My Airport Saga

I arrived in Amsterdam around 7:30 this morning. I slept most of the 9 hour flight thanks to a sleeping pill.

I went straight to the gate and got my boarding pass… I wasn’t going to chance missing this flight. However, the saga of delays continued throughout the day.

After sitting for a few hours at the gate, I joined the long line of 400 passengers to go through another set of x-ray machines and metal detectors. I got through and was feeling great about life. I sat for another hour, ready to board. At around 9:30, there was an announcement that there may be some delays… then an announcement that the flight was delayed until noon. Everyone had to exit the holding area. I went an got a grilled chicken salad at Micky-D’s.
I returned to the gate and waited another hour before joining the endless line again. Once through security, an announcement came that there was a mechanical issue with the engine. The pilot announced that there may be a needed part they could get from another plane that was going to land soon, or something like that. Oh, the drama. He said there may be a chance that they couldn’t fix the problem.

I can’t even compare myself to a refugee, but I think I may have touched the slightest tip of the iceburg. You could see the hunger in people’s eyes. The disappointment. There were no pay phones… no way to contact home or my people at Compassion. Because I didn’t know how long we would be there, I didn’t want to spend another $ on internet. I had already spent about $30 on communication attempts from Chicago. Besides, it was about 3 or 4am in Denver. What would I say? The lack of information was really frustrating. Rumors were spreading that the flight was canceled. Hope was dimming that I would get there.

I would have loved to have had the opportunity to talk to SOMEONE from home. My opportunity would soon come!

After another hour, vouchers were given for food and some sort of phone card. I left the holding area again with the exodus. I finally found a phone, but I couldn’t get the card to work for an international call.

I knew there was another flight out that day, so I went for a KLM counter on the other side of the terminal. After getting in front of an agent, I was informed there wasn’t the slightest chance getting on the next overbooked flight. I was feeling low again. The screen said the flight was delayed until 2:40pm.

I went for another phone. That’s when I heard a familiar voice call my name! There a few moments I’ve had when the world seemed incredibly small. This was one of them. One of my best friends ever, school mate, and former room mate, Mr. Brent Larson and his lovely wife, Lisa, were at the same counter!

(By the way, the day before I left, Christie, Olivia and I had a sonogram that told us that our New Year’s baby will most likely be a boy! Our first name choice is Brent, influenced by the gentle and compassionate Brent Larson that we love so much).

After hugs of disbelief, we took some pictures together and went for another McDonalds run. Seeing Brent and Lisa was just what I needed. A small touch of home and even a much needed hug. Wait ‘till Christie hears about this. Just writing this is choking me up.

To make a long story short, we didn’t get up on the runway until 4pm! There was another delay when certain passengers didn’t return to the plane and there baggage had to be found and removed for security reasons.

Anyhow, it’s almost 9pm in Kenya as I write this… We might land around midnight.