A surprise ending. .

29 Nov A surprise ending. .

The past 11 days have been full of love, laughter, and exciting events! From meeting a great new team. . Beginning the construction on the Will Smith Learning Center . . . Gabriel’s graduation and getting a partial scholarship to attend the University as an accounting major. . .then saying goodbye with tears in our eyes yesterday (Gaby and I, of course). . . To the last 24 hours being an adventure all of its own. . Unplanned. . Unknown to us. .

United cancelled my flight due to mechanical problems which turned into a sweet time of meeting new friends. . More laughter. . More love. . Just when you think the mission is accomplished and over. . God gives you even more!

I was supposed to fly out yesterday at 12:45pm and around 2:30. . . I decided to go to Zulu Cafe and get a mango smoothie. . I was alone. . And bored. .. flying back home alone because the rest of the team left last Sunday. . . This little cafe is tiny so you basically are sitting together with other people. . There were 2 couples who were returning from Roatan that were sitting next to me. . They were happy. . Laughing. . Fun people. . You could just tell. . No stress about the flight. . . I asked them if they knew what was going on. . And then our conversations began. . They were on vacation and lived in Omaha Nebraska where it was currently 4 degrees!. . .within an hour we find out the flight is cancelled. . United would put us up in a hotel in San Pedro Sula. . Haha. . A big scary city. . especially at night. . The 2 couples said you are welcome to hang out with us. . And then they said. . Really. . I think we need you more than you need us! I laughed and thought how cool it was that we met under these crazy circumstances and now were planning to hang out at the Hilton Hotel in San Pedro together!

I called Gabriel and Gaby and asked them to come spend the night with me if they wanted to. . Gaby was a little nervous about being in San Pedro and had prior plans with sweet Alex. . I mean. . She just spent 10 days with me. . I am supposed to be back home. . . . But Gabriel said I am coming! And he did. . He had never been in a hotel that nice and he was so excited. . The really cool part is that we didn’t really get to fully celebrate his graduation because it was so late when the ceremony ended and then I was supposed to leave the next morning. . So here we are. . With a second chance to celebrate!

He came to the airport while we waited in long lines to go back through customs. . Get our luggage. . Get our flights changed. . Get our hotel and meal vouchers and then get a taxi to the Hilton. . It really could have been a grueling experience. . But the whole time we were getting to know our new friends from Omaha. . And they, of course, loved Gabriel. . .So we decided to have dinner together at the hotel . . All 6 of us. .

As we sat down and ordered. . Nate sat next to Gabriel. . .he looked at him and said. . Where we come from graduation is a big deal. . Congratulations!Do you wear a watch? Gabriel said no. . I mean I like them, but I don’t have one. . Nate smiled and said. . I love watches. . And my favorite one was a fossil watch. . But in Roatan my wife bought me a new one. . He showed Gabriel his new watch. . And then he looked at him and said. . I would like to give you my Fossil watch. . It has been very special to me and I would like for you to have it. .
I am sitting there amazed. . With tears in my eyes. . As Nate tells Gabriel to turn his head away while he puts it on him. . . We are all watching with sweet joy and tears as Gabriel turns back around and looks at his new watch. . Given to him by a man he just met. . A man who was kind enough to want to give something special of his to my sweet 18 year old who never asks for anything. . A humble sweet boy that deserves everything in life . . A boy who 4 years ago had no one he called mom. . . And now. . He met a new mentor. . A man he instantly had a sweet connection with. . . Another man he can respect and look up to (literally too. . He is like 6’4) . . All because the plane had mechanical problems. . . Wow!

We were all tired but the dinner seemed to invigorate us and the huge shopping mall was just a block away. . It was raining. . But it was Black Friday and none of us had shopped yet! Haha!

Us staying another night was all about Gabriel. . All about 4 new friends and him understanding that God places people in our path for a reason. . It was a very special celebration dinner. . Paid for by United Airlines. . Blessed by 4 special people from Omaha Nebraska. . I feel quite sure we will spend more time together in the future. .

You never know when God is planning to give you an extra dose of blessings. . What a sweet ending to an already perfect trip!