Unknown Friends

So, I'm sitting in yet another airport en route to New Zealand. This time I'm on the solid ground of Brisbane.
(It feels good to be on land.)

As I came through customs and into the transit lounge I suddenly had a whole heap of memories come flooding back to me from the last time I visited Brisbane. It's a story worth telling, especially to those of us who would rather sit in silence on our travels and not engage with anyone (myself included - I don't really enjoy the superficial chat).

Now to put it into context last time I was travelling from Goa, India to get to New Zealand in time for Christmas, and so had a very wonderful flight sequence where I was able to drop in to Brisbane to visit a friend for the day (names have been removed for protection purposes but - check out her blog while your around the blogging world...http://www.claire-matthews.blogspot.com.au ) and then she would drop me back in the evening to catch my flight.

It did not happen as planned. I remember the moment well,
'I'll just wait here while you check your flight'
'Nah don't worry you go, it will be fine!'

At my word the car and friend leave, and I walk in, look up, only to find my flight flick round at that very moment as 'delayed' on the screens. Well, only for a couple of hours but still, would have been nice to know in advance of that moment!

I wait for a couple of hours and in those two hours, a lady doing a survey asks for my help, as I'm simply waiting I assist in the survey about why I've come on holiday to Australia, I couldn't really answer her questions so we had a little chat about what I did in India, and working for a charity & church and then she left.

The next thing I know is being woken up like something from a film, you'll know what I mean, they lock a camera behind the eye of the one waking up... I'm all blurry eyed, brain completely disengaged but trying desperately to make some sense of what's going on, i literally have no idea where I am or who this strange lady is talking to me. Clinging to words that I'm sure sounded something like this,
Eushhagaagbashhass. Certain of it.

Apparently I had fallen into a deep deep sleep that was very tough to wake up from! The survey lady had in the meantime interviewed a girl called Ciara - ...and was really excited that Ciara was also a Christian and was going to work for a charity. So the survey lady walked off and said, 'you must have a lot to talk about' ... What?! How did she think let alone know that, I was asleep, clearly a deep one, and she just woke me up to talk to a stranger! I AM SO TIRED I WANT TO VOMIT. (My exact grumpy tired thoughts).

The thing is, this interfering survey lady was right, Ciara was meant to be on this delayed flight too, and so we began to talk and share our stories, and the flight kept getting delayed, and we kept talking. And then after waiting for almost 8 hours after the expected departure time, they informed us they would have to cancel the flight, the plane was broken.

Panic broke out and we were sitting among another film like scene with people rushing and shouting (it's the 23rd December 9pm by this point). My main panic was that I would have to spend more time on my own and I was already pushing the limits!

Then the most incredible situation occurred, Ciara disappeared, and I found her sobbing in the toilet, she was going to see her boyfriend for two days (one of which had already been taken up waiting for the flight), for a party, and with this cancellation she would miss the party and only have half a day there. She was devastated, understandably. That too it was Christmas.

But in that moment, God broke in, well I think He broke in way before this moment but perhaps this is the moment I realised! I was able to help Ciara figure out the options and we just prayed together, that was all, but that was all that was needed in that moment.
We then shared even more stories as the airport put us in a hotel and we shared a hotel room. They bought us dominos and all was well. Ciara left on the first flight out of Brisbane on Christmas Eve and I left later that day.

For 13 hours, I made a friend. We shared things that friends only share after a lifetime of knowing one another. And I have never seen her again, I'm not friends with her on Facebook, she doesn't follow me on twitter and I don't even know exactly how you spell her name!

In those hours we met with god, and we walked one another's journeys together.

We don't always know where people are at, but we assume that wherever that is, it shouldn't interfere with us. Particularly when we travel.
We tend not to give anyone time, because its an inconvenience, even when we are waiting or just sleeping!

What struck me as those memories filled my again is that I was on a bit of a pilgrimage in the season that was my life back then, I could argue that I still am. Ciara became part of that journey, and I don't think I will forget the impact it has had on how I travel, who I speak to, and how I see God, more and more in the people I meet.

Give someone some of your time, even when you don't know them, there will be friends in your life one day that you don't even know yet. Blessed much?!