Mission to Mars

Sam dropped me off at the airport at about 2:30 pm for my 4:00 flight. Due to weather in Houston we weren't able to take off until after 9:30, and needless to say I had missed my connecting flight from Houston to Seattle which was supposed to leave at 5:50. We roll into the E terminal in Houston at 10:40, and the last flight to Seattle leaves at 10:45. I book it over to the gate where it is scheduled to depart and get on standby. Luckily that plane had been delayed also, and didn't end up taking off until almost midnight anyways. So I'm on standby along with about a million other people it seems, and they start boarding and they tell us that the flight is really full. The next flight isn't until 7:50 in the morning, which even if I was able to snag a seat on that plane would put me at least 30 minutes late for my noon appointment.

They start calling standby names. Collective groans go out after each name is called as all of us in the crowd become more and more pessimistic about our chance of getting on this plane. Finally she calls the last name, and the person goes over and gets his ticket and boards. They are about to shut the doors when a guy who had been standing there for some time stops them. He has a boarding pass in hand and asks if there is a spare seat for his friend, who is still in the crowd. She says no, that they are all full, and that he needs to get on the plane so they can go. His friend's voice coming from the crowd tells him the same, "Go ahead man, I'll catch up with you later." The guy with the ticket responds, "No way. All for one and one for all," and gives his ticket back to the flight attendant. She hurriedly reaches for the list of standby names and says:

"Matthews, George."

I think I probably screamed like a little girl. I went from being positive that I was going to miss the only reason I was going to Seattle, to being elated at getting literally the last seat on this plane, and a seat that had already been given to someone else.

Can I just reiterate my belief that our God is the God of the super clutch? It was as if he was saying, "Oh hey Cabe, I see your having trouble making it to Seattle. It's cool, I'll give you a ride. This one's on me."

It was a fun trip. Mars Hill is amazing; I feel like I would fit in well and like it would shake my world in a way that it needs to be shaken, and that it would also change my life and my future ministry. And Seattle is beautiful. The high was 72 degrees, the trees look like Christmas trees, and they have bigger hills than Austin, along with a slew of highways and tiny urban roads that weave and wind up, down, around, over and even under the hills and buildings.

I am supposed to find out in the next week whether I'm accepted. I'll keep you all posted.