I lied to the airline...

My current status is back in Girdwood...it was a 68 hour travel adventure that included a bit of stumbling. So I'll confess and fill you in on the end of my trip. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have pictures and a final post for Ecuador. After that, you really don't want to hear about my daily life. But I'll post whenever God does something amazing (usually doesn't take long) or something else comes up so feel free to stop by every once and a while.

So I made it out of Guayaquil, through customs, and into Houston airport. I had decided it was better if I would go visit Daniel and his family than go straight home. I promise my intentions were the best but I quickly fell into the thoughts of the world and the sinful nature. I went to change my tickets prepared to pay the change fees and maybe a little more. Everything went fine at first and I found it would cost me $400 to fly out first class (the only thing open) the next day. I had never flown first class so I met it with hesitant amusement...and Daniel was worth it. Then he came back and said no, since the plane stopped, even though it didn't deboard in Seattle, I couldn't change tickets to that flight. In fact I couldn't change at all. I could only buy a whole new ticket for last minute first class and still pay the previous ticket. I was looking at double my original ticket to Ecuador and in tears because I felt God wanted me to go spend time with Daniel but I didn't have the money. I guess I just stood there long enough that the guy said or you could just say you couldn't find the gate and miss the plane. He sent me up to through security, but I realized when I got there that he still had my boarding pass and I was not about to stand in the long line for another hour or so. Crying and exhausted and frustrated I told the TSA lady I was sick and had to leave. I don't know how I managed to combine trying to follow God and lying in the same task, but that was the sinful flesh nature I gave into. I walked right out of the airport and to a rental car to head to Arlington and deal with the consequences later.

Warning: this next part is not to make excuses, there is no excuse, it is to show how little white lies and omission lies are still lies.

I was sick. I had a migraine from the bus and plane ride that had subsided a bit, I needed to stop and rest, I was nauseous, and my stomach hurt. All reasons I could not get on a flight and have travel insurance deal with it. It was a reason, but on any normal day not the reason I wouldn't get on. I didn't get on so I could see my friend that got shot. I got on the road finally and amazingly felt a lot better too. I went and saw Daniel who is doing much better and at home now. He still needs your prayers though, don't stop. The doctors say he will be on IV antibiotics and a "wound vac" sticking out of his back for the next month. It will be 6 months for a full recovery. Yet the God I know is bigger, more powerful, and awesomely wonderful than that. So I'm praying that us as his family and friends can trust in the power of God and not just in the doctors. Through our prayers God can do a miraculous healing in Daniel if only we have the faith of a mustard seed. Yet the scriptures also tell us the story of a father and his sick son in Mark 9:24; "I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!"

Well Daniel wasn't sick enough to not be a truly great friend and call me out on my sin. Friday morning I called the airline and told them I was sick and had missed my flight, needing to reschedule. They said I was already rescheduled and was flying out in 6 1/2 hours so I needed to leave Arlington really soon. I wasn't okay with it, not at all. But it wasn't until Daniel said he was disappointed with me like a true friend that I was able to have the strength to fix it. When I got to the airport, I flat out told the lady I had lied and had missed my flight because my friend got shot and I needed to see him not because I was sick. They didn't even care. I had damaged my integrity for absolutely nothing but Satan's glee. So now I apologize and ask for forgiveness I don't deserve and repent. As far as I know the airline hasn't charged me anything extra, if they do I'll pay it. It is so easy for me to justify my way around stuff when it doesn't make sense...yet it is sin. And I'm not held captive by sin anymore, so I'll keep praying for the strength and wisdom to overcome.

Keep praying for Daniel, hold fast to the Lord, and have a very blessed day!