The next morning I slept in a bit, but then began constantly checking the weather because the snow storm was not going away. My flight was scheduled for 5:52pm on February 5th, but my airline was already emailing me stating that it might be best for me to change my flight. At that time, my flight was still on time, so I did what any normal person would do; I headed out into the snow in search of the only known Nutella bar in the USA so I could enjoy a tasty breakfast. Since it was bitterly cold out, I opted out of any other sightseeing and headed back to my friend's apartment to back and get to O'Hare. When I got back, though, I realized that my flight was delayed until 7:22pm. With the extra time, I raided the kitchen for some Tostitoes and surfed the internet before it was time for me to go. When I went to print my boarding pass, though, I realized that my flight had gotten moved up to 6:52, so I headed out immediately. Getting off the train, I struck up a conversation with a woman who was bound for a meeting in Arkansas. We discussed healthcare and being patient in finding jobs, trusting that everything happens for a reason. It was a pleasant reminder to me that I have the ability to strike up a conversation with anybody, something that would come in rather handy for me later in the month, unbeknownst to me. Security went smoothly, though I was the random person that was pulled out of line to have their hands swabbed, but that did bless me with getting put in the expedited TSA line where I didn't have to take my shoes off. I wandered to my gate and sat there waiting to board. It got to be 6:40 and we still weren't boarding, so I was beginning to wonder if my flight would actually leave. About that time, the sign changed saying that the flight was delayed until 7:10. Around 7pm, all zones were called to board immediately and I was soon in the air back to New York, thanks be to God.Upon landing at LaGuardia, I pulled out my hat and gloves in preparations for trudging to my car in long term parking. After a quick walk, I found it under some snow and a casing of ice. I went to turn it on in order to warm it up, but all I heard was "click click click." I thought to myself that that wasn't a good sign, but I distinctly remember not panicking. Instead, I opted to clean off my car and then try again, thinking maybe it was just because it was really cold. I tried again, but only my radio would turn on. Otherwise, my battery was dead. Again, though, I didn't panic. I made a mental note that I had AAA and could call them, but I didn't know if it'd be a hassle to get someone into long term parking at LaGuardia. Plus, it was 10:30pm, so I wasn't sure how long a wait it would be. So I did the next logical thing. I started to walk back to the terminal in search of a maintenance guy who could maybe jump my car. On my way back to the terminal, though, I came across a couple that was cleaning off their car. I went over and asked them for help and they thankfully obliged. Within 10 minutes, my car was running and I was on my way to East Stroudsburg. The fact didn't elude me that God was watching over me, and that if it wasn't for Him, I would be stuck. If my plane hadn't been delayed, there's no telling if anybody else would have been in that parking lot to help me out of my predicament.
Fast forward two weeks to me in North Carolina. I had spent ten days with friends in Atlantic Beach while I waited for a reply from the job in Chicago. I packed everything into my car and was two hours into my drive when I got a phone call from Jim telling me he had just gotten off the phone with someone from Samaritan's Purse saying that they could maybe use me as a team leader for the deployment in Moncks Corner, SC. My first reaction was to laugh and ask if he was kidding because I had no desire to be a team leader, but I also knew it was important to be obedient. I hesitated, though, because I had no work clothes or boots with me and was still waiting to hear back from the job interview. I found a Starbucks to email the guy who interviewed me, anticipating that he would get back to me within the hour because he was always on top of his communications. After an hour, though, I still had no response. After the second hour, I began to realize that I couldn't stay in limbo at Starbucks forever, so I called home to talk things over with my mom. The more I talked, the more I felt lead to go to South Carolina. I would be acting selfishly if I chose to come home just because I was tired of being away. She also said that maybe God wanted me to make a decision based on faith, not knowing what the outcome in Chicago would be. So I texted Jim and found myself driving back down to Morehead City. The closer I got there, though, the more I really wasn't sure about my decision. My mind was racing with "what ifs" and it just seemed a bit crazy to just up and go to South Carolina when I might have to move to Chicago in two weeks. And the more I thought about Chicago, the more anxious I got, secretly hoping I wouldn't get the job. I talked to Jim and Jeni on the phone that evening and they both reassured me that I would regret not going to South Carolina because I would be at home with nothing to do. Also, Jeni had formulated plans A-C for me. A being I didn't get the job, B being that I got the job and could fly back to NC to drive to PA, and C being that I negotiated a later start date for the job. With those options, there was no arguing. I was going to South Carolina. It made me think of Proverbs 16:9, which says, "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." I had never considered going to South Carolina because no overnight volunteers were being accepted, but God wanted me there. It was in the complete opposite direction of where I was headed, but God got me going towards the place He wanted me. Sure I questioned it at first, but I was willing to trust God and head on down to Moncks Corner, and what a blessing that was.
When I first arrived in Moncks Corner, I was pleasantly surprised to see some familiar faces of people I had served with before, such as Chaplain Alice, Amy, Dale, and Kenny. That evening we had a site management meeting and it came to my attention that I was never put on the list of people who were supposed to be in Moncks Corner, but Jim vouched for me and I was allowed to stay. It was just one of the many ways God's hand was in my adventure in South Carolina because if I looked at it from man's perspective, I didn't belong there and shouldn't have been there. That first night I caught up on life with Alice and befriended the other chaplain named Rose. I admitted to Alice that I hadn't been fully trusting God to lead me in my job search, which came to light when I told her about all I had done to apply and she boldly asked, "And where is God in this process?" Rose, who had just met me, said it looked like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders and that I needed to let it go, so after a good cry and some prayers from them both, I went to bed that first night. The next morning, some of my anxiety had left me and I was able to enjoy a warm morning picking up sticks in someone's yard. I discussed with Jim the fact that I was still unsure about Chicago and still had not heard anything. He told me to focus on God and pray about the situation. I finally did hear back, and was pleasantly relieved to realize I didn't have to move to Chicago for work.
Over the course of the next 11 days, God blessed me abundantly thanks to my willingness to listen to Jesus' words in Matthew 16:24, which says, "...'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" I was able to put aside my desire to go home and be comfortable and serve God where He needed me. Chaplain Alice felt bad that I only had a egg carton foam roll to sleep on, so she went out and bought me an air mattress to sleep on. Also, she happened to have a pair of polka dot rubber boots she never planned on wearing, so I acquired proper footwear to work in for the rest of the deployment. Along with that, I never actually had to serve as a team leader, which greatly eased my anxiety. I believe God was thankful for my willingness to serve him, but understood my anxiety and reservations behind serving as a team lead. Instead, I either worked as a normal volunteer or spent time assessing since there were not many volunteers. Moncks Corner sure brought to light Luke 10:2, where Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." There was plenty of work to be done and souls in need of salvation, but limited numbers of volunteers. God answered our prayers, though, and provided us with the Changed Lives ministry, some sailors from the United States Navy, and a group of men from Calvary Chapel in St. Petersburg, Florida, which got diverted from Augusta to come serve in Moncks Corner. Each and every one of them played an important role in God's story in serving the community in this section of South Carolina. Not only did they help clean up trees and yards, but they blessed me and the homeowners by sharing their testimonies. I was working hand in hand with individuals who battled against addiction, faced homelessness for one reason or another, or were pickpockets before God saved them, and we all banded together in this one place in order to serve Jesus Christ.
I gained some much needed advice from one man about ministering to my father because he was struggling with a similar situation. He also reminded me the importance of reading the Bible and forming a strong relationship with Jesus because he told me that he opted for a year in prison rather than another AA or NA program because he wanted to read his Bible. That served as a great reminder as to how our mindsets must differ from the worlds, and that our most important role in this life is to be a servant of Jesus, no matter how strange that may seem to everybody else. This man emphasized his point by having me read Romans 12:1-2, which says, "I appeal to you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect," and explain to him what I thought it meant.
All in all, I am ever so thankful for God leading me to Moncks Corner, SC. I came away with many new friends, and was so touched to experience numerous God moments with this team. God provided me with the faith to turn around and follow His plan and not my own. Each and every detail was intricately planned out by Him, and I was finally tuned in to take notice. It was also a blessing to hear that people were cheered by seeing my glowing smile in the mornings, which encouraged me, especially on the days that I was dealing with spiritual warfare and on the brink of teetering into a depression. And even though we were at first discouraged by the lack of volunteers in the community, God provided those who were necessary to get the job done to remind us that we were serving Him and not ourselves. In closing, I'll leave you with the words of the apostle Paul, which he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58 ~ "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
