4.22.12
The 4:30am alarm goes off and I'm already awake. I have been awake most of the night lying in anxiousness over our trip in just a few hours. We arrive at the airport 3 hours early "just in case" and then comes the one part of our trip that I've been dreading. Saying goodbye to those we are leaving behind. My heart races cause I know it's going to happen...I hate to cry... but its comes anyway....with tears spilling over for the babe I love so dearly who stays with his Nana while we travel 7,000+ miles across the globe. Tears spill also for the one I entrust his care to for the next 2 weeks....my mom who I love and adore.
But God is gracious and merciful and covers me with peace as we part ways. I leave a piece of my heart in Alabama and take the rest of it to India for the one God has "chosen out" for us to call our very own. Our plane leaves early and we spend most of the day connecting flights across the states. Perfect flights too! I've been asking for prayer for months for smooth plan rides ....since I'm not a fan of flying. We arrive in Jersey late afternoon and eagerly board our last flight to India.... 15 hours across the world....and excited that we'd either sleep/read/watch movies forever on this huge aircraft.... that would tie two worlds together.
The pilot comes over the intercom to announce flight departure and then the unexpected happens....two rows behind us someone calls out to the flight attendant, "someone just passed out in the bathroom". I stare at the door while it bulges out with someones dead weight up against it. The attendant calls out for a response from within. No answer. She tries to open the door and it's jammed. With panic, people spend too much time trying to free this person from the bathroom with no success. Maintenance is called and we all know time is ticking too fast. Someone finally pulls the door free and in horror we watch dead weight drop hard to the floor.
Flight attendants begin rescue with defibrillator and there is no response. Police come in -they try- no response. Medical crew comes in -put him on automatic chest compressions and breathing air down his lungs- still NO RESPONSE. 1 hour and 30 minutes go by and we are just beside ourselves as we watch son and wife stand speechless at their dying loved one. I can't make sense of this at all. Would our trip to life begin with death? The team decides to move the passenger from the plane....dragging him down the aisle right passed our feet. I feel sick. We all sit in tears. My heart aches at the same time for the ones who are losing a family member while we sit eagerly waiting to take flight in order to gain one.
No pronouncement was ever made on the plane that night ...but we heard the crews two feet behind us. It was over. Death had come. We heard the flight attendant later say ....."that had a pronouncement been made...the plane would have not left the ground that night". WOW. That would have been crazy. We were thankful that the LORD allowed us to leave that night for India but we pray for that precious Indian family whose flight home to India left with out them. Our hearts were broken, but we left with a greater urgency and understanding of just how precious LIFE really is!
Psalm 126:3 The LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY!
The 4:30am alarm goes off and I'm already awake. I have been awake most of the night lying in anxiousness over our trip in just a few hours. We arrive at the airport 3 hours early "just in case" and then comes the one part of our trip that I've been dreading. Saying goodbye to those we are leaving behind. My heart races cause I know it's going to happen...I hate to cry... but its comes anyway....with tears spilling over for the babe I love so dearly who stays with his Nana while we travel 7,000+ miles across the globe. Tears spill also for the one I entrust his care to for the next 2 weeks....my mom who I love and adore.
But God is gracious and merciful and covers me with peace as we part ways. I leave a piece of my heart in Alabama and take the rest of it to India for the one God has "chosen out" for us to call our very own. Our plane leaves early and we spend most of the day connecting flights across the states. Perfect flights too! I've been asking for prayer for months for smooth plan rides ....since I'm not a fan of flying. We arrive in Jersey late afternoon and eagerly board our last flight to India.... 15 hours across the world....and excited that we'd either sleep/read/watch movies forever on this huge aircraft.... that would tie two worlds together.
The pilot comes over the intercom to announce flight departure and then the unexpected happens....two rows behind us someone calls out to the flight attendant, "someone just passed out in the bathroom". I stare at the door while it bulges out with someones dead weight up against it. The attendant calls out for a response from within. No answer. She tries to open the door and it's jammed. With panic, people spend too much time trying to free this person from the bathroom with no success. Maintenance is called and we all know time is ticking too fast. Someone finally pulls the door free and in horror we watch dead weight drop hard to the floor.
Flight attendants begin rescue with defibrillator and there is no response. Police come in -they try- no response. Medical crew comes in -put him on automatic chest compressions and breathing air down his lungs- still NO RESPONSE. 1 hour and 30 minutes go by and we are just beside ourselves as we watch son and wife stand speechless at their dying loved one. I can't make sense of this at all. Would our trip to life begin with death? The team decides to move the passenger from the plane....dragging him down the aisle right passed our feet. I feel sick. We all sit in tears. My heart aches at the same time for the ones who are losing a family member while we sit eagerly waiting to take flight in order to gain one.
No pronouncement was ever made on the plane that night ...but we heard the crews two feet behind us. It was over. Death had come. We heard the flight attendant later say ....."that had a pronouncement been made...the plane would have not left the ground that night". WOW. That would have been crazy. We were thankful that the LORD allowed us to leave that night for India but we pray for that precious Indian family whose flight home to India left with out them. Our hearts were broken, but we left with a greater urgency and understanding of just how precious LIFE really is!
Psalm 126:3 The LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY!
2 comments:
Oh my goodness! I am so sorry for this precious family...and also sorry that you had such a rough start.
Thankful to our gracious Father that you were still able to take this flight to India.
Oh Wow! I had no idea. Someone actually died on Shawn's flight from Beijing to San Francisco when he was on his way to Floria for Shepherd's adoption. They had to land unexpectedly in Tokyo to remove the body, so Shawn missed all of his connections. (He didn't make it in time to take Shepherd home from the hospital with me.)
Praying for that family, and so thankful you all were able to make it to India when you did!
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