possible. I’d seen this sort of thing in movies and immediately began to pray I was amazed to see three different bibles open up just within my row! The captain decided to turn the plain around so the man could be attended to by paramedics. I still don’t know what happened to him or how he is doing now but please keep him in your prayers. After this we stayed on the plane and took off once more, it became apparent I would miss my connecting flight to London. Once I got off the plane I heard from the other intern Tim, who was also in Charlotte that the London flight had been delayed then cancelled due to the ash cloud from the volcano Eyjafjallajokull. At this point God kept our spirits high even though we pointlessly waited in a line for 3 hours only to be told the airport would not book anymore flights that night. During this time however by making some calls we found out the next flight available to England was ten days away, not taking that for an answer we explored other options, eventually finding a flight from Charlotte to Philly on Wednesday and then a flight from Philly to Paris followed by a flight from Paris to London. US Airways has not been able to pay for our rooms here or the flight from Paris to London so it’s been tough to stomach some of the extra costs but God has provided for me so much so far and I know he will continue to do so! If you are still able to contribute in any way to my trip I encourage you to do so.

So, here I am in a hotel room near the Charlotte airport, catching up on sleep and continuing to pray that we can actually make it to England! I realize now that God knew this would happen, he also knew how stressful it would be leaving immediately after finals and so, I believe he’s given me this time to prepare my heart for this summer, to pray and read the word and praise him for his faithfulness in my life! I’ve had moments of discouragement and I am missing home but I know that I am not alone, my comfort and strength is with me! That is why Psalm 4:5 has been on my heart today: “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.”

Last but not least I need your prayers, taking three different flights to get to England will be a pretty complicated matter and so please be in prayer for no delays or baggage mix ups as well as smooth sailing through customs in both France and England.

-J